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I've tasted my local coffee shop's specialty coffee in which they substitute homemade almond milk for regular milk, and it tastes creamy and smooth. No bitterness.

When I try to recreate this with Starbucks coffee beans ground and put into a moka maker, and then adding sugar and microwaved Silk almond milk (bought from the store, and frothed a bit with a milk frother), it tastes slightly tangy and kinda bitter. The taste is kinda strange. I don't taste it from the coffee or the almond milk alone, but when combined, it forms.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be happening and what I could do to remedy it?
I would like to avoid too much sugar.

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  • Are you using the vanilla, unsweetened, original, etc. Silk (I tend to prefer Almond Dream)?
    – colejkeene
    Jan 24, 2013 at 21:15
  • I've tried both the original and the vanilla. They both produce the same bitterness.
    – O_O
    Jan 28, 2013 at 7:54

5 Answers 5

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I don't have a confident answer as to why it's happening. My wife uses Almond Milk and drinks it with her coffee. She's never noticed any bitterness. My first suggestion would be the coffee itself, rather than the almond milk. The way you make coffee (in a moka pot) will produce different results than at Starbucks or any other coffee shop themselves. That said, if I understand you correctly the local coffee shop you're drinking at isn't Starbucks. Personally I find many of their beans to be bitter... Despite you not being able being able to identify the bitterness in the coffee when drank black, I'd suggest that those beans are your problem. Perhaps the Almond milk is highlighting out some unpleasant flavours in those beans.

Things to try (Starting with what I'd guess as being the most likely to solve this...):

  • Buy beans from your local coffee shop, preferably the same ones they serve. Ideally this coffee shop can tell you when the beans were roasted, and preferably this date is recent-ish. But, if not, that's fine, Just try a different bean first.
  • Add a bit of salt. See this related question
  • Change the way you make coffee (drip, moka, etc...) for a day and see if the harsh tones are still present when you add your Almond Milk
  • Do you use your moka pot regularly, if you hadn't used it in a while, perhaps there are some harsh flavours that have gone stale? (Kinda stretching here).
  • Try a different Almond Milk?
  • The last thing I would do is add sugar... That usually doesn't cover up the bitterness.
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  • I second getting the beans from the coffee that makes the drink. I'd also suggest just asking them if there's a trick to it. If you flatter the baristas a bit and tip well, they'd probably be happy to talk coffee with you.
    – SourDoh
    Nov 19, 2014 at 17:43
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Actually, almond milk in coffee always tastes bitter to me, even when the black coffee is wonderful without a trace of bitterness. I believe there is a chemical change in the mixture. However, since not many people sense this, I wonder if it is also individual taste perception. I have only tried commercial almond milk, so I am going to try making it and see if it is any different.

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  • "buyer", I assume you mean "bitter"?
    – talon8
    Nov 21, 2014 at 16:22
  • @talon8 I smell autocorrect at 2-3 places in this answer. I corrected them.
    – rumtscho ♦
    Nov 21, 2014 at 16:32
  • I think this post can be considered an answer, albeit a somewhat hidden one: I read in it the opinion that, at least when using store bought almond milk, it is impossible to avoid the bitterness. I have no idea if it is true, but at least it seems to cover the criteria for being an answer.
    – rumtscho ♦
    Nov 21, 2014 at 16:37
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I've read that the almond milk can taste bitter if it is burned. If you microwave the milk, you should do so on a low setting. See https://www.quora.com/Could-almond-milk-be-boiled

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Have a fancy coffee maker at home...The brand of coffee makes a big difference, if I get at bitter cup a little honey removes the bitter bite. Should work with almond milk instead of regular as well, just make sure your almond milk is not pre sweetened.

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I use a French Press and no matter what kind of coffee I use, I've never had a bitterness problem, as long as it isn't a really cheap brand. I, too, prefer to use almond milk but the one with coconut milk or cream in it comes out much richer. Yes, it does have some fat, but at least it's not dairy.I agree about using a picnh of salt. Mt Dad swore by that.

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