It's hard to surprise us with orders like "soy latte" these days, right?
We are now more than capable of all these vegan versions of cappuccinos and lattes Traditional, and if you ask me, it's for the best. It's always good to broaden your horizons, learn something new, and offer tasty alternatives.
For many different reasons, people today are switching from "cow juice" to lactose-free, plant-based alternatives. We won't discuss the reasons, as they can be diverse, from the ideological to the simply physiological, but they all lead to the same result: people are seeking out non-dairy milks and are looking to drink them with coffee. And what could we offer?
I'm going to list here the milk alternatives I would choose.
But first I need to shock something.
Coffee and milk are a marriage made in heaven. No non-dairy milk, no matter how healthy and good, will taste as balanced with coffee as whole milk. And I mean whole milk, not semi-skimmed, reduced-fat, lactose-free, or low-fat. Good whole milk, 3.2% – 5%.
I come from a culture where this type of milk IS NORMAL, and now I live in a culture where 3% is TOO MUCH.
But one thing is certain, no matter where you live and what is considered normal there – the best tasting cappuccino will be the cappuccino made with whole milk with a fat content of 3.2 and higher.
All other options are a compromise. An attempt. Sometimes successful, sometimes not.
And one more detail. This is mainly for food bloggers. A couple of weeks ago, I had a blogger at the cafe, and she was quite disappointed with the latte art on the almond milk cappuccino. It was a heartfelt attempt.
So… due to the different protein/fat content of plant-based milks, latte art with plant-based milk will never have the same quality as with regular milk. It's simply impossible. The prerequisite for good latte art is good whole milk. It textures perfectly, the foam is stable, and has the perfect texture that allows the barista to create those designs. So, if you opt for non-dairy milks, be prepared to miss out on those perfect Instagram photos. It's truly a compromise, whether it's beautiful latte art or plant-based milk.
An experienced barista can make something decent with soy milk, or they can try it with almond milk, but compared to what they can do with whole milk, these designs will pale. This is due to the physical characteristics and chemical content of non-dairy milks.
It's really a decision you have to make when you're looking for the perfect Instagram shots. Just don't order plant-based milks if your goal is to post latte art.
Let's move on to the non-dairy alternatives I prefer and I talked a little about them.
1. Soy milk
Yes. Obvious but true, so I can't help it. Soy milk is a challenge to texture when you're a beginner, but once you start to understand the game, you start to get the feel for it, and it becomes much easier. I'd go so far as to say that soy milk is the easiest plant-based milk to texture (or, in other words, things get harder after that XD). Soy milk requires lower temperatures, so you should stop a little earlier than usual, I'd say when it reaches 55 C.
The flavor of the combination of soy milk and coffee is quite pleasant, especially when the milk isn't overheated. It's close to regular milk, sometimes with a slightly powdery aftertaste, and the foam is quite sweet. Soy milk tends to accentuate the bitter components of coffee, in my opinion, even when it's a light roast.
2. Almond milk
The second most sought-after plant-based alternative, and therefore the most popular, in my opinion, almond milk tastes good with coffee when cold. If it's being textured, the flavor changes, and the combination with coffee starts to become, well... unusual. Almond milk accentuates the acidic components of coffee, which makes it a difficult milk to use with specialty coffee. Coffee itself is acidic, and when you mix it with potentially acidic almond milk, the result can be disappointing.
Almond milk is also more difficult to texture than soy milk; the texture of the milk after heating appears to be frothier, with slightly larger bubbles. It's harder to achieve a glossy texture.
You should aim for even lower temperatures than with soy milk. Latte art is tricky. It looks like the milk is floating, breaking up the cream, and, like soy milk, the designs become blurry. Almond milk separates quickly after foaming, so you need to pay more attention to incorporating it well before pouring.
3. Hazelnut milk
Simply a pleasure in itself, hazelnut milk was supposed to work well
with coffee, but… The flavor of this milk is so strong that it basically makes the coffee taste disappear. Challenging to texture, but easier than almond milk, the bubbles are small and soft. The foam is less stable and tends to disappear after 7-10 minutes.
4. Coconut milk
Coconut has fat, you think. So isn't that what's needed to make the foam stable? Hell yeah! But wait... Try texturizing coconut milk and you'll understand the problem. First of all, it's quite liquid. Not as liquid as rice milk, but still. The visuals are great; you can achieve a glassy, micro-foamy surface. But the taste... all the sweetness of coconut milk when heated turns into the rancid taste of the oil. Nasty surprise.
And, also important, coconut milk is often made from other milks, mainly rice milk.
5. Rice milk
The plant-based milk with the thinnest texture among those featured in this review. Literally watery, it looks and behaves like water, and you even begin to fear that you won't be able to texture it. Fortunately, you can do it quite decently, and it even allows for a bit of latte art. Everything looks promising... except the taste. What at first seems like water—yes, you're right—ends up tasting like water too.
What I've noticed with all plant-based milks when frothing is to keep them as cold as possible and to create all the foam in the initial stage as quickly as possible. You don't have as much time as with regular milk, so all the foaming should be done at the beginning. In the first 3 seconds.
PS Plant milk doesn't work well with the coffee It is oat milk.
