Rude Health’s barista almond milk has an intriguing and impressive ingredients list. Even though it is marketed as an almond milk, its oat content is way higher than the almonds. Without the latter, alt-milk tends to split in coffee, since the pH level of the beans is usually lower than that of the milk. The additives allow the milk to froth and steam as traditional dairy would. But this also means that sometimes, barista versions of plant-based milk don’t taste great on their own. Those extra ingredients are designed to suit its flavour in coffee and ability to froth, which is why I didn’t taste-test the milks plain. As is the case with our other ultimate showdown tests, I wanted to look at the ingredients, price and availability of all these plant-based barista milks. Accessibility, affordability and composition are key to the success of any product.

Like Oatly, Oaty Bruce’s flavour is what you’d expect from it. There’s a nice oat sweetness to it, but owing to the ingredients, it tastes like a watered-down latte. Apart from some minute traces of bitterness, this is a fabulous pairing with cold brew. 4.5/5 Rude Health Barista Almond This is ever so slightly watery, but it doesn’t matter much. Because this is one of the only barista plant-based milks that don’t just complement the coffee, but actually make it shine.Sure, it acts like it with the consistency and foaming. But disappointingly, Rebel Kitchen’s barista milk has that artificial, synthetic undertone that I tasted in Califia Farms’s oat milk. Unlike Oatly, Oaty Bruce is, well, pretty oaty when it comes to cold brew. This was quite surprising as it isn’t cloyingly acidic to the point that it would taste sour. While it makes for a nice drink, it is highly watery in texture, even with the double amount of oats in the milk. 3/5 Provamel Barista Oat At first sip, this is wonderful and complements the coffee beautifully. The oat and coffee pair well together and it’s delightful.

Like Happy Happy Soy Boy, Minor Figures doesn’t just complement the coffee’s flavour — it lifts it to a whole new level. 5/5 Oatly Barista You can also froth it using a French press. Fill your French press 1/3 full of coconut milk and pump the plunger to aerate the coconut milk until it froths. Can You Make Froth With Coconut Milk? It’s made from 10% oats, rapeseed oil, salt, a calcium supplement and an acidity regulator, which is quite clean-label as barista milks go. Oatly Barista To ensure that you can get quality cold foam from almond milk, ask if it has higher fat content than regular almond milk or is of a barista version for coffee, which if it is, it is likely to have higher fat content than your run-of-the-mill shelf-stable almond milk. Frequently Asked Questions About Coconut Milk Cold Foam How Do You Froth Cold Coconut Milk? Good Hemp is the UK’s most well-known hemp milk brand. While it does a pretty great oat and hemp blend, it’s not really made for coffee.It’s pretty wild. While the milk and coffee don’t match harmonise in consistency, with a little separation happening, the flavour is out of left field.

Minor Figures turned out to be amongst the best plant-based milk for cold brew coffee too. There’s a fruity acidity to this, not as loud as Good Hemp’s, but it’s still rather unexpected and very welcome. Crucially, it doesn’t taste like pea protein at all and, like Minor Figures, it undercuts most of the coffee’s bitter notes. The end result is a balanced, delicious drink. The ingredients list begins with the standard amount of oat content — 10% — with rapeseed oil, iodised salt, an acidity regulator and calcium and vitamin supplements rounding up the rest of the composition. Oaty BruceThe flavour is quite neutral and there is no trace of that chemical aftertaste present in the espresso test. My guess is that it’s the application of heat to certain ingredients that lend plant-based milks like Rebel Kitchen’s and Califia Farms’s barista editions the unappetising artificial flavour. Good Hemp Barista is slightly sweet as well, and, frankly, adds a completely new dimension to the coffee. Whether that’s a plus or not is up to personal preference, but it does take focus away from the coffee and its notes, neither of which you can taste much. Many independent coffee shops use barista blend plant milk like Oatly or the well respected plant-based barista milk that is available from Califia Farms. Can You Froth Coconut Milk In Nespresso Frother?