If you’ve been struggling with a caffeine addiction and are looking for an alternative to caffeinated beverages, date seed coffee is a good option.
Drinking small quantities of caffeine is okay, but many of us already drink too much coffee each day.
It could be because coffee is addictive or due to the many tasks we have to attend to that require a high attention span.
You find yourself reaching for a mug of coffee every hour or two to keep awake or boost your mental capacity. That may come with jitters, insomnia, and stomach upsets -all signs of excessive intake.
Replacing coffee with drinks like soda or energy drinks doesn’t help because they either have too much sugar or add to your caffeine load.
That’s why coffee alternatives such as date coffee are so popular. If you’ve only heard of this type of coffee, here is some information about it.
What is Date Seed Coffee?
Date seed coffee may seem like something new to you, but it has been around for years. It is a caffeine-free beverage used as a substitute for caffeinated drinks such as coffee, cola, and tea.
Like coffee is made from coffee bean seeds, date coffee is made from the pits/seeds of dates.
Dates are the fruits of palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) which grow in hot regions like the Middle East. They thrive in high temperatures and do not require chemicals or pesticides to produce. These fruits are a staple food in the arid areas and are valued for their nutritional and medicinal value.
You can make date seed coffee from leftover date pits. It is considered a natural energizer. The seeds or pits of dates are roasted to release their aroma and then ground to a coarse brown powder to make date coffee.
Although there are many types of dates in the market. The ones preferred for coffee making are Medjool dates.
Date coffee has a similar taste to real coffee, only lacking in bitterness. It’s also lighter than regular coffee and has pleasant hints of chocolate.
Benefits of Date Seed Coffee
Date seeds are non-toxic and can provide our bodies with many health benefits. They are rich in minerals such as Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Zinc, and Potassium.
These seeds also contain polyphenols and vitamins known to reduce oxidative stress, improve digestive health, and strengthen immunity.
People prefer date coffee over other beverages because it’s non-acidic and gluten-free. It is also rich in omega fatty acids essential for healthy brain and heart functions.
If you suffer from Diabetes, date coffee is a healthier alternative to regular coffee for you, due to its high pro- anthocyanin content. It can protect you from suffering diabetes – related liver or kidney issues by regulating your blood sugar levels.
Even if it doesn’t contain caffeine, date coffee is an energizing drink. Taking 2 or 3 cups of it doesn’t cause jitters and other caffeine sensitivity issues. It’s a healthy beverage that you can drink at any time of the day.
Some coffee drinkers also use it as an additive in regular coffee when trying to wean themselves off a coffee addiction.
Once you start taking date coffee, you’ll appreciate how it reduces food waste by ensuring you use the pits of dates after consuming them.
You don’t need many dates to brew date coffee; twenty of them can make four cups of date coffee.
If you eat dates regularly, just pop the date pits in a bag and store them in the freezer for making coffee and other date seed products such as date paste.
Within a short time, you’ll have a good supply of pits in store to brew date coffee whenever you like.
How to Make Date Seed Coffee Powder
Date coffee is easy to brew. But you need date seed coffee powder to make it. Here’s how to turn date pits into powder.
Ingredients
- 20 dates Dates
- A Burr grinder or blender
Directions
- Remove the seeds from the dates. You can use the pulp to prepare smoothies or make desserts such as no-bake brownies or stuffed dates.
- Soak the date seeds in water for 45 minutes to eliminate any stickiness and leave them on a tray to air dry. Avoid leaving any pulp on the seed because it will burn during the roasting process, spoiling the taste of your date seed powder.
- Line a baking tray with wax paper and place the dry date seeds on the tray.
- Roast the seeds in the oven at 175ºC for 30 – 40 minutes.
- Once the date seeds are well -roasted, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Use a blender or burr grinder to grind the roasted date seeds into a fine powder.
- Your date seed coffee powder is now ready for use.
It is essential to grind date coffee powder to a fine texture to ensure all the flavor is extracted from them when brewing coffee.
If grinding dates to make date coffee is too difficult, you may purchase ready-made date seed powder from the grocery store.
Once you have your date seed powder, it’s time to brew some coffee. Here is a recipe.
How to Brew Date Seed Coffee
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp of Date seed powder
- 300 ml of water
- A pour -over coffee maker
Directions
- Pour the date coffee powder into your pour-over coffee maker.
- Heat the coffee-making water to 90ºC
- Slowly pour the hot water over the date powder to ensure it releases all its flavors.
- Serve your date coffee with sweetener or creamer, depending on your preference.
You can also use a French Press, Espresso maker, or drip coffee machine to brew your date seed coffee.
Try to play with the ratios of date powder, milk, and sweetener to create a beverage that’s identical to regular coffee.
You can also enhance the taste of your date seed coffee with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Sweeteners such as date syrup, honey, or caramel also give it a pleasant taste.
Some people add cacao powder, coconut oil, or butter to their date coffee. You may try these additives too.
Conclusion
Although coffee is a healthy beverage when taken in moderation, it’s an addictive beverage.
As a result, coffee alternatives such as date coffee are in high demand because of their energizing capabilities.
If you haven’t tasted date coffee yet, maybe it’s time to try it. It has many health benefits and is easy to make.
You also get to consume dates, which have lots of nutrients that are good for our health.
Buy some dates and make some date seed coffee today! You may think it tastes better than regular coffee.