As we all know, coffee dates are typically a point of contention between New York City’s eligible bachelors and the lucky – or unlucky – ladies that get to date them. We put our personal thoughts to the side on this matter, and spent an afternoon in NoMad sipping not only on coffees, but chai lattes, and the internet’s main moment, matcha, with our suitor of the day, Oatly. And let’s just say we stand corrected on this subject, as this wasn’t your average latte linkup.
Not even your favorite f**kboy could cook up a date like this. Catering to our taste buds with bespoke beverages — think tortilla agave lattes and osmanthus cold brews — and stimulating our brains with captivating conversations go beyond the regular meet-up, but for Oatly, this is standard practice. On Wednesday, the Swedish brand’s Aftertaste activation served up a delicious platter of panel discussions — and a green-themed matcha station — featuring the minds behind some of your favorite cafés.
Among them was Audrey Finocchiaro of Nitro Bar, who highlighted the power of social media and its pivotal role in the growth of her business — from a single cart to three thriving locations over the past decade.
The lineup of keynote conversations left no stone unturned, covering all aspects of modern coffee culture, the rapid rise of matcha, the Gen-Z consumer, and how this new generation’s preferences differ from those of their predecessors. As panel speaker Dan Frommer aptly put it, “Everyone needs to drink, but young Americans really love trying new and different beverages.” And that they do; hence the sudden surge of custom café beverages designed to appeal to their chaotic yet curated tastes, including chai-based offerings. Comedian Hasan Minhaj gave his two cents on chai culture as an investor and business partner of NYC’s first chai-only café, Kolkata Chai Co.
In the final panel discussion of the day with Kat Kinsman, Minhaj dove deep into his cultural ties to chai, explaining that it goes beyond a beverage and serves as a ritual for companionship and community within South Asian culture. Although Minhaj’s claim to fame is his work as a comedian, at its core, his work is about culture and community — much like chai — and operating at that intersection is especially meaningful for him. “As an artist, you’re always communicating both of these things,” he shares. “You’re performing on stage for people, you’re connecting IRL. Every show is building a mini community, and it is a conversation with an audience. Food and beverages are very similar in that way, too.”
"There’s a small group of people coming together to have this experience, and you want to leave people with something a little more than what they came with," he continues. "Chai is just a love letter that you give people after a meal.”
It’s safe to say that we left Oatly’s Aftertaste event with more of a pep in our step — thanks in part to the experimental espresso drinks — and a newfound appreciation for the moments that chai, coffee, and everything in between can create for communities far and wide.
