Truth be told, I learned about Eleven TLC: A Wellness Company from a TikTok that showed up on my roommate's feed earlier this year. Instantly, I knew I had to try it. When I made my way to Ponce City Market on a dreary Wednesday, I was expecting a coffee shop like any other. What I found, though, couldn't have been more different. Tucked into the back of the food lobby was a rainbow colored booth boasting some of the craziest drinks I'd ever seen. There, I met the owner and a very kind employee who started by giving me a sample of their earth day drink - a blend of their shroom brew latte and their blue latte, topped with matcha foam.
Next, I asked the woman if she could make me a variety of drinks that she thought best represented their menu. I ended up with the following creations.
A shroom brew latte, a not-so-typical latte inspired drink that's based with mushrooms instead of coffee, topped with espresso cloud foam. A pink drink with beet base topped with matcha foam. A sticky chai latte. A tart cherry effervescent tea, designed to energize and rejuvenate. And finally, a calming lavender + honey effervescent tea. If those descriptions haven't sold you already, not only did every single drink taste amazing but they were some of the prettiest things I've ever seen.
My personal favorite was the sticky chai, though next time I will definitely be ordering it with the espresso foam on top. It was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet, which isn't a combination I can find at most places. It's easy to tell that Eleven cares about the quality of their products rather than just pumping syrup or concentrate into a cup, which was a refreshing take on my favorite drinks.
I was also a big fan of both of the effervescent teas, and have no doubt that each would have achieved its intended outcome (calm for the lavender + honey, energy for the tart cherry) if I hadn't had both at the same time along with a sample of every other drink I ordered.
Both of them were so rich and flavorful, but because they were sparkling teas they were super refreshing and light. Just like every drink at Eleven, I could tell that these were made with clean ingredients and had different health benefits.
Overall, Eleven was one of the most innovative and exciting new places I've tried and I can't wait to go back for another round.