Coffee for your Whole 30: How to make it if you're used to using dairy

[Zeel]

I have transitioned to drinking it black. The coffee at work is really strong, I find it unpalatable unless I mix 1/2 cup coffee with 1/2 cup water. That cuts out the bitterness a lot.

[coffeeboy123]

I love canned coconut milk in my coffee!  Sprouts carries the most delicious organic one!  

 

@missmariss I also love canned coconut milk in my coffee!

[Big Momma Keikks]

Am I correct in reading that you are using the thick coconut milk in a can that we use to make curries?

Very curious.

We have coconut milk AND coconut cream. The cream is harder for me to find around here but I did locate it finally in 2 stores in my town. I just keep experimenting with the coffee thing. It's a toughy.

[Big Momma Keikks]

I find ghee too weird tasting, but coconut oil (hot blended with immersion blender) makes a fantastic latte-ish coffee. Has to be hot when blended, I let the oil melt in the boiling water before I start blending, I find it fluffier when I do this.

If you've only tried coffee with spooned coconut oil or coconut milk/cream, the immersion version is worth a try, a much closer texture to dairy

Sorry to be a dork, but when you refer to immersion are you just saying you blend it/whip it into the beverage instead of just taking it straight from the can into the coffee?? Thanks for clarifying for me.

[GFChris]

Sorry to be a dork, but when you refer to immersion are you just saying you blend it/whip it into the beverage instead of just taking it straight from the can into the coffee?? Thanks for clarifying for me.

Put the desired amount of coconut milk, coconut oil or coconut cream in a container (the container that came with the immersion blender works well). Add coffee. Insert immersion blender and flip the switch.

[mushroomqueen]

I would like to add that I bought the cold brew concentrate from Trader Joe's and it is amazing. I mix 1/3 cup of it with 2/3 cup water. I will drink it black with a few extra ice cubes or add a little heated coconut milk (so the milk doesn't chunk up in the coffee). Cold brew is amazing it has truly changed the way I think of coffee. It's much less acidic and bitter than hot.

[czaja]

I read all the posts in this thread yesterday. Went to bed thinking about it. Woke up thinking about it.

Not to rain on anyone's parade BUT (!) DRINK BLACK COFFEE OR DON'T BOTHER.

"Drinking your coffee black is. not. hard."

If you have to add stuff to make it palatable, you don't like coffee, you like all the sweet, creamy additions.

There was a little whole milk in my coffee pre W30. Now it is black.

Get over it, get used to it and get with the program!

I mean this in a good way. The relationship to food we are trying to create, fix, or undo requires the hard work and commitment to the process.

[ladyshanny]

I read all the posts in this thread yesterday. Went to bed thinking about it. Woke up thinking about it.Not to rain on anyone's parade BUT (!) DRINK BLACK COFFEE OR DON'T BOTHER."Drinking your coffee black is. not. hard."If you have to add stuff to make it palatable, you don't like coffee, you like all the sweet, creamy additions.There was a little whole milk in my coffee pre W30. Now it is black.Get over it, get used to it and get with the program! I mean this in a good way. The relationship to food we are trying to create, fix, or undo requires the hard work and commitment to the process.

This is little harsh, czaja. People are free to drink their coffee however they want, providing that it is Whole30 compliant. If you have found you enjoy black coffee then that's wonderful for you. Just as there is no one set requirement for how you season your chicken breast, there is no one set requirement for how people take their coffee. Choosing to put coconut milk or blended coconut oil in a person's cup of coffee doesn't imply that they are not doing the hard work or that they do not have a committment to the process.

[czaja]

Maybe it reads harsher then intended. I was quoting the Whole30 book, page 16.

Adding things to make the coffee taste like it used to does not seem to be in the spirit of the challenge.

[mushroomqueen]

Adding a little coconut milk to my coffee does not make it taste like it used to. I use to drink my coffee with half and half until it was pale brown and two teaspoons of sugar at least. It was super sweet and milky. Coffee with a little bit of coconut milk is not the same. And I will drink it black if I wish. It just depends on my mood.

[subtlyvalerie]

This summer I have become OBSESSED with making my own cold brew coffee in a french press and enjoying it over ice with homemade almond milk.

 

Cold brew is exceptionally easy. I like to steep 1 cup of decaf coffee grounds in 3 cups of room temp or cold water overnight. In the morning, I press the coffee down and have a refreshing, flavorful concentrate. I keep the concentrate in the fridge and serve over ice with my cinnamon-date almond milk. I make my own almond milk so I can alter the thickness by adding more or less water. It's much easier to thin out the almond milk later than to try and thicken it up after it's made. I prefer the almond milk to be thicker for my coffee and thinner for chai or tea.

 

 

Here is a basic recipe that I've adapted to suit my taste:

 

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-the-best-iced-coffee-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192560

 

I've read some tough love on here about coffee and how one should enjoy it. I began to drink and enjoy hot, black coffee from my experience with my first W30. Yes, that was actually hard for me. What I have learned through all of this is that I enjoy the experience of having a morning coffee and conversation with my grandmother, friends, or coworkers, and I firmly believe that there is no detriment to my mental and physical health by doing so. Just like any other meal or food I may prepare, I enjoy the variety that W30 experimentation has added to my coffees and teas!

[Maryanne76]

I found a compliant almond milk at Whole Foods...I found that I like it far better than coconut milk.

[Pmcandew]

I dislike coffee snobs who tell people they don't like coffee because they don't drink it black. I don't mind it black and did that sometimes even before whole30. So what?

I may try this coconut milk truck, though I don't have any kind of blender. I've found that I enjoy the less acidic cold brew a low lately and I have access to many brands, some even on tap!

[Lainey]

I usually use my immersion blender to mix a tablespoon of coconut oil and a teaspoon of ghee into my black coffee, and it is delicious! However, I recently re-tried just spooning a couple of small tablespoons of coconut milk (from the can) into my coffee, and it is tasty as well to me. I tried it a year or so ago but didn't really care for it. I think my tastebuds have changed! :-)

[Scrappn_Mimi]

I am on Day 10 of my 1st Whole30 and even thought I'm not a daily gotta have it coffee drinker, I NEVER drink coffee without some sort of yummy sugary creamer.  Most that know me know I like my coffee a pretty taupe color (yes more creamer than coffee).   I jumped into this with both feet and knew I would want coffee some days.  So I skeptically bought a can of coconut milk from Sprouts (Whole30 compliant) and put it in the fridge.   I must say you have the right coffee (ours is French Roast) and the coconut milk for the "creamy" affect, it rocks.  I like the recipe shared here for a change up & think it might be good for iced coffee.  I added a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon & that was a nice change up.   I know Whole30 isn't just about the food, but learning how to get flavor & yumminess with good whole foods is going to allow you to stay healthy & make the life change.  

[angelamarie22]

I'm starting Monday soo... coffee is my thing at home before work. Is coconut milk sweet? I'm trying to get off the creamer habit too.

[BernieInTexas]

I am used to having a large iced latte every morning, 2% milk and Sweet N Low, so understandably Whole30 has really shocked that out of my system.  My biggest concern going into Whole30 was coffee but I knew I needed to break the sweetener addiction.  I also knew I couldn't cut coffee out at this point with work being chaotic so I couldn't afford for my energy to decrease or be taken down by a migraine.

On Day 1 of Whole30 I was equipped with Nutpods.  No dice.  My mistake was probably getting hazelnut flavor instead of plain.  Over the next few days I experimented with other compliant milk alternatives and none of them did the trick.  I finally determined that what was right for me was to stop trying to make coffee into what it was before Whole30.  Instead I opted for mixing 1 part cold brew concentrate with 1 part Topo Chico (mineral water).  It comes out being a little bit like an unsweetened coffee soda.  I drink it much slower than I ever chugged my latte and it has become an enjoyable part of my morning, rather than the chore that getting a milk alternative down my throat to prevent a headache.  

 

After Whole30, I think this will be my norm and I will save lattés for my weekend trip to the local coffee shop with my fiancée.  I think breaking that sweetener addiction is enough to make Whole30 worth doing.

[SweetEnough]

On 7/26/2017 at 6:38 AM, BernieInTexas said:

Instead I opted for mixing 1 part cold brew concentrate with 1 part Topo Chico (mineral water).  It comes out being a little bit like an unsweetened coffee soda.  I drink it much slower than I ever chugged my latte and it has become an enjoyable part of my morning, rather than the chore that getting a milk alternative down my throat to prevent a headache.  

After Whole30, I think this will be my norm and I will save lattés for my weekend trip to the local coffee shop with my fiancée.  I think breaking that sweetener addiction is enough to make Whole30 worth doing.

GREAT suggestion! I can't wait to try this too. And right on, regarding breaking the addiction. 

[J Cox]

Adding coconut oil with cinnamon (is that allowed) to your coffee is really good. Make sure that you buy virgin coconut oil.

[SugarcubeOD]

46 minutes ago, J Cox said:

Adding coconut oil with cinnamon (is that allowed) to your coffee is really good. Make sure that you buy virgin coconut oil.

Yes, that's allowed.

[Bellmaestra]

I've been buying SO Delicious culinary coconut milk in the Tetra Pak, either from my local health food store or from Amazon. The only ingredients are water, organic coconut cream, and organic guar gum. They are re-closable and very convenient to use.

Stephanie

[Jilian]

Thanks so much for this! Coffee with cream & sugar was my (pre-whole30) splurge. I look forward to my morning cup. It has been the hardest thing for me to give up by far. The coconut milk makes it a tiny bit easier. And it helps me get my morning dose of fat in. Win-win. I'm hoping that it eventually starts tasting better once my body gets used to not having sugar anymore. I used to put two packets of sugar in my coffee. Using good quality coffee has helped too. I'm loving Mind, Body & Soul by Equal Exchange (it's fair trade organic too!). 

[LydiaJo]

I try to buy really good coffee and drink it black. I've found that I have no taste for the coffee at work.

[JanellaR]

How coconutty does it taste? I'm not a huge fan of coconut milk. 

[fairedog]

On 9/7/2015 at 7:56 AM, czaja said:

I read all the posts in this thread yesterday. Went to bed thinking about it. Woke up thinking about it.

Not to rain on anyone's parade BUT (!) DRINK BLACK COFFEE OR DON'T BOTHER.

"Drinking your coffee black is. not. hard."

If you have to add stuff to make it palatable, you don't like coffee, you like all the sweet, creamy additions.

There was a little whole milk in my coffee pre W30. Now it is black.

Get over it, get used to it and get with the program!

I mean this in a good way. The relationship to food we are trying to create, fix, or undo requires the hard work and commitment to the process.

Um, no. Sorry but black coffee doesn't really taste good to me so I use the French Vanilla nutpods to cut some of the bitterness. That doesn't mean I like all the sweet and creamy additions, it just means I prefer my coffee a little differently than you do.