Mark My Words: The Iced Tahini Latte Will Be *the* Drink of Summer

While Burke’s creation has earned dozens of rave reviews, it’s also gotten its detractors, posting reviews to the contrary. As someone who’s covered food for well over a decade, with a drink this hyped, I had to try it.

Spoiler: I’m on team tahini.

Before I go any further, I should tell you that I enjoy robust drinks. While I love baked goods and chocolate, when it comes to beverages, bold cold brew, black, is my go-to. If a coffee shop boasts it has 30+ flavor syrups and can make my latte taste like Froot Loops, I’m out.

Still, I wasn’t sure about tahini.

And then I took a sip. There was a distinct, toasty flavor that livened up the standard latte. It added a complexity and depth of flavor that was almost nutty, without being particularly sweet. While I did find myself being a bit paranoid about picking the occasional sesame seed garnish out of my teeth afterward, I loved how subtle the notes of honeycomb were, and how the salt didn’t overpower things—just revved them up.

Striking that balance was exactly what Burke intended to do. “My goal is to have Maman's sauces or syrups be as simple and transparent ingredient-wise as possible, so three really good ingredients got to shine for themselves—[I] had to have the right ratio of good tahini to good sea salt to good honey that would pull through with the espresso and milk,” she explained via email.

It’s something Grinshpan echoes in Tahini Baby. “If you’re gonna use tahini, you gotta do it right. Look for one that’s made from high-quality sesame seeds (the best are from Humera, Ethiopia, and have a sweeter flavor) that have been soaked, hulled (which creates a lighter, less bitter flavor), toasted, then ground in small batches,” she shares in the intro. (Grinshpan recommends trying Seed + Mill and Soom, BTW.)

As for the viral Salted Honeycomb Tahini Latte, Burke actually nailed the ratio on her first try, after dabbling with a small batch (less than a pint) at the company’s commissary kitchen in Long Island City. “In the ever-evolving coffee world, the more savory, rich flavors are often ignored, but it turns out they really amplify and complement the taste of the espresso in a beautiful way. The salted tahini honey sauce we make is a simple approach to an end product that could visually be mistaken for a thick salted caramel sauce, but it has a lot more depth of flavor from the sesame. I think it's different, yet really approachable!”

To that end, Burke’s honored that TikTokkers have been creating their own recipes, often pouring a spoonful of tahini and a squeeze of honey into a shot glass, then pouring espresso on top and stirring to combine, before pouring the mixture over a cup of ice and adding milk and a sprinkle of fleur de sel (or whatever flaky salt they have on hand).

In a coffee landscape that’s dominated by syrups and cold foams, a savory tahini latte is a refreshing change of pace. And couldn’t we all use a break from the ordinary, every now and then?