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    Treat to Try: J-POPS

    There’s just something about popsicles (or ice-pops, as “Popsicle” is evidently a brand name) that make them uniquely warm weather treats. While interest in ice cream weathers-the-weather, flavored ice starts being attractive right about… now.

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    Columbus is home to an artisan ice-pop maker called J-POPS. It sells the individually-wrapped treats out of the freezer section at gourmet grocers. Its wares come in an array of flavors that include elements such as exotic fruits, basil, cilantro and cayenne.

    For example, there’s the warm brown Iced Coffee pop. The ingredient list on the back is simple: coffee and sweetened, condensed milk. The combination of the two hits the mark as an icy version of popular coffee beverages. It’s sweet, with enough coffee bite to make the concoction feel all grown up.

    Even better, and surprisingly so, is the Lemon Basil ice pop. Like the coffee version, the ingredient list is straight-forward: water, lemon juice, sugar and basil. The sum is so very much greater than the parts. While lemon and basil is a familiar combination -the sugar magnifies the flavor intensity, and simultaneously triggers a drive for more-more-more. It’s sweet, sugary genius-ness.

    jpops2

    If all that sounds too exotic, you can find more traditional sounding options such as GA Peach and Vanilla Pear. It’s all made locally — and you can also find J-POPS at summer farmers’ markets and festivals. The treats are generously sized, frozen hard enough not to be messy, and politely shaped not-like-a-banana.

    The ice pops have an interesting history -according to the J-POPS website, the proprietor started making them as a volunteer project to raise donations to support tsunami relief for Japan in 2011. The reception was so positive that the project was launched as a full-scale business (that still donates some to charities).

    For more information about the expansion of J-POPS, CLICK HERE to read the full story at TheMetropreneur.com.

    You can find out more about the ice-pops, including a listing of all their outlets, by visiting www.myjpops.com.

    Photos by Walker Evans.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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