I was in the Smoky Mountains recently on a short trip with my boyfriend when I discovered the coffee gem that is Casa KaWi in Cherokee, North Carolina. I have and always will maintain that typically in hyper touristy areas (especially when they’re rural) it can be hard to find good coffee. By good, I mean coffee that isn’t mostly sugar used to disguise the taste of crappy coffee.

Being the coffee/Google Maps sleuth I am, I scoped out the area for coffee near me. A handful of options came up, many immediately disappointing due to the inclusion of the word java in the name, but Casa KaWi stood out and fully delivered once I saw their menu.

With house-made syrups based in ingredients like rosemary, cinnamon, and honey as the main inclusions in lattes, I was hooked.

I may be a bit, or very, biased towards herb and spicy blends in lattes being the best kind of lattes, but I also happen to feel like I’m right. I was able to visit twice and tried the El Bosque (rosemary, cinnamon and clove) and the Ulagu (honey and cayenne) lattes, both iced because it was the end of May. Both lattes are signature drinks, and I could tell why; they had great flavor profiles and my lactose intolerant boyfriend was coerced by myself to try both because they were too good to keep to myself.

If you happen to pass through the area, which is likely if you’re traveling through the Smoky Mountains from the South, I would recommend visiting Casa KaWi, and Casa KaWi only, for your caffeine needs. They are also known for churros, of which my boyfriend tried one and allowed me a few precious bites. It was delicious. Very light with just the right amount of crispiness, I could have devoured ten of them easily.

We also made a stop at the nearby Oconaluftee Island Park to stroll around, enjoy the river, the people fishing, and soak up some mountain sun while I sucked down my latte. The only downside of my experience at Casa KaWi is that I wasn’t able to visit more than twice and drink the whole menu.