In the wake of the ongoing pandemic, people all over the world have found themselves making countless adjustments. From newfound work routines, Zoom birthday parties and home-barista endeavours, everyone is working to redefine “normal.” During the extended hours spent at home, many Starkville residents likely miss going out with their friends for food and drinks. Establishments like Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, Rick’s Cafe, Strange Brew Coffeehouse and Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar are just a few of the local hangouts residents are missing. Those with a love for an elevated coffee drink have gotten creative in making their own coffeehouse-style treats at home.

Due to its online fame, the whipped coffee phenomenon has spread throughout the world almost as fast as COVID-19. An actor on a popular South Korean television show highlighted whipped coffee and designated it as “dalgona coffee”, according to Vaughn Vreeland of The New York Times. He explained a similar version of the drink was already present in other places such as India and Pakistan, but the whipped coffee gained a cult following through the popular social media app, TikTok.

“Then, in early March, Hannah Cho, a TikTok user, uploaded a 15-second video of her making it for her mom, and it took off even further. The video has been viewed more than 12 million times,” Vreeland wrote.

After the drink gained traction via social media sharing, many people have now made whipped coffee at home. The creamy, cold coffee drink can easily be made and offers an alternative to a brewed cup of hot coffee.

The recipe is simple; the four ingredients are instant coffee, water, sugar and a milk of choice. Walmart has a Great Value brand instant coffee that is $4.43 for eight ounces, which can make many drinks. Two sugars which can be used in this recipe are cane sugar and pure granulated sugar, and a bag of either type costs less than $2.70.

Vreeland’s whipped coffee recipe suggests adjusting the amount of sugar to taste. When making the drink, more or less than a tablespoon of sugar can be used to alter the sweetness. Using two different types of sugar can give different results in the consistency of the whipped coffee, though the flavor is similar. The cane sugar creates a thicker and firmer whipped coffee than the granulated sugar does.

Eryn Sanders is a junior at Mississippi State University majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in clinical exercise. She became aware of the whipped coffee trend when she saw it on Instagram.

“I had seen things going around about whipped coffee and then came across a recipe on an Instagram cooking account,” Sanders said.

To make the trendy whipped coffee, add one tablespoon of instant coffee, one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of water to a bowl. With an electric hand mixer on a medium-high setting, mix for two to three minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes similar to whipped cream. If whisking by hand, it will take about 10 minutes of brisk whisking to achieve the thick, creamy consistency. Scoop the whipped coffee into a glass containing eight ounces of oat milk or any other milk of choice, and stir with a spoon until mixed well.

Hannah Eakes, a senior majoring in computer science, recently tried whipped coffee for the first time. She gave her first impressions of the drink.

“The whipped coffee had a perfect balance of sweetness from the sugar and bitterness from the coffee,” Eakes said. “I liked how easy and simple it was to make.”

The recipe makes one drink but can easily be doubled or tripled to make another to share. Spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg can be stirred in to add extra flavor.

“The drink can easily be personalized based on your preferences. For example, add a little bit of creamer along with the milk,” Eakes said.

The recipe that Sanders found called for a few more ingredients. This version added cocoa powder and suggested heating the water before adding it to the instant coffee and sugar. The temperature of the water did not affect the mixture’s ability to whip into the right consistency.

“To spice it up, my younger sister recommended adding caramel or chocolate syrup,” Sanders said.

Using regular coffee grounds does not achieve the same consistency, so instant coffee is a required ingredient.

“Later on, we tried to substitute brewed coffee for the boiling water and instant coffee, but it would not whip and did not work,” Sanders said.

The whipped coffee drink can serve as an interesting addition to students’ collection of easy at-home recipes, and now is the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen. 

“All around, it is a delicious beverage to help keep you focused for schoolwork,” Eakes said.