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Coffee aficionados might consider it blasphemous to add something to a perfectly good cup of black coffee. Yet the reality is that around two out of three U.S. coffee drinkers mix in ingredients like milk, according to research from professor Ruopeng An while at the University of Illinois.
But what comes around goes around, as this majority group of coffee consumers is increasingly turning to non-dairy ingredients. As a result, coffee is quickly returning to its natural status as a plant-based beverage, as CoffeeGeek writer Zuzanna Kaminski astutely notes.
For example, in the UK, nearly half of coffee drinkers ask for dairy-free options in their drinks when ordering from a cafe, finds plant-based milk company Alpro, as reported by Livekindly. Another study commissioned by plant-based milk company Califia Farms found that 58% of US coffee drinkers tried non-dairy options during the pandemic.
What’s driving these changes? Depends on who you ask. According to a UK survey by Allegra World Coffee Portal, the reasons for choosing plant-based milk are fairly dispersed; factors like “health and wellness” and “intolerances or allergies” are the top choices, but no factor was claimed by more than a quarter of respondents. Interestingly, dietary preference came out ahead of reasons like environmental or animal welfare concerns.
For the coffee world, the takeaway is that the market for plant-based beverages far exceeds those who follow a vegan diet or who are lactose intolerant. So, those in the coffee business have a prime opportunity to appeal to consumers looking to try new ingredients in their beverages for a variety of personal reasons. And for coffee consumers, the growth of plant-based milk offers exciting potential to experiment with subtle flavor variations.
As a diehard black coffee drinker, I’m not going to add any type of milk to my regular morning cup anytime soon. But as someone who’s been following a mostly vegan diet for the past few years, I’ve had plenty of coffee beverages with plant-based add-ins, and I can vouch for the unique flavors these dairy-free options can provide.
For example, a pumpkin spice latte with coconut milk adds such a delectable creaminess that you won’t care how basic you may seem for ordering these fall beverages. Or you can use hazelnut milk in a latte for a…you guessed it…nutty taste.
And with each passing day, it seems like there’s another ingredient that someone has figured out how to turn into milk — looking at you Lavva, with your pili nuts. So if you haven’t been one to try plant-based milk in your coffee drinks, it may only be a matter of time until you can do so at any cafe just as easily as you can order cow’s milk.
About the author
Jake Safane is a freelance journalist and content marketer living in LA who’s worked for companies like The Economist. When’s he not drinking coffee to fuel his writing, he enjoys baking vegan goodies and exercising.