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Sorry, I got a few questions here.

1) I was at a vegan, locavore restaurant and their soymilk curdled in the coffee. Why did it curdle?

2) I thought, gee, they should use something like coconut milk, but that would clash with the (east coast USA) locavore them they have going on. So what will post-apocalypse hippies use in their coffee (or coffee substitute) for creamer? I've successfully made nut milk out of pecans and walnuts-- haven't tried it with coffee yet to see if it is curdle resistant, am I overlooking any options?

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    If these hippies live where coffee grows, they can probably grow coconuts too.
    – rumtscho
    Nov 2, 2012 at 17:56
  • Calcium carbonate. Nice and creamy. Nov 2, 2012 at 18:21
  • re:where coffee grows-- Yeah, post apocalypse, it would probably chicory root or tea, which grows as far north as the Carolinas. Nov 2, 2012 at 19:07
  • re: chalk coffee-- Hmm, this link says you weren't joking: foodproductdesign.com/articles/1999/11/… Nov 2, 2012 at 19:09

2 Answers 2

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Was the coffee highly acidic or possibly salty? Coagulating agents that I know of consist of apple cider vinegar (which I personally use in my tofu making), magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate. Indeed, according to Wikipedia the common coagulants are salts, acids and enzymes.

Not being a coffee drinker I can't say this has ever happened to me. My boyfriend drinks coffee and I don't think he has ever experienced this, so it might be specific to each coffee. I have had soymilk coagulate in a cocktail I had once, but never when I make soy white Russians, so it must have had to do with the other ingredients in that drink, which have been lost to my memory.

Off topic, but what restaurant were you at?

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  • Probably acidic, but for my palate, when I drink coffee, all my brain hears is "bitter". Soupergirl in Takoma Park, MD thesoupergirl.com Nov 2, 2012 at 20:04
  • I've heard of people adding a pinch of salt in the grounds to counter the bitterness ... no idea if that'd be enough to trigger it.
    – Joe
    Nov 3, 2012 at 16:01
  • I often use soy milk in my coffee and have never had it curdle. I would would agree that the coffee probably had a little something extra.
    – edsobo
    Nov 9, 2012 at 22:32
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I use soy milk in my hot drinks but always wait a few minutes to add it, any earlier and it curdles. Many nut/coconut milks (almond seems popular at the moment) are less likely to curdle than soy but soy is often used as it is more widely recognised.

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