What kind of milk is better for your coffee?
There is a reason why full-fat dairy milk is a favourite amongst coffee lovers: the fattier the milk, the richer and creamier your coffee will taste. Whole milk has a fat percentage of about 3-4%, the ideal ratio to perfectly blend and complement a cup of high quality coffee and, in some cases, save a low quality one!
However, what if you are trying to be healthier, watch your weight, or just made a life-choice not to consume dairy products for ethical reasons? Are you doomed to an existence of shallow-tasting coffee for ever and ever? The answer is NO!
Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk, respectively 1-2% and about 0.3%, will unfortunately taste a bit more watery than full-fat milk. Surprisingly, skimmed milk will retain greater sweetness after steaming compared to semi-skimmed milk, although the latter is better when it comes to texturing and foam formation. We tried both options on our Brazil brewed as a filter coffee, and, albeit slightly more watery, they still pair-up really well!
If you are Vegan or lactose-intolerant, or for whatever reason you don’t want to drink dairy-milk, do not despair! Albeit these non-dairy milk don’t contain any of the animal fats and proteins necessary to create a rich and creamier texture, their nutty aftertaste goes very well with a wide range of specialty coffees. Here are some of the characteristics of some of the most popular non-dairy milks commonly available on the market, with some pair-up suggestions for our coffee, let us know what you think:
Oat milk: Probably the king of alternatives. When heated, it gets creamier making it very similar to dairy milk.It also has a slight sweet taste which pairs perfectly with our Colombia range.
Almond milk: Quite light in terms of body and taste, however it’s almond after-taste goes quite well with the natural acidity and fruitiness of our Colombia.
Soy milk: Concerning texture, creaminess and richness, this is probably the closest solution to full-fat milk, however it all depends if you find its soy aftertaste pleasant or not. Try it as hot dash in our Brazil.
Rice milk: Very watery and thin milk, most similar to skimmed milk.
Coconut milk: There are two kinds of people: the ones who love coconut and the ones who hate it! If you belong to the former group, then you must know that coconut and chocolate is a winning combination, so why not try it in our Brazil? Its natural chocolatiness is a very suitable blend with this type of milk.