We’ve been saying this a lot lately and we’ll say it again: we’re coffee purists. By which we mean that we purely love delicious, quality coffee as it is delivered in all forms. We accept all coffee beverages with an open hand—no brews refused! A filter coffee, an espresso, an espresso macchiato, a mocha moment, an espresso con panna on Whip It Out Wednesdays, or even a cafe latte served in an impossibly large bowl so that it becomes something of a Campbells Cup-O-Latte.
And then there are signature beverages: these are the competition show stoppers, the seasonal cafe delights, a chance for baristas to flex the culinary side of drink crafting to enhance the coffee (or tea) and bring in even more people to the surprising delightfulness that is specialty coffee. There an opportunity to invite people in who might think coffee isn’t for them, or think espresso is too bitter, or whatever!
Today, we turn to a favorite of ours from the city of Portland, a cafe called Prince Coffee, founded by Katie Prinsen and now serving coffee in both Northeast and Northwest Portland. Prince Coffee barista Julia Wohlstetter created a new drink this season called the Peanut Brittle Latte—available now through April 20, 2026 at both locations—and we spoke with Prinsen and Wohstetter to learn more about this tasty new offering.
“I had the chance to try salted coffee while on a trip to NYC two years ago,” explains Wohstetter. “The flavor was really interesting—salt and condensed milk mixed into an iced coffee. While there wasn’t any actual peanuts in this drink, the resulting flavor was really rich and nutty and salty. It got me daydreaming about mixing peanut into a latte. And once I tried it, I was totally obsessed.”
Flash forward two years later, when Wohlstetter perfected her dream peanut-forward espresso-based beverage while serving as manager at the Northeast location. Using Heart Coffee Roaster’s flagship espresso blend Stereo, the drink combines a house-made peanut syrup and topped with Butterfinger candy bar flakes. The drink works well both iced and hot. “I love it iced,” Wohlstetter says. “Something about the saltiness makes it feel really refreshing.”
Finding the right balance of savory and sweet took a lot of trial and error. “The more you cook down peanut butter the more the flavor changes,” says Wohlstetter, “and it becomes super intense, almost as sweet and salty as a good caramel. But peanut butter on its own wasn’t enough to create the flavor I imagined. I wanted a hint of vanilla and maple to lift the flavor. I also had to experiment with the salt levels quite a bit. It’s almost counter-intuitive, but the syrup itself should be much more concentrated and salty than you think it needs to be. Once it’s mixed with espresso it evens out really nicely.”
Perhaps one of the most challenging parts of building a signature drink is coming up with a name that speaks to both the beverage and the person who created it, while also sounding appealing to everyone else who walks in through the door. “I wanted to call it ‘the salted peanut latte’ but we decided that sounded a little silly,” says Wohlstetter, “I was trying to find a way to evoke both the savory and sweet elements of this drink within the name. Peanut Brittle seemed appropriate. The drink has both a creamy, savory, rich side, and a sweet, vanilla, candied side to it. The balance between the two is what makes it so delicious.”
Prince Coffee is no stranger to delicious signature drinks, with regulars dedicated to their perennial Dutch-inspired Stroopwafel and Anijsmelk lattes. “We have a lot of regulars who are devoted to those drinks on the menu who have switched to only getting the Peanut Brittle latte,” Wohlstetter tells us, “I think thats probably the best testament to how good it is.”
Get the Peanut Brittle Latte at Prince Coffee locations in Portland, Oregon. Follow Prince Coffee on Instagram @princecoffeepdx.
Photo by Luke and Mallory Photography courtesy Prince Coffee.
