Kinako and Black Sesame Milk Latte

Brand: Nittoh

Found at: Bokkusu

For today’s first world problem: I miss drinks that come in sachets. Yes, in the midst of a global pandemic in which hospitals are overrun, jobs are disappearing, and everyone is more alone than ever, I am still able to find something banal to whine about. You’re welcome world. It’s a gift.

But honestly, little tubes of drink powder are one of my all-time favorite luxuries. I know that they are monstrous to the environment – a zero-waste nightmare if ever there was one – but there’s something so wonderful about being able to carry around three cups of coffee and a matcha latte in your purse. The ability, at any place in time, to have a hot drink ready is a combination party trick, money saver, reassurance, and talisman against grouchy co-workers. All you need is hot water and a cup, and you’re basically a magician.

This sesame drink is basically the fiber equivalent of the powdered matcha latte. With one of these packets in my purse, I am always ready to assist with long-term preventative care. Need to improve overall bowel health? Reduce the risk of heart disease? Increase overall life expectancy? And do you need to start that journey right at this exact moment? Then, I have a sachet for right here. Of course, the amount of powdered milk and sugar in this drink probably counteracts (or in fact undermines) the overall health benefits of the added fiber, but that’s neither here nor there.

Because most importantly, it tastes great. Sweet sesame milk is not too far (in spirit) from a gritty hazelnut creamer: nutty and aromatic and pretty inoffensive. It makes a refreshing iced latte in the summer and a comforting warm drink in the winter, and it wouldn’t shock me if it appeared as a new Starbucks special in the next few years. And of course, when that day comes, you know that I’ll be pulling this sachet out of my purse, pleased with myself for being so prepared, so frugal, and so unexpected. A few more sachets and I might as well be a walking café.