Can you put cold foam on hot coffee? Are you wondering the same?
Coffee can be enjoyed in a variety of ways; some drink it black, others with sugar or cream, and still others with a dollop of cold froth.
Undoubtedly, there are numerous preparation methods for the ubiquitous beverage coffee.
But if you are like me, you love to experiment and want to jazz it up with something new.
Apparently, going with cold foam seems harmless, but then you hear others say it is not right to mix cold foam with hot coffee. Is it?
Can you add cold foam to hot coffee?
Yes, you can certainly add cold foam to your hot coffee, but depending on what type of coffee you like, it may or may not affect the overall taste a little.
Can You Put Cold Foam on Hot Coffee or Not?
Because of its light and uniquely airy texture, cold foam makes a great topping for iced coffee.
You can whip up a batch of the foam at home and it will taste and feel just like whipped cream.
The confusing part is that some people believe mixing hot coffee and cold foam could trigger a reaction that would render your coffee tasteless.
In fact, some even go on to say that it could cause digestive troubles and is therefore unsafe to drink.
So what’s true?
Tip: If you like your coffee sweeter, try adding a dash of cinnamon powder or simply stir a cinnamon stick through it.
What Is Cold Foam Anyway?
Starbucks has recently added “cold foam” for iced drinks, which allows customers to order frothy foam previously exclusively available for hot drinks like cappuccinos and lattes.
Because foam is made from steamed milk, you may be asking how it can be cold.
I think you will find it rather intriguing.
The nonfat milk used at Starbucks is churned in a special blender until it becomes smooth and thick.
It floats gorgeously at the surface of the cup, adding a touch of sweetness and a silky texture (without the use of cream).
To ensure that every sip of your cold foamy beverage bursts with foam, most coffee shops now serve them with a special lid and no straw.
Intrigued? Same!
Is It Fine to Put Cold Foam in Hot Coffee?
Irrespective of what people say, you can add cold foam to hot coffee.
Your coffee will be much more refreshing with the addition of cold foam.
You can sweeten your drinks up a bit with cold foam.
It can also be used to create non-dairy beverages.
In fact, it is quite fascinating to see how quickly cold foam has replaced milk and cream as a viable alternative.
Tip: Infusing your drink with cinnamon is a time-honored Turkish custom and you simply need to add a pinch of ground cardamon to your coffee a unique, ethereal flavor.
Can Sweet Cream Cold Foam be Used on Hot Coffee?
It is true that cold foam of sweet cream can be added to piping hot coffee.
Coffee will be somewhat chilled by the froth, but the sugar will enhance its sweetness.
Vanilla sweet cream combined with ice makes the tastiest cold brew, at least in my experience.
The cool foam is perfect for iced coffees and cold brews, and as I learned later, only three components are needed to prepare it.
How Is Sweet Cream Cold Foam Made?
Many popular TikTok stars have perfected the art of making Starbucks-style cold froth that can be consumed in seconds.
Blending together vanilla syrup, 2 percent milk, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream in a blender yields a sweet cream cold foam.
Ice cubes are placed in a drink to make it icy cold.
Cloudy, frothy, and silky smooth, like melting ice cream, is the desired consistency.
Here is more about how you can make cold foam using different methods.
The good thing is that in most cases, you only need about half a cup of 2% fat milk.
Making Cold Foam using Your Blender
- Take your blender cup and fill it up with milk.
- Place it on your machine.
- Turn it on and increase the blade speed gradually.
- Keep blending until it becomes smooth and fluffy.
Making Cold Foam using Your Handheld Mixer
- Take a bowl and add some milk to it.
- Get your handheld mixer and place it into the bowl.
- Beginning at a low speed, move it up to a higher speed.
- Continue for a minute until you get a smooth cream.
Making Cold Foam using Your Milk Frother
- Add some milk to your milk frother.
- Turn it on and hold the button.
- Continue with it until you notice cold foam.
Is Sweet Cream Cold Foam for Everyone?
Sweet cream can be too sweet for some people’s tastes in coffee.
But others will love this as a complement to their beverage.
If you are going with Starbucks, you can order extra foam through the app, and the baristas seem happy to oblige.
When you want your coffee to taste and feel just like it would with half-and-half, you just cannot go without sweet cream.
Tip: It may sound strange, but fresh mint leaves added to your coffee make for a subtle, refreshing flavor.
Is It a Good Idea to Add Cold Foam to Hot Coffee?
Adding cold foam to a hot drink is a certain way to shock your taste buds.
Vanilla cream cold foam is a tasty addition to both iced and hot coffees, lattes, teas, cold brews, and other beverages.
Serving cold foam on hot beverages like lattes and foamier cappuccinos is a delicious way to enjoy both.
However, it is worth mentioning that though you can, in theory, put cold foam on hot coffee, the results may not be to your liking.
There is no need to add cold foam if you take your coffee black.
This is because cold foam has the potential to increase the wateriness and bitterness of the coffee.
But if you like your coffee sweetened or flavored with milk, try cold foam instead.
The cold foam has the dual purpose of tempering the cream’s sweetness and adding a velvety mouthfeel to the coffee.
An Important Consideration
It is okay to mix cold milk foam into your hot coffee.
However, coffee connoisseurs agree that combining cold foam with hot coffee dulls both the aroma and taste.
If you want to go this way, know that pumpkin cold foam can be frothed in the microwave, using your preferred handheld milk frother.
It is common practice to employ cold foam to create froth in iced cappuccino cold brew, iced coffee, and nitro coffee.
Is There Any Safety Issue with Using Foam on Hot Coffee?
The temperature disparity has led many to believe it is not safe.
On the other hand, I have seen people put whipped cream on hot cocoa, so I do not see why cold foam would not be fine in a cup of hot coffee.
For some people (like myself), milk can be difficult to digest, and adding it to coffee can make it even more so.
This was the most plausible conclusion I could come up with when I heard people say it is unsafe to mix cold foam and hot coffee.
What it means is that adding cold foam to your hot coffee has no health risks.
But as mentioned already, some coffee connoisseurs believe that the flavor of freshly brewed coffee is diminished when cold foam is added to it.
That being said, in practice, it is usually not a good idea because milk foams better when you heat it.
By steaming, the milk is heated automatically, and heating the milk is essential for most mechanical methods.
Note
Affogato is a popular Italian dessert that is similar to cold foam atop hot coffee but is served in a different way.
It is simply a combination of espresso and vanilla ice cream – in other words, it combines a very hot coffee and a very cold milk product.
Tip: For those who prefer not to use processed, artificial syrups in their coffee, vanilla extract is a safe bet for achieving the same delightful flavor without the added chemicals.
Takeaway
So, can you put cold foam on hot coffee? In the end, the question of whether or not cold foam can be safely added to hot coffee boils down to individual preferences.
If you prefer your coffee without milk or sugar, you may wish to skip the cold foam.
You may try it out, though, if you are the kind of person who enjoys a bit of tinkering.