I've seen a lot of fruit flavor-infused lattes in my day, but this one takes the proverbial coffee cake.
Around the web, I've come across several instances of people putting pomegranate essence in their coffee.
I was pretty skeptical at first. It's not that fruit and coffee is that unusual, but throwing pomegranate into the mix just seemed like too odd of a combination. Plus I didn't want to go to the store to buy a pomegranate. I don't even know what a pomegranate looks like. To be honest, I still don't.
But I decided to give some pomegranate coffee recipes a try anyway, and I'm so glad I did! Soon, you'll be glad I did too.
Much Ado About Pomegranates
The pomegranate is a fruit that is native to the Middle East and South Asia. They're usually reddish in color and have a leathery outer husk-like George Hamilton. The interior of a pomegranate is filled with edible seeds that are surrounded by juicy, red flesh.
Pomegranate juice is tart and sweet, so when you put it in coffee, it adds a unique je ne sais quoi that is pretty much unlike any other fruit and coffee combination I'm aware of. It's like a little bite of coffee fruitcake in every sip.
Plus, the coffee itself starts to barely take on a deep reddish hue. All in all, it's a refreshingly delicious (and deliciously refreshing) twist on your everyday coffee.
So if you're looking for something a little different to jazz up your morning cup o' joe, why not give pomegranate coffee the old college try? (As in, it sounds like something your college girlfriend would make in her dorm room during her third attempt at veganism.)
Preparation
There are a few different ways that you can make pomegranate coffee. Recipes on the web vary quite a bit, but in general, people are doing it by infusing pomegranate juice/grenadine into freshly brewed coffee.
However, another way to do it is to add the seeds in with the coffee grounds and then make a cold brew—I didn't personally try it, but it seems like it would taste quite good.
Some recipes are pretty straightforward—just pouring juice into coffee and stirring But the best pomegranate coffee recipe I've found on the 'net is this one from Slumber & Scones, for a Pomegranate Grenadine Iced Mocha Latte. It involves making a simple grenadine out of pomegranate juice and sugar, and oh my gosh is it good.
As you can tell from the name it's pretty rich—definitely dessert-like—but it's fantastic. The tartness of the pomegranate keeps it from having that "too sweet"-ness that iced mochas can have.
Plus, the grenadine gives it this wonderfully rich color that just looks so good in a glass—especially with the chocolate streaks. (Adding chocolate to any coffee recipe generally seems to work out pretty well.)
Coffee with pomegranate? What's next? Coffee with persimmon? Coffee with jabuticaba? Coffee with... several pomegranates? Who even knows at this point. Anything goes.
So next time you're looking for a really unique coffee flavor to try, don't forget about pomegranate coffee.
