How have you been doing throughout this whole social distancing thing? I’m a natural-born extrovert, and I am so bored that I downloaded a TikTok and immediately fell down the whipped coffee rabbit hole.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
With approximately 900 million views, #whippedcoffee is one of the most popular categories on TikTok. It’s based on Dalgona, which, according to Good Morning America, is originally from South Korea, and looks like a coffee lover’s dream. Whipped coffee, or Dalgona, has only three ingredients, the consistency of a heavy whipped cream, and is meant to be enjoyed on the rocks with your choice of milk. The only question is, is this simple recipe too good to be true?
Here is the recipe for whipped coffee:
- 2 tablespoons of instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of water
Whip it all together in a small bowl and serve on the rocks with your choice of milk.
So, what do we think? Is it too easy? Is it actually good? After attempting to make it three times, I’ve got to say, I am fully on board the whipped coffee train. My first attempt was a hot mess express, my second one was passable, and, by my third attempt, I felt like a Starbucks barista. If you make whipped coffee right, it’s the perfect midday pick-me-up. I’d say it tastes closest to Vietnamese coffee, which, if you live in Pittsburgh, you can get at Ineffable Ca Phe in Bloomfield. If you want to attempt TikTok’s whipped coffee at home, here’s what you need to know:
- You have to use INSTANT coffee. Ground coffee beans will not work. In my first attempt, I used Trader Joe’s arabica-ground coffee beans because that’s what I had on hand. The beans were not fine enough, and I ended up with a grainy, soupy mess. Café Bustelo espresso instant coffee worked well for me, and you can get six single-serve packets at Target for less than a dollar.
- If you have a mixer, use it to whip the coffee mixture. A whisk or a fork will work, but if you really want to get the job done the quickest way possible, I recommend a whisk. A friend of mine also recommended adding a splash of creamer to the mixture for a creamier consistency.
- Sit back, relax, and ENJOY! We won’t have the time to make whipped coffee every day around lunchtime, so enjoy it while it lasts!
Do you have any whipped coffee tips for me? Want me to try another recipe? Can you believe that Peter and Kelley from The Bachelor are social distancing together? Drop me a line in the comments or tweet at me, @shutupallybear.