If you drink lattes, most of your 'coffee' isn't coffee (or espresso). It's milk. So what's the best milk for your cappuccino, cafe au lait, flat white or latte, and what makes it so awesome?

Why Good Milk Tastes Great in Coffee

Let's face it: Good milk is amazing in coffee. It adds flavor and texture, and it balances out potentially harsh, acidic, astringent or bitter flavors in espresso (especially when it isn't well-made espresso!).

But non-fat milk? Non-so-great. And those little pre-portioned cups of 'milk-like' substances? Not worth the cups they're packaged in. What about powdered non-dairy milk? Coffee-swigger, puh-lease!

So what is it that gives good milk such an edge over these swill-like substitutes? The fat and the lactose (and the fact that they came from a cow, which is a source of actual food, instead of from a factory / laboratory for food-like substances). The fat gives your coffee drinks a creaminess and richness that cannot be denied and softens the harshness of more acidic or dark-roast coffees, while the lactose (which is, literally, milk sugar) adds sweetness and rounds out some of the peakier edges of your bean brew.

What Kinds of Dairy Milk are Best for Coffee?

There are quite a few fringe-ier types of dairy milk out there (Hey, who ordered the healthy breast milk latte?), but most hardcore coffee lovers can agree on a few milk preferences for their coffee:

- The nutritional hit you get with fatty milk* is soooo worth it

- Organic milk gets some serious bonus points for bigger flavor and smaller ecological footprint

- Fresh is great, fresher is best (PS -- NEVER go for a milk powder or a preserved milk product for your coffee. It tastes bad and is probably also bad for you.)

- Local / raw milk is a good option (for green / health / economic reasons) if you can get it in your area

* You may be asking, "How fatty is fatty milk?" Well, so-called whole milk has about 3.5% fat. (Lemme guess... it's not as much as you thought compared to 2% and 1%! Another interesting aside... skim milk isn't truly fat-free. It can contain up to 0.2% fat. Anyway, moving on...) A rich milk for coffee may be fortified with additional cream for a richer, creamier, more textured coffee drink. This can be something like 5% (which is becoming a preferred milk fat level for many coffeehouse drinks) or even as high as 12% (a.k.a. "half-and-half" or, no joke, "barista milk"... this fat content is more for the really serious third-wave coffeehouses). And it's not that abnormal to add heavy cream (around 38% fat) to certain coffee drinks, such as a strong, dark roast coffee. So while most nutritionists are recommending that you switch from whole milk to skim milk, those dedicated hedonists who really love a great coffee drink are doing the opposite... and then some. (And it certainly explains why so many Starbucks drinks are secret fat bombs!)

And What About Non-Dairy Milk for Coffee?

So glad you asked. There are a lot of dairy alternatives for coffee out there. Dairy alternatives are important for those who can't drink dairy or for people who don't drink milk for ethical reasons (such as vegans). Still, they can never really reach the richness of a 12% fat milk. Sigh...

Soymilk is a longtime favorite in coffeehouses. It's pretty watery and is best as a sub for skim milk or 1% fat milk. Oat milk, coconut milk and cashew milk are options, though they have issues if you want a direct 1:1 replacement for cow's milk. (Oat milk has a weird texture, coconut milk has a distinctive taste and, depending on how it's made, cashew milk can have a bit of both these problems, plus it's expensive. Unless you're careful, these "milks" can be more like 1:!? replacement.)

Lately, the preferred "milk alternative" of choice has been shifting toward almond milk. Compared to most other milk alternatives, it has a superior mouthfeel (read: it's really creamy for something that isn't milk!). That's important for frothed / foamed / steamed milk coffee drinks such as lattes, latte macchiatos, cappuccinos, etc. Some coffeehouses are now making their own in-house almond milk, which is pretty cool. You can make your own almond milk at home. For a richer almond milk, soak the almonds longer (up to 12 hours).