Buffalo milk has always been a specialty dairy product in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, and in recent years it has been increasingly used by coffee enthusiasts to pair with espresso. It contains higher levels of protein, fat, and calcium than regular milk, with a lower water content, making it sweeter and smoother to drink. So, is buffalo milk really suitable for latte art? What does it taste like when used to make iced lattes and Dirty coffee? This time, Front Street Coffee selected a fresh refrigerated buffalo milk from the local Foshan brand Baifulu, paired with Front Street Coffee's classic blend coffee beans, to make three beverages: Flat White, Iced Latte, and Dirty. We tested each one from milk foam texture, latte art performance, to the taste upon entry, to see if buffalo milk and coffee can achieve a 1+1>2 effect after combining.

When it comes to buffalo milk, the first thing that comes to mind for Cantonese people is probably the double-skin milk, ginger milk curd, fried milk, almond fried milk, peach gum stewed milk, Phoenix milk custard from dessert shops... Stop, stop, if I keep counting, I really won't be able to control my saliva.

As a specialty ingredient in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, buffalo milk has frequently appeared in new-style beverages in recent years. In the coffee circle, its combination with espresso has also spawned many new creations, such as buffalo milk latte and buffalo milk Dirty. Leveraging regional advantages, Front Street Coffee is here today to try pairing buffalo milk with espresso coffee, to see how the taste really is, and whether it is superior to regular fresh milk.

What exactly is buffalo milk?

The milk we usually drink mostly comes from black-and-white Holstein cows, while buffalo milk, as the name suggests, is milk produced by dairy buffalo.

Compared to regular milk, buffalo milk has higher protein, fat, sugar, and calcium content, meaning it has a lower water proportion. In addition, the mineral and vitamin content of buffalo milk is significantly higher than that of ordinary fresh milk, so it tastes smoother, sweeter, and has a more fragrant aftertaste, without the common gamey smell of regular milk, though its calorie content is correspondingly higher.

Setting aside nutritional data, when Front Street Coffee conducted a blind taste test comparing the two, buffalo milk's milky aroma was more prominent, especially when heated to 45-50°C, where its sweetness was indeed superior to regular fresh milk, but the latter was slightly weaker in body.

What types of buffalo milk are available?

Buffalo milk products on the market can be roughly divided into two categories: fresh buffalo milk that requires refrigeration, and ultra-high temperature sterilized milk that can be stored at room temperature. Different sterilization temperatures cause changes in the milk's composition, leading to differences in taste.

The experiment used fresh refrigerated buffalo milk from the local Foshan brand Baifulu, and we bought three specifications: glass bottle, paper box, and pouch, all with a net content of around 200ml, just enough for one latte. Since it uses pasteurization, the sterilization temperature is lower (usually 60-82°C), preserving more of the milk's original flavor, but due to the short sterilization time, its shelf life under refrigeration is shorter than that of room-temperature milk, about 5-7 days.

To understand the potential of buffalo milk in coffee, Front Street Coffee used this batch of milk to make three mainstream beverages: Flat White, Iced Latte, and Dirty. The coffee beans selected were the best-selling Front Street Coffee classic blend, with extraction parameters, amounts, and ratios consistent with the store's daily offerings.

Considering that buffalo milk has a naturally sweet tone, suitable for pairing with full-bodied coffee beans, we recommend purchasing Nutty Style - Front Street Coffee Specialty Blend, Essential for Opening a Shop - Front Street Coffee Commercial Blend, and God of Value - Front Street Coffee Dark Cocoa Basic Blend.

Buffalo Milk Flat White

Step one, pour a 180ml box of refrigerated buffalo milk into a milk pitcher and set aside. Then use 20g of coffee powder to extract a double Ristretto (28g) in 23 seconds, pour it into a medium ceramic cup (today's espresso extraction parameters are: 20g coffee powder, time 31 seconds, coffee liquid 38g).

Next, steam the prepared buffalo milk to a warm temperature range of 50-55°C, with the milk foam thickness controlled at a moderate range of about 0.3cm. Finally, evenly combine the two and pour latte art, and a cup of buffalo milk Flat White is complete.

During heating, Front Street Coffee could smell a rich milky aroma wafting from the pitcher, but also noticed that the milk foam from buffalo milk is not as fine as that from regular fresh milk, with a slightly rough surface visible under reflection. After combining with espresso, the patterns poured were not as stable as when Front Street Coffee usually uses Guangming · Fresh Pasture milk for latte art.

In terms of taste, the Flat White made with fresh buffalo milk has a gentle toffee-like sweetness upon entry, and with the coffee crema, you can sense vanilla, white chocolate, and cookie flavors, but the aftertaste is not strong, and the body is also on the lower side.

Buffalo Milk Iced Latte

Compared to hot milk coffee, making an iced latte is much simpler, as it doesn't require steaming milk foam or worrying about latte art. First, prepare a nice-looking glass, add 3 ice cubes (90g), take a bottle of glass-bottled buffalo milk from the fridge and pour 180ml, and finally extract two espressos (38g) and pour them on top. The buffalo milk iced latte is done.

After stirring and tasting, Front Street Coffee found that the coffee aroma of this buffalo milk iced latte was unexpectedly thin upon entry, and even with the dilution from ice cubes, the richness of the milk was not felt. Compared to a regular iced latte, it was more like a glass of iced milk with a slight coffee flavor.

Buffalo Milk Dirty

Besides the stimulating taste of hot and cold alternating, people enjoy drinking Dirty more for the collision of bitter coffee and sweet milk. As a base, buffalo milk with its natural sweetness is naturally within the consideration of baristas.

First prepare an ice cup of about 200ml, pour in 150ml of fresh buffalo milk, then directly pour a double espresso on top of the milk. During extraction, you can use a split handle to minimize the distance between the coffee liquid and the milk, which helps preserve the crema more completely and form a stable layering effect.

After comparing the three cups of coffee, Front Street Coffee believes that the buffalo milk Dirty has the best taste, because without the influence of ice cubes, the entry features vanilla, cocoa, and fermented wine aromas, accompanied by the sweet freshness from the cold milk below, plus a roasted nut aftertaste, making the layers more rich.

Overall, the milk coffees made in this round had a somewhat bland taste, failing to highlight either the coffee's aroma or the buffalo milk's sweetness, and not achieving a 1+1>2 effect. Front Street Coffee speculates that this coffee bean's roast level is not dark enough, thus failing to bring out the characteristics of the combination.

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