How Does Street Coffee Handle a Ginger-Scallion Chicken Milk Latte?

A milk brand in Guangzhou released a ginger-scallion white cut chicken flavored milk that sold out quickly, and Front Street Coffee used it to build a latte. Espresso came from 20g doses at a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio with a 30-second extraction from the Front Street Classic Blend and Strawberry Candy Espresso.

A first try at a 1:4 street coffee to milk ratio buried the espresso under a heavy, greasy mouthfeel. The working recipe became 1 part espresso, 3 parts ginger-scallion chicken milk, and 1 part fresh milk. The two latte coffee beans made from different roasts split on balance and sweetness, and the drink stayed too unusual for most tasters.

Recently, a milk brand in Guangzhou launched a highly buzzworthy ginger-scallion white cut chicken flavored milk, combining the classic Cantonese dipping sauce flavor with milk, and it quickly sold out. Front Street Coffee also got its hands on this quirky product and tried to use it to make latte coffee. This article documents the experiment in detail: two beans were chosen, Front Street Classic Blend and Strawberry Candy Espresso, with 20g of coffee powder, a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, and a 30-second extraction for the espresso. Initially, a 1:4 coffee-to-milk ratio was tested, and it was found that the coffee flavor was completely masked, with a heavy and greasy mouthfeel. Then it was improved to a ratio of espresso, ginger-scallion chicken milk, and fresh milk at 1:3:1. The final product actually tasted better than the milk itself, with the two beans showing different performances: one balanced and mellow, the other light and sweet-tart. However, the overall flavor was too unique, and most people found it hard to accept. Front Street recommends trying with caution.

Why did Front Street suddenly bring up this topic? The reason is that recently a milk supplier in Guangzhou launched a flavored milk just as quirky as those special coffee drinks from before—it combines the highly representative Cantonese cuisine "white cut chicken" from Guangdong's food culture with milk, creating a ginger-scallion white cut chicken flavored milk...

This product is both down-to-earth and quirky enough. After its launch, it quickly sold out, and even a small team like Front Street, which is always late to the news, heard about it. So Front Street had a bold idea: what if... we use this milk to make latte? (You know what I mean)

No sooner said than done, Front Street immediately bought this milk and started making "ginger-scallion white cut chicken latte coffee." Let me state upfront, this is not an ad; it's purely because Front Street wanted to taste this quirky milk and the quirky latte made with it. If you drink the milk directly, you can indeed discern a familiar taste, but it's not the white cut chicken itself—it's the aroma of the ginger-scallion paste dipping sauce that comes with white cut chicken... Specifically, you can imagine the feeling of mixing ginger-scallion paste dipping sauce with milk. At first sip, you get the taste and texture of the ginger-scallion paste, and only afterward does the milk flavor emerge. The experience is quite "peculiar."

For a comprehensive test, Front Street prepared two types of coffee beans: one is the medium-dark roasted Front Street Italian Front Street Classic Blend from Front Street's bean list, whose espresso has chocolate, nut, cream, and caramel flavors, representing the classic Italian coffee taste; the other is the slightly lighter roasted Front Street Italian Blend Strawberry Candy Espresso, focused on floral and fruity notes, with espresso showing strawberry candy, citrus, caramel, and cream flavors, mainly sweet and sour with a relatively fresh mouthfeel.

The extraction parameters remained consistent: 20g of powder, a 1:2 powder-to-liquid ratio, and a 30-second extraction time.

Because this ginger-scallion white cut chicken flavored milk has a rather heavy taste, to avoid the coffee flavor being overpowered, Front Street first used a 1:4 coffee-to-milk ratio for production. After the espresso was extracted, it was blended according to the ratio, and then tasting began.

To be honest, whether using the medium-dark roasted Front Street Classic Blend or the slightly lighter roasted Strawberry Candy Espresso, their respective flavors became almost negligible in the presence of the ginger-scallion chicken milk. The ginger-scallion chicken milk coffee made with Front Street Classic Blend tasted like the original milk with just a bit of coffee bitterness added; the latter was the same, merely adding a hint of strawberry sweetness and tartness to the original flavor. The mouthfeel was very heavy, and drinking too much could easily become cloying. Front Street believes that for many friends, this is not a likable taste.

So Front Street made an improvement by adding fresh milk to dilute the concentration of the ginger-scallion chicken milk. Mixing espresso, ginger-scallion chicken milk, and fresh milk in a 1:3:1 ratio unexpectedly produced a ginger-scallion chicken milk coffee that tasted pretty good, even better than the milk itself. The ginger-scallion chicken milk coffee made with Front Street Classic Blend had a soft and balanced taste. At first sip, you get the flavor of the ginger-scallion chicken milk, followed by the chocolate, nut, and caramel aromas of Front Street Classic Blend. The mouthfeel is mellow with a long aftertaste—not bad. (For reference only)

The ginger-scallion chicken milk coffee made with Front Street Italian Blend Strawberry Candy Espresso showed a different performance, with a lighter overall mouthfeel, a softer taste, and a slight tartness. Similarly, at first sip, you get the ginger-scallion chicken milk, followed by the strawberry, berry, raisin, and chocolate flavors of Strawberry Candy Espresso—also quite nice. To be fair, although Front Street says these two cups of ginger-scallion chicken milk coffee taste slightly better than the milk itself (personally speaking) , it's only a little better than the ginger-scallion chicken milk itself. And because the flavor is too "unique," not everyone can accept it. Front Street gave it to colleagues and customers who happened to come by to buy beans, and many couldn't accept it. Therefore, Front Street does not recommend trying it rashly; it's best to think twice before acting to avoid waste~~~ (Of course, if you're making it for friends, that's a different story

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.