Does water buffalo milk change a dirty latte vs iced latte?

Water buffalo milk, a familiar milk in Guangzhou, Foshan and Guangxi, entered the coffee conversation after a shop launched a Dirty made with it. Tested against glass-bottled fresh milk in hot lattes, Dirty and iced mochas, the two differ in foam fineness, how well they merge with coffee, layering, and flavor depth.

Packaging decides much of the difference. Glass-bottled milk is usually pasteurized at roughly 60-82C, so nutrition and taste stay close to fresh milk, but refrigerated shelf life is only about five days. Carton milk is typically sterilized at 120-137C, which changes both taste and how it performs in a dirty coffee vs iced latte comparison.

After a coffee shop launched a water buffalo milk Dirty, this type of milk source sparked widespread discussion in the coffee community. Water buffalo milk is not unfamiliar to friends in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Guangxi, but how does it perform in coffee? This article compares glass-bottled fresh milk and water buffalo milk through practical tests, making hot lattes, Dirty, and iced mochas respectively, recording everything from the fineness of the milk foam, the degree of integration with coffee, the layering effect, to the flavor layers. It will also sort out the impact of pasteurization and ultra-high-temperature sterilization on milk taste, helping coffee enthusiasts and café owners find milk suitable for pairing with coffee.

Not long ago, a coffee shop launched a Dirty made with water buffalo milk, which suddenly made water buffalo milk a hot topic of discussion in many cafés. For friends in many places, water buffalo milk may be relatively unfamiliar, but in the hearts of most people in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Guangxi, it carries fond childhood memories.

Bai Fu Lu!

That's right, originally the author planned to test all the water buffalo milk available on the market, but most products are UHT milk that can be stored at room temperature, and finding fresh water buffalo milk is not easy (either you can only rely on raw milk sold directly from farms)... So in Guangzhou, the only channel to buy legally qualified fresh water buffalo milk is this one⬇️

Compared with house-shaped carton milk, glass-bottled milk always has an advantage in taste that is hard to surpass. The difference comes from the different sterilization temperatures used by the two types of packaging. The components in milk change with sterilization temperature, ultimately resulting in differences in nutrition and taste.

Glass-bottled milk usually uses pasteurization, with a lower sterilization temperature (generally 60-82°C). The advantage is that aside from slight losses of vitamin C and vitamin B1, the remaining nutrition and taste are close to freshly squeezed milk. The disadvantage is a short refrigerated shelf life of only 5 days.

(Only the blue one is fresh milk~ the others are purely out of curiosity about what they taste like in coffee, hehe)

House-shaped carton milk mostly uses high-temperature sterilization, with a higher temperature (120-137°C), to kill pathogens and harmful microorganisms. The advantage is that it can be stored for 15 days under refrigeration. The disadvantage is that high temperatures cause greater nutritional loss, and nutrients continue to be lost during storage, with the taste also being somewhat lacking.

This is also why, as glass-bottled milk becomes less and less common, whether in richness, fullness, or the milk skin that forms on the surface after heating, it lacks the feeling of drinking milk from childhood. Although carton milk is more convenient for the general public, some fresh milk with a better taste costs as much as 20 yuan/945ml, while glass-bottled fresh milk generally costs 4 yuan/210-220ml on the market, with discounts for bulk purchases.

Converted to the same volume, the price is actually similar to carton milk, but there will be differences in taste and nutrition. So if local café owners can buy locally produced glass-bottled milk, they might consider choosing it~ one bottle at a time, both environmentally friendly and able to give customers a super fresh feeling and sense of ritual.

"We,

return to water buffalo milk."

Compared with the milk we usually drink from Holstein cows, the nutritional value of water buffalo milk is superior. Taking protein and calcium, the most representative nutrients in milk, as examples, the national requirement for protein content in raw cow milk is 2.8%, and the protein content of pure milk from some milk sources on the market is 3.2%, with higher-quality ones reaching 3.6%.

But the milk protein content of many water buffalo breeds can easily exceed 3.6%. In addition to higher protein, the calcium, vitamin A, and fat content in ordinary water buffalo milk are also higher than in ordinary milk. However! More nutrition does not mean better; it still depends on individual absorption capacity.

Of course, since it is used to make coffee, let's set nutrition aside for now. The taste of the milk and its performance after blending with coffee are the focus of this article~

For comparison, the author specially bought regular milk and water buffalo milk, both in glass bottles. As usual, this time a blended coffee bean with winey, berry, and nutty notes was used, and hot lattes and Dirty were made respectively, with chocolate-flavored water buffalo milk used for an iced mocha, and sweet cup-packed water buffalo milk used for a Dirty.

"Glass Bottle Water Buffalo Milk Hot Latte"

When heating, the smell of milk skin comes toward you~ During foaming, the fineness is insufficient, and after frothing there is a slight roughness~ After blending with coffee, the coffee presents a natural sweetness, and when drinking it also has the richness of milk, but it does not cover up the coffee's own flavor. It complements the coffee, forming a unique mint (fresh mint leaf) cream flavor, though the aftertaste is not strong.

"Glass Bottle Milk Hot Latte"

When heating, there is also a milk skin smell~ During foaming, it is easier to achieve a fine and dense texture. After blending with coffee, the coffee presents a natural sweetness, and when drinking it has the richness of milk, and it does not cover up the coffee's own flavor. It complements the coffee, forming a berry vanilla cream flavor, with a hazelnut aftertaste~

" Glass Bottle Water Buffalo Milk Dirty"

Water buffalo milk itself has a full and solid taste, and its support for coffee is decent, able to form a beautiful layer. The first sip brings a strong fermented wine aroma + berry sweet-and-sour coffee liquid, transitioning to the middle where there is an obvious roasted nut aroma and the sweet taste of milk, and by the last sip it is fragrant, rich milk with a slight coffee flavor.

"Glass Bottle Milk Dirty"

The milk taste is full and solid, and its support for coffee is stronger than water buffalo milk and boxed fresh milk, with a beautiful layering effect. The first sip also brings a strong fermented wine aroma + berry sweet-and-sour coffee, transitioning to the middle where there is the smoothness and aroma of vanilla cream, and by the last sip it is also sweet milk with a slight coffee flavor.

"Cup-Packed Sweet Water Buffalo Milk Dirty"

After looking at the ingredient list, it contains milk powder and white granulated sugar, but when drunk alone it is not very sweet, and you can feel a strong milky taste. This cup-packed milk is also very "thoughtful," leaving exactly the space for 1 shot, simply prepared for a Dirty! The first sip brings the taste of sweet strawberry cream formed by the blending of sweet milk and coffee. Perhaps because the overall amount is small, it was almost gone in one sip, hahaha! So the second sip is sweet water buffalo milk with a coffee flavor~

"Glass Bottle Chocolate Water Buffalo Milk Iced Mocha"

For safety's sake, I poured it out and took a sip, and unsurprisingly it was not chocolatey enough... Originally I planned to make a sauce from unsweetened dark chocolate powder and then line the glass, so that after stirring it would increase the rich chocolate flavor... As a result, the chocolate powder was also used up... But! After adding coffee, its own sweetness and chocolate flavor blend with each other without stealing the coffee's spotlight, and you can still feel the coffee's taste, and the bean's own flavor also enhances the chocolate flavor!!

"Glass Bottle High-Calcium Water Buffalo Milk Iced Latte"

The auntie selling milk said that high-calcium milk itself tastes slightly sweet, but not as sweet as sweet milk. So the typist made a high-calcium iced latte~ Unexpectedly! Surprisingly good! When drunk alone, it is like melted vanilla cream ice cream, very rich and smooth! After adding coffee, there will be slight clumping, but it disappears after stirring! After blending with coffee, the slight sweetness of the milk can soften the bitterness in the coffee, but it can also bring out the flavors in the coffee, showing a sweet strawberry vanilla cream + roasted nut taste.

I have to say, whether glass-bottled milk or water buffalo milk, when drunk alone it is really so good it makes you scream!! After heating and making it into a latte, water buffalo milk tastes a bit thin. If made into a Dirty, personally I think water buffalo milk has richer layers! Mellow but not greasy!

Cup-packed sweet water buffalo milk cannot be bought on the market either; it can only be purchased from the brand company's online store~ I think this is very suitable for making Dirty for friends who want to drink Dirty and also want a sweet taste.

Personally, I think water buffalo milk is really very suitable for making iced coffee! Summer still has a long way to go, so café owners can start arranging related products!

Actually, I also bought many bottles... The remaining milk the typist decided to use to make double-skin milk!

I can't drink anymore... but double-skin milk I can! Ginger milk curd works too!

See you at the next review! BYE~

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