This Nutty Ingredient Is the New ‘It’ Coffee Addition — Here's How to Try It at Home

Hot, iced, with cream and sugar, perhaps alternative milk, a dash of cinnamon, or a flavored syrup — there are plenty of ways to enjoy a cup of coffee. However, the internet now wants to add one more ingredient to the mix: tahini.

Tahini coffee has become exponentially more visible on social media over the past year, with its popularity spreading so rapidly that Yelp recently identified it as one of the fastest-growing trends in internet searches on its monthly Trend Tracker. This is one trend that started in restaurants, then spread to home kitchens as people searched online for how to make it themselves.

"A longtime staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, tahini has found a new home in coffee as Yelp users look for savory renditions of their usual morning brew. With the viral success of Maman’s Salted Tahini Honeycomb Latte and Edith’s Tahini Frozen Cold Brew, we’re seeing increased searches for tahini latte (up 900%) and tahini coffee (up 678%)," Yelp explains in a statement provided to Food & Wine.

But Yelp isn't the only brand that's noticing this trend.

Alon Chen, the CEO and co-founder of consumer intelligence platform Tastewise, shares with Food & Wine that data from his company shows "Interest in tahini coffee is rising fast across social media, with mentions up 126% year-over-year. Home cooks are joining the movement too, with a 74% spike in recipes that include tahini in coffee showing a growing curiosity around Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavor palettes."

Since we've always had an eye out for the next big thing, we've been fans of this trend for a while, even releasing a recipe for a Coffee Tahini Shake last year. When it comes down to it, making sesame-infused coffee is as simple as adding a bit of tahini to your cup, along with honey, milk, and some salt to create the ultimate experience.

Related: 10 Latte Recipes Both Iced and Hot Coffee Drinkers Will Love

Unfamiliar with what tahini is? This creamy condiment is made from ground sesame seeds, which can be roasted or left raw before being turned into tahini, and has a nutty, rich, earthy flavor. It's the kind of ingredient that you taste once and then always keep stocked in your fridge to use for everything from salad dressing to now coffee.

While many cultures around the world have long appreciated tahini as a part of their cuisine — like in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, to name just a few — the ingredient has become increasingly popular in the United States over the past decade.

"Tahini has been steadily growing in popularity as an ingredient used for more than just hummus. We've been adding it to ice cream, cookies, smoothies, and brownies for a while, so adding it to coffee feels like a natural next step," Rachel Simons, the CEO and co-founder of Seed + Mill, a sesame concept store that makes handmade halva and tahini, says.

"The trend also aligns with our growing appetite for global flavors, particularly when paired with something as universally beloved as coffee." Simons adds that consumers have already grown to love other additions to their usual coffee, like oat or pistachio milk, chai infusions, cardamon, and even mushroom extracts, so "Why not tahini?"

As for the flavor profile, Simons says the tahini can add a "velvety creaminess and distinct nutty complexity that is hard to define, but the flavor really lingers in your mouth in a satisfying way."

Leo Yuffa, owner of Dazbog Coffee, a company specializing in premium coffee roasts, agrees with that creamy, nutty assessment, adding that the "aftertaste of this coffee is like melted ice cream."

Related: Scientists Just Discovered a Huge Health Benefit of Coffee

Yuffa points out that tahini is ideal for those interested in "vegan and alternative ways to add texture and flavor to drinks. It is suitable for everyone, but especially for those who follow a vegan diet or are interested in a healthy lifestyle."

Again, it couldn't be easier to try at home. Just follow one of the many tutorials on TikTok or try our Tahini Date Latte recipe, which only requires date syrup, salt, tahini, espresso, and milk for the ultimate on-trend pick-me-up.

Read the original article on Food & Wine