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Another western Massachusetts business is selling an anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) product. The Monsoon Roastery – a coffee shop with locations in Agawam, Longmeadow, and East Longmeadow – announced last month it would start selling a cinnamon latte called "To Hell With ICE." Here is how the business described the drink and its reason for making it on its Facebook page: This drink is for people who love hot coffee even in the summer. For people who look at ice and think, why dilute joy with cubes of uselessness that only take up space that could be filled by more coffee. We can make it cold. Just do not ask for ice. ❄️🚫
It starts with a rich base of our famous dulce sauce. We add freshly ground cinnamon, a restrained but noticeable hint of cayenne, and a few extra spices designed to warm and deepen. It is warm, rich, a little spicy, and absolutely committed to melting you from the inside out. 🌶️🤎
We also want to be clear. Shooting people in the face is unhinged. The world feels like it is burning, and we are just a humble coffee company trying to understand our place in the middle of all this insanity. We cannot keep moving through our days as if everything is fine when it clearly is not. We also know we are not equipped to fix what is broken at that scale.
The Monsoon Roastery received mixed reactions to the drink on Facebook. A woman named Alysaun Knox commented, "I was really here for the drink until I realized it’s political." Meanwhile, a man named Brian McKay posted, "That's sad. I like my coffee without a side of politics." However, the post also received praise from liberals. For example, a woman named Bridget Glasheen wrote, "I am loving all these local spots standing up for whats right! Keep fighting the good fight." Additionally, a woman named Jennifer Smith praised the drink. She commented, "I absolutely LOVE this stance!!!!" The business unveiled the drink on January 13 — less than a week after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renée Good in Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Good struck an ICE agent with her vehicle during the incident, causing internal bleeding. The agent then fired three shots, killing her. The controversy also follows a similar incident elsewhere in western Massachusetts last month. In East Longmeadow, The Sweet Boutique sparked backlash after selling cookies iced with the words “(Explicit) ICE,” as NewBostonPost previously reported. The bakery’s social media posts drew a polarized response, with critics accusing the business of injecting politics into its products and supporters praising the message. It was another example of how some local companies have increasingly used their platforms to take public stances on political issues. Such incidents have fueled debate over whether small businesses risk alienating customers by attaching overt political messages to food and drink offerings. The Monsoon Roastery could not be reached for comment this past weekend.
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