Coffee and donuts are an iconic breakfast pairing, but I would argue that breakfast’s other torus is an even better partner. The bagel is perfect. Not cloyingly sweet, though it comes in sweet variations, because the bagel contains multitudes. It is a thing unto itself, requiring little more than a light schmear (or butter or jam or peanut butter even), yet it is also a blank canvas waiting to receive whatever sort of breakfast feast you so desire. The bagel gives you options for how to best accompany your coffee. It is the ideal partner.
But does a bagel belong IN coffee? This is the outer limit of bagel conceivability currently being stress tested by a new collaboration. Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Ziggi’s Coffee have joined forced to create the Everything Bagel Latte.
Two great tastes? Most definitely. That taste great together? Maybe?
As reported by Bake, the Everything Bagel Latte combines Ziggi’s standard iced latte with a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cold foam and finished off with a sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning. It marks Philadelphia’s first foray into the drinks category as well as Ziggi’s first savory latte.
“Ziggi’s has done seasonal, we’ve done bold, but savory is a new territory for our drink lineup,” states Ziggi’s Chief of Strategic Project and Partnerships Stacey Kane. “It’s built on a bagel breakfast sandwich flavor our guests already love. That’s what makes this feel like a match made in breakfast heaven, and a drink that earns its moment.”
Savory lattes are nothing new to the coffee world. We’ve seen vegemite flat whites, scallion lattes, miso lattes, soy sauce lattes, and yogurt iced coffees even. Hell, we came up with our own cottage cheese mocha. So the combination of savory and/or cheese is not unheard of.
It’s just something you are going to have to try for yourself and see how it suits you. Unfortunately, the Everything Bagel Latte is no longer available at the 100+ Ziggi’s locations around the country. Luckily the internet is full of recipes to make your own cream cheese cold foam at home for those daring enough. Buy a little everything bagel seasoning and bing bang boom, you’ve got yourself and everything bagel latte.
I think for me it’s less the cream cheese cold foam and more of the floating bits of sesame and poppy seeds and that shards of dried garlic and onion that I wouldn’t be prepared to receive through a straw. But maybe that’s just the sort of savory surprise you’re looking for in your latte.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
