I'm very particular about the kind of coffee I drink - I'm an unabashed snob about it. Coffee is an indulgence for me, and I treat it the same way I treat chocolate. I buy my chocolate very dark, fairly-traded, unadulterated by cow's milk or a lot of sugar. It's an indulgence - it should be worth eating.
Likewise, with coffee, I only drink one cup, at most twice a week, so I want it to taste really good and I want it to be very high-quality - preferably locally-roasted, definitely fair-trade, shade-grown and certainly organic. I prefer dark roasts and I dislike citrus flavors. I experiment a lot to find a variety that I like, but once I do, I tend to be loyal to it. I also use a
French press to get the best flavor out of my coffee.
Unfortunately, I have not been so selective in my use of creamers. I do like milk and a touch of sweetness in my coffee, but there aren't a lot of vegan options for creamer. For a long time I've used Silk's hazelnut creamer, but I've otherwise given up non-fermented soy foods as well as reduced my overall soy consumption dramatically, and I've certainly wanted to
commit to quitting Silk products altogether. I've also been uncomfortable with how many ingredients are in Silk creamer. We just finished our last container of it, and when I tested it to make sure it hadn't gone over, I noticed that it smelled like some kind of kitchen cleaner. I don't know if that was the container or the cream itself, but either way, I don't want to put it in my body anymore.
I don't like black coffee, so I've tried different kinds of milk, without success. Hemp milk was the worst experiment - it immediately separated, fell to the bottom of the cup, and gave the coffee a terrible flavor. Almond milk is acceptable, except that it also tends to separate, so the coffee has to be constantly stirred. Regular soy milk works well, but as I said, I'm not using that anymore.
Have I mentioned that I've become a complete addict for coconuts? Well, I have. So it only makes sense that I would try to make a coconut-based creamer.
I started out with a very simple recipe, figuring that I could tweak it if necessary. It's not necessary. It tasted great and combined very well with my morning cup. The real test, however, is whether it retains cohesiveness in the hot coffee rather than separating, or worse, curdling.
It did not curdle, although I can't say how it would work with a cup of boiling, right-out-of-the-drip coffee. French press coffee is naturally cooler because the water isn't boiled, but the coffee was still plenty hot and the cream didn't curdle at all.
At first, I was sure that the milk had separated, but I finished stirring it into the coffee and it looked pretty wholesome to me. Plus, the texture of the cream is much thicker than any other plant-based milks. When you first pick up the cup, there is a slight scent of coconut, but there's no flavor of coconut in the coffee. All in all, I consider it a success. Now I just have to find a hazelnut extract or maybe just a syrup. (Or maybe I could make one? Stay tuned.)
ingredients 1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 T. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
instructions 1. Combine the ingredients thoroughly in a blender.
2. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It may need to be shaken or stirred after being stored.
I'm very particular about the kind of coffee I drink - I'm an unabashed snob about it. Coffee is an indulgence for me, and I treat it the same way I treat chocolate. I buy my chocolate very dark, fairly-traded, unadulterated by cow's milk or a lot of sugar. It's an indulgence - it should be worth eating.
Likewise, with coffee, I only drink one cup, at most twice a week, so I want it to taste really good and I want it to be very high-quality - preferably locally-roasted, definitely fair-trade, shade-grown and certainly organic. I prefer dark roasts and I dislike citrus flavors. I experiment a lot to find a variety that I like, but once I do, I tend to be loyal to it. I also use a French press to get the best flavor out of my coffee.
Unfortunately, I have not been so selective in my use of creamers. I do like milk and a touch of sweetness in my coffee, but there aren't a lot of vegan options for creamer. For a long time I've used Silk's hazelnut creamer, but I've otherwise given up non-fermented soy foods as well as reduced my overall soy consumption dramatically, and I've certainly wanted to commit to quitting Silk products altogether. I've also been uncomfortable with how many ingredients are in Silk creamer. We just finished our last container of it, and when I tested it to make sure it hadn't gone over, I noticed that it smelled like some kind of kitchen cleaner. I don't know if that was the container or the cream itself, but either way, I don't want to put it in my body anymore.
I don't like black coffee, so I've tried different kinds of milk, without success. Hemp milk was the worst experiment - it immediately separated, fell to the bottom of the cup, and gave the coffee a terrible flavor. Almond milk is acceptable, except that it also tends to separate, so the coffee has to be constantly stirred. Regular soy milk works well, but as I said, I'm not using that anymore.
Have I mentioned that I've become a complete addict for coconuts? Well, I have. So it only makes sense that I would try to make a coconut-based creamer.
I started out with a very simple recipe, figuring that I could tweak it if necessary. It's not necessary. It tasted great and combined very well with my morning cup. The real test, however, is whether it retains cohesiveness in the hot coffee rather than separating, or worse, curdling.
It did not curdle, although I can't say how it would work with a cup of boiling, right-out-of-the-drip coffee. French press coffee is naturally cooler because the water isn't boiled, but the coffee was still plenty hot and the cream didn't curdle at all.
At first, I was sure that the milk had separated, but I finished stirring it into the coffee and it looked pretty wholesome to me. Plus, the texture of the cream is much thicker than any other plant-based milks. When you first pick up the cup, there is a slight scent of coconut, but there's no flavor of coconut in the coffee. All in all, I consider it a success. Now I just have to find a hazelnut extract or maybe just a syrup. (Or maybe I could make one? Stay tuned.)
ingredients
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 T. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
instructions
1. Combine the ingredients thoroughly in a blender.
2. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It may need to be shaken or stirred after being stored.