The Most Delicious Natural Sweetener to Add to Your Coffee Is Not Honey or Maple Syrup

I live in New York City, where unique coffee shops are abundant and replete with interesting, inspiring drinks — and I try to go to as many as I can. This past fall I visited a New York City location of Luckin Coffee, a mega-popular coffee shop chain that hails from China (where it has over 24,000 store locations!). 

After asking the employees what I should try (a move that I often do and recommend!), I ordered the pineapple cold brew, which was touted as one of Luckin Coffee’s most-signature and best-selling drinks. I took one sip, and then another bigger sip, and in a state of buzzy euphoria I wanted another cup and, more importantly, a way to re-create the delicious elixir I just had at home. After some experimenting, I think I cracked the code — I now have my version of Luckin Coffee’s excellent pineapple cold brew. 

All it takes is just two basic ingredients from Trader Joe’s: cold-pressed pineapple juice and medium roast coffee. 

It’s hard to get pure fruit juice at an affordable price. With nothing added and nothing taken away, Trader Joe’s cold-pressed pineapple juice is naturally sweet and smooth, and tastes like it was juiced minutes ago. I love it because it delivers pure, unmistakably fresh pineapple flavor in every bottle.

In my opinion, Trader Joe’s medium roast 100% arabica ground coffee is a staple of the store’s coffee section. (The grocer’s wake-up blend also fared well in The Kitchn’s recent coffee taste test.) The medium roast and the fact the beans are already ground makes it well-suited to easy drinking.

With an equal parts addition of Trader Joe’s cold-pressed pineapple juice, you achieve a drink akin to a refreshing tropical iced black tea. It sounds wild, but I seriously suggest not knocking it until you try it. The sweetness of the pure pineapple juice works so well with the Arabica bean coffee, which has a smooth, sweet mellowness with low acidity and bitterness.

To make the Trader Joe’s pineapple cold brew, prepare the ground coffee in your preferred coffee-making method — I use my cold brew maker. You can also use a French press and pour the hot coffee directly over ice (but if you have the time, place the brewed coffee in the refrigerator to chill). Once the coffee is prepared add 4 ounces of pineapple juice to a cup filled with ice, and top with 4 ounces of the brewed coffee and stir to combine. That’s it! 

If you want it a little sweeter, top with a few more splashes of pineapple juice to taste. If you have any leftover pineapple juice, use it to make a piña colada or chi chi cocktail later in the day. 

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Cold-Pressed Pineapple Juice, $3.49 for 12 ounces

What’s your favorite easy coffee upgrade? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Most Delicious Natural Sweetener to Add to Your Coffee Is Not Honey or Maple Syrup