Vault Coffee + Deviant Donut: A Very Sweet Collaboration

Photos: Deviant Donut/Vault Coffee & @east_coast_camera

Collaborations, pop-ups, and food markets are what I live for in terms of seeking out inventive yet timeless cuisine pairings. And one new collaboration that caught my eye with an abundance of drool-worthy Instagram posts—and likely you’ve spotted it too—is the recent marriage between Vault Coffee and Deviant Donuts. Truly, what is better than a perfect pairing of coffee and doughnuts on a lazy weekend morning?

Open since October 2014, Vault Coffee brought flavorful, locally hand-roasted beans into Olde Mystic Village, acting to rejuvenate Mystic Village as one of the first establishments in an influx of cool new shops and eateries as well as bringing carefully crafted espresso-based beverages into the area. A complement to their great coffee, Vault Coffee has recently started offering doughnuts from the owner’s own local bakery, Deviant Donut, which presently lacks a storefront.

Following the basic rules of limited supply = enhanced demand, Deviant Donut’s fabulous treats are only available at Vault Coffee in Mystic from Fridays to Sundays (plus Mondays in the summer) and are available nowhere else. In addition to limited time available in which to taste one of their excellent doughnuts, the flavors change weekly, making it exciting each time you visit since you might get to try something new each weekend.

Over the course of the summer, I’ve been gluttonous enough to try so many that I’m almost too embarrassed to share my number here. Of the 10 (!) I’ve tried, several caught my taste buds by surprise and are definitely recommended if available during your visit. Most notable of the bunch, the tiramisu, which doesn’t pop up on the menu as often enough as it deserves, features a yeasted shell accented by a dusting of powdered chocolate and espresso and filled with a generous dollop of luxurious custard cream. The size of this doughnut is so large that it can be cut in two, stored in the fridge, and enjoyed at another occasion—perhaps with your second cup of coffee for the day, brewed at home with beans purchased from Vault.

As far as Deviant “standards” go, the Boston cream is anything but basic: a yeasted shell frosted with rich dark chocolate, crammed full of thick custard cream. This is another treat to definitely order. A twist on the Samoa Girl Scout Cookie, Deviant offers its rendition of this classic favorite in doughnut form. The Samoa cake-style doughnut is glazed, rolled in toasted coconut, and drizzled with dark chocolate. For cake-style doughnut lovers, the Samoa is flavorful, sweet, dense, and frequently available on the menu.

Deviant has also built fans among the gluten-intolerant crowd with their weekly offering of gluten-free doughnuts. During one visit, I sampled the GF Death by Chocolate, which is the most chocolately doughnut I’ve tasted to date. Chocolate lovers will rejoice in its chocolate cake-style base and toppings of a creamy, thick heaping of chocolate frosting, chocolate chips, and a piece of chocolate drizzled with white chocolate. The density of the gluten-free doughnut is definitely higher than that of the cake-style doughnuts with gluten, but both are tasty.

The doughnuts offered three days per week by Deviant isn’t all that is good about Vault Coffee—let’s not forget the perfect pairing of coffee and doughnuts (or really, anything sweet). Each day of the week, Vault Coffee treats those seeking an energy boost with their excellent caffeinated beverages; especially notable are their espresso-based drinks which match the quality of other third-wave cafes in larger U.S. cities and abroad. Order an espresso and you’ll get one properly served in a small cup, or a cappuccino and you’ll receive one with the milk frothed and heated properly, decorated with a design poured by one of the skilled baristas.

Vault Coffee + Deviant Donut offer diners the perfect marriage of sweet, creative doughnuts with third-wave coffee made using beans roasted in small batches by hand. Vault Coffee is definitely worth a visit, especially on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday when Deviant’s doughnuts are available.

https://www.vault.coffee/

https://www.facebook.com/vaultcoffee/

https://www.facebook.com/deviantdonuts/