I’m not going to pretend I'm a world champion dalgona coffee maker. Frankly this viral hype surprises most of us that work in the coffee industry but, in my opinion, it is a good thing that people are seeking innovation when it comes to coffee beverages. I just wish it didn’t involve instant coffee!
What is Dalgona Coffee
That being said, the origins of the drink, if we can believe the Internet, came from a Korean actor, by the name of Jung Il-Woo. Jung II-Woo traveled to Macau, tried the drink, and gave it the nickname dalgona for its resemblance to the traditional Korean sponge candy of the same name.
The dalgona candy resembles the sponge toffee candy of the Western world, as they share the nice coffee-caramel colour, except the dalgona candy is not as fluffy (less baking soda was used). Though the Korean sponge toffee candy has no coffee in it, the coffee-caramel colour and the 2 tablespoons of sugar in the recipe is probably why Jung Il-Woo dubbed it dalgona coffee.
Deconstructed Dalgona
I don’t want to go into the geek science as to how dalgona coffee works but, basically, you are making a foam out of 2 tablespoons each of instant coffee, sugar, and water. You start by combining the ingredients and whipping like crazy. In Chinese, this drink is translated literally to 400 blows, which represents the number of strokes of the whisk it takes to make this drink. Finally, you pour the foamy consistency over milk on the rocks!
It sounds fun, but like one famous Youtube coffee celebrity said, we aren’t changing the taste of anything, only the texture, but it is a neat texture. If you like the foamy texture, and want something sugary, creamy and bursting with coffee flavour, I offer the following alternative, which I doubt will go viral like dalgona coffee, but I hope that you will try it to compare. I will call it Doggonit coffee? Social distancing coffee? Dirty cortado? Brown nasty? I don’t know, how about…
Canadian Dalgona Frappuccino Recipe
Recipe Version 1:
Make a whipped cream espresso foam: Combine 2 tbsp. of sugar with a double shot of brewed espresso coffee (not instant). Then, whip up 8 oz of whipping cream using a whisk, and gently fold it into the coffee mixture. Don’t over blend, rather, try to keep the texture of the whipped cream fluffy. I like the decadence and luxuriousness of whipped cream, so I would serve it straight up, but if you want a thinner, milkier drink, you can serve it over top of milk on the rocks (like the original recipe).
Recipe Version 2:
For a lower fat version, for all the millennials out there who didn’t get to see the Bamix Immersion Blender Stick infomercials, use the magic emulsifier plastic disc which allows you to “MAKE WHIPPED CREAM OUT OF SKIM MILK! That's right! WHIPPED CREAM OUT OF SKIM MILK! Impress your family! Make your neighbours jealous! Simply put on the emulsifier disc, and turn low fat skim milk into a healthy, delicious, nutritious dessert parfait! Just add fresh fruit! Mmmmmmmmm” (cut to a shot of kids wolfing down the dessert).
Recipe Version 3:
Or, if you want to be a badass, whip the cream in a whipped cream maker. You can add the sweet coffee-whipped topping to cakes, hot chocolate, hell, even your cereal.
Recipe Version 4:
If you don’t have a whisk, you can also whip the cream by shaking it in a jar (Youtube it). If you don’t have an espresso machine, I guess instant coffee is better than nothing; but try something that tastes better (in my opinion) like Sudden instant coffee.
So, to summarize, coffee foam is good. Made with good coffee, it’s even better. Cheers!
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalgona_coffee
Honeycomb Toffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb_toffee
----------------------------
MORE ON THE COVID SURVIVAL COFFEE GUIDE
CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1: If you’re ready to make a change and freshen up your coffee game, consider making your coffee at home. To produce quality coffee at home, like the ones you normally find in the coffee shops, follow these 3 simple rules... Read More >
Chapter 2: Now that you understand freshness as it pertains to coffee beans (3-14 days from its BIRTH DATE or Roast date, and only buy enough to last a week) . This will give us a good starting point because we finally have some quality ingredients...Learn More >
Chapter 3: Ok.. you managed to escape the matrix and now that you have acquired the supplies needed to take on the coffee universe on your own, we are here to offer you some help!
4 Tools Needed to Brew Coffee At Home... Read More >
Chapter 4: If you have Italian friends, and they offer you a "caffe" , chances are they pull out a stove top device that unscrews in four parts, (base, top pouring chamber or pitcher, basket and basket cover) called a Moka Pot...Learn More >
Chapter 5: I have a personal problem with pour over people because they tend to hold the opinion that pour overs like Hario v60, Chemex, Kalita, are great, but that batch brew Drip Coffee Makers suck. The reality is...Read More >
Chapter 6: Let's explore further why the proponents of Cold Brew coffee are so maniacal in their support of this process. 4 reasons: ... Learn More >
Chapter 7: Frankly this viral hype surprises most of us in the industry but, in my opinion, it is a good thing that people are seeking innovation when it comes to coffee beverages. I just wish it didn’t involve instant coffee! ... Learn More >
Chapter 8: Prior to the cold brew fad, the go-to method of making a cold coffee was to utilize the alien👽 technology known as ice.
Apparently, when you add ice to things, they get colder...Learn More >
Chapter 9: If you survive this chapter, you will have my respect, and moreover, you will have learned about the basic principles of extraction...Learn More >
Chapter 10:We are revisiting a brewing device that was long ago dismissed as an alternative for espresso. Of course I'm talking about the Aeropress. Full admission. I was an anti Aeropress-er (not anymore). For those of you not familiar with the Aeropress way of making coffee it's a strange looking plastic device that looks like a giant syringe...Learn More >
Chapter 11: I'm going to tread into dangerous waters here and talk about one of the most controversial taboo subjects in the realm of 3rd and 4th wave coffee (aka pretentious coffee). What am I talking about? Blended drinks.. , AKA frappuccinos...Learn More >
Chapter 12:There is a false belief marketed that you need to spend a lot of money on specialized equipment in order to make good coffee and latte art. This insidious belief implies you need to...Learn More >
Chapter 13:The easiest way to avoid cream and sugar in your coffee is to buy higher quality coffee, you will taste that it is naturally sweet as opposed to the dark burnt, bitter stuff from chain stores, so try out a local independent coffee shop...Learn More >
Post Pandemic:Luckily, in the past the coffee industry has proven itself relatively recession-proof. Big question is, if it is pandemic proof ?...Learn More >
