Almond milk in coffee is horrendous

drdre89

I usually make a full fat milk latte every morning on my Rancilio Silvia Pro X … and have been thoroughly enjoying it, however lately I’ve been accumulating phlegm after having dairy. Since I cut back on lattes and just having long blacks, the phlegm has mostly gone … but I do miss my lattes. So I decided to try almond milk for a latte, and it taste like sh**. Unless I’m doing something wrong steaming the milk and someone has some tips to make it taste drinkable. I’m using the Australia’s Own Barista Almond Milk meant for coffee.

Much prefer to skip the latte and just have a long black rather than suffering with almond milk… might look into creamers but there is a lot of artificial stuff in them.

MediumRoastSteam

drdre89 - I suppose, like many things in life, it’s a matter of getting used to things. Almond milk steams a bit different from cooks milk, so you need to find out the right technique.

I also use dairy, full fat milk on a daily basis. I have tried oat milk before, and in all honesty, I don’t find it that bad. It’s not cows milk though. And that’s the important part: in the same way that broccoli is not a mushroom and vegan cheese is not really cheese.

Cuprajake

Think it’s just almond milk in general 🤮

Dusk

I agree with MRS, some people may find dairy alternatives pleasant but they are never a direct substitute for cow milk when it comes to taste.

Cuprajake

oatley barista was the best i found, but i just moved to black

Jony

Cuprajake ultra processed hardly anything in it.

drdre89

Has anyone tried these Skinny Barista creamers?

https://theskinnyfoodco.com/en-au/products/vanilla-barista-zero-calorie-sugar-free-non-dairy-skinny-coffee-creamer-425ml?variant=31533885751394

Jony

I infact don’t mind,one make my amd two it’s adds different texture.

Cuprajake

Jony yip utter $hite

JHCCoffee

I have been having non-dairy milk with my coffee for health reasons. And my son says it’s better for the planet. I found most oatmilks (alone) to be too oaty. Most do not frothy well. Almond milk and soy milk both taste aweful to me.

But …. a combination of Oatside (barista edition) and Oatly by (the regular milk, which has more fat) seems to work. The Oatside tastes decent but will not froth sufficiently. The Oatly adds the necessary fat for frothing.

I use a heavy steel pitcher which I keep in the freezer, and fill with a hefty dose of cold milk, and place back in the freezer, before commencing espresso preparation. The milk ends up ice cold, sometimes with a layer of almost ice formation on top. This allows for more but slower milk stretching; I really stretch it alot, bringing the milk fairly high up in the pitcher. Starting at 30 C, I immerse the wand further to thicken the milk until I reach 65C. My only challenge is that I haven’t been able to get the goopy thick microfoam milk texture that I like on top of my cappuccino, as did with dairy. Nor have I been able to attain true microfoam, as I did with dairy. Sigh … 😔

Any further suggestions are welcome.

Cuprajake

i dont really drink much milk in general, but i think the whole health and planet reasons for not are one of the binnger swindles we have been given

dfk41

Am I wrong, but did God (or evolution) make cows for a purpose? If a bunch of loons want to hijack that with their own rationale then that is up to them, but they should not be allowed to force it onto the rest of us. I fully appreciate that some folks take milk alternatives for digestion/intolerance problems.

HarveyMushman

dfk41 Am I wrong, but did God (or evolution) make cows for a purpose?

To produce cows milk for, you know, baby cows?

😉

I find Oatly barista steams well and tastes great. Agree almond milk can be vile. Especially in coffee.

I don’t know anything about the nutritional side of it but we’re vegan and have been getting through 6 cartons a week for a couple of years and doesn’t seem to have done us any harm!

100% agree that normal dairy milk froths much easier and better though.

Also agree veganism shouldn’t be pushed on anyone. Eat/drink what makes you feel happy and healthy!

JimmyP

dfk41 Some people avoid cows milk because of animal welfare issues. That was how I discovered straight espresso.

JHCCoffee

Back to the frothing question. Any further suggestions?

dfk41

JHCCoffee Perhaps these alternate ‘milks’ were not designed to produce microfoam. I would start off by writing a stiff letter of complaint to all the manufacturers inviting them to go back to the drawing board and coming up with a suitable product for the exclusive use off the band of barista enthusiasts who have a need. I would also point out that this is discrimination and you ought not in this liberal age, be made to stand for such obvious discrimination

InfamousTuba

As far as dairy milk goes I definitely prefer something like mossgiel if you are in Scotland or another local dairy that still produces cream top milk.

I also like lactose free milk but it tastes a bit sweeter, but it can be good if lactose is the problem

For oat milk Oatly and MoMA are my preferred oat milks, minor figures and califia farms are also not bad. Steaming oat milk requires a better technique because it is less forgiving but it isn’t much different from regular milk if it is steamed well as far as pouring it

Almond and soya are not milk I enjoy for coffee. But I do like almond milk for other uses but not for steaming milk

Jony

I only use Raw milk . But I don’t really drink milk now. Has no benefit really

Cuprajake

Didn’t the Hoff develop mylk

BrendaninBrooklyn

it’s really hard work to milk oats and almonds; cows are much easier

dfk41

JimmyP Some people avoid cows milk because of animal welfare issues

They do not know what they are missing then. It must be terrible living in a world where your conscience wins all the time