Do you drink coffee with milk? Cow milk or an alternative milk?
I didn’t start drinking coffee until college. I could drink three cups in the evening and still fall asleep over my books. But when I woke up from the evening nap … zing!! I was wired. I could get some concentrated studying in. I always drank my coffee with half & half, or at least milk, and milk tasted so meager in comparison. I only used sugar very early on and taught my tastebuds to go without; milk actually has a sweetening effect.
It wasn’t until learning more about coffee and trying to pay more attention to the actual coffee’s taste that I gave up adding milk. I still sometimes add half & half if I get a cup of, e.g., Starbucks coffee. I’m not recommending you learn to drink coffee without milk. When we do coffee tastings, we do ask that you try and really taste a sip without milk, but then drink it however you enjoy and usually drink it.
I’ve discovered that oat milk with cold coffee and ice can really hit the spot. I just think of cold coffee as a different beverage than hot coffee. I’m not a morning cold coffee drinker though. So, for me, a cold coffee or a coffee cocktail would be an afternoon or later treat.
I’ve found these articles interesting for covering alternative milks. I often try alternative milks, usually for cereal more than coffee, just out of curiosity and for variety. One article is about oat milk — the recent trendy darling of the alternative milks. I think oat milk has a nice neutral flavor and texture, but nutrition-wise, I miss the protein that’s in cow and soy milk. The other two older articles are geared towards baristas, but with sheltering, many of us are now home baristas, right?