Banana Cold Foam Coffee
Cold espresso sits under a pale banana foam that tastes fruity without turning the drink into a smoothie. A briefly cooked banana syrup gives a clean flavor and keeps raw fruit pulp out of the coffee. The result is creamy on top, brisk underneath and easy to make without a café machine.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 35 gbrown sugar
- 60 mlwater
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 0.25 tspfine salt
- 120 mlwhole milk
- 60 mlheavy cream
- 120 mlespresso
- 240 gice cubes
- 0.25 tspground cinnamon
Method
- Cook the banana base. Mash the banana with brown sugar, water and salt in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 6 minutes, stirring and pressing, until the fruit is translucent and the liquid lightly coats a spoon.
- Strain the syrup. Push the hot mixture through a fine sieve without forcing the thick pulp through, then stir vanilla into the clear syrup. You should have about 90 ml; cool it for 10 minutes so it does not warm the foam.
- Chill the coffee. Pull four espresso shots and pour them into a heatproof jug. Leave for 5 minutes, then add 60 g of the ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain away the melting ice so the coffee stays strong rather than watery.
- Mix the foam base. Combine milk, cream and 60 ml cooled banana syrup in a tall narrow cup. Taste it before frothing; add another 15 ml syrup only if the banana is faint. Keeping the mixture cold helps it hold fine bubbles.
- Froth until pourable. Use a handheld frother for 45 seconds, moving it from the bottom toward the surface. Stop when the volume has increased by about half and the foam falls in a thick ribbon. Do not whip to stiff peaks because the coffee should pass through it as you drink.
- Build the drinks. Divide the remaining ice between two 350 ml glasses and pour 60 ml chilled espresso into each. Slowly spoon and pour the banana foam over the coffee, leaving two distinct layers. A few natural drips down the inside of the glass are normal.
- Finish and serve. Dust each glass with a small amount of cinnamon and serve immediately with a straw or long spoon. Stir once for an even latte or sip through the foam for a stronger contrast. Refrigerate leftover syrup separately and never leave the finished milk drink at room temperature.
FAQ
Brew 120 ml very strong moka-pot coffee or use 8 g instant espresso dissolved in 120 ml hot water. Chill it over ice exactly as written, then strain. Regular filter coffee is usually too mild once ice and foam are added.
Raw banana pulp oxidizes and weighs down the milk bubbles. Cook the banana, strain the syrup finely and cool it before adding dairy. Keep the foam below 5°C and serve within 10 minutes of frothing.
Yes. Use cold barista oat milk because its added fat and protein create a steadier foam than ordinary plant milk. Replace the 120 ml milk and 60 ml cream with 180 ml oat milk, then follow the same method. Coconut cream works but its flavor can hide the coffee and banana.
Transfer the cooled syrup to a clean jar and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Discard it if it fizzes, smells alcoholic or develops mold. The finished milk foam does not store well, so froth only the amount you plan to drink.
Korean banana milk coffee usually combines espresso with packaged banana-flavored milk, a sweet drink sold in Korea since the 1970s. This recipe makes a thicker cold foam from real banana syrup, milk and cream. Both are served iced, but the Korean version is normally stirred and has a lighter texture.
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