Bobby Flay's Milk Of Choice For A Creamier Coffee

Coffee is famously customizable; even a simple cup of joe can be taken in any number of directions depending on whether you drink it black, with a flavored coffee creamer, splash of half-and-half, specific sweetener, etc. For celebrity chef Bobby Flay, the secret to a perfect cup of coffee is real dairy whole milk. In a video tour of his fridge shared on Misfits Market's Instagram, Flay opens his refrigerator to reveal, among other things, a carton of Horizon DHA-Omega Three Organic 2% Reduced Fat Milk. "I have to have milk for my coffee," he explains in the video, adding that he's probably one of the few people still drinking whole milk in their coffee, as opposed to a dairy-free alternative. "I just can't do it," he continues. "I want my coffee to taste like coffee."

Perhaps this is a classic case of "do as I say, not as I do." Whole milk, containing more fat than 2% or skim milk, will produce a creamier cup of coffee; so although Flay's fridge happened to be stocked with 2% at the time, his stated preference is for whole milk. (Interestingly, while some consumers warn against using DHA-Omega Three milk in coffee due to a potentially fishy aftertaste, Horizon's DHA-Omega Three Milk uses vegetarian DHA made from algae, not fish. So Flay should be safe from fishy coffee, at least!)

People have been drinking milk with their coffee dating back to at least the 1600s. Plant-based milks, on the other hand, started really infiltrating the coffee shop scene in the 2010s. So many coffee drinkers who had been enjoying their java for years prior to the plant-based milk revolution may indeed find that adding a bit of almond, soy, or other milk does change the taste of their coffee to the extent that it no longer tastes "like coffee."

Of course, if you're avoiding dairy for health or other reasons, it's wonderful to have such an array of plant-based milks on offer. Chowhound even ranked 11 non-dairy milks to judge which are the best options for your coffee accompaniment. The milks on the disappointing end of the spectrum — coconut, rice, walnut, and almond — were notable for their watery texture and, in some cases, for failing to mix into the coffee cohesively. (Although if you run into this problem, there are ways to prevent plant-based milk from separating in coffee.) If you're looking for something with a neutral flavor and creamy texture, look into pea milk, which came in third place in the ranking. The pea-protein milk checked the boxes of having a minimal impact on the coffee's flavor while still providing a creamy, thicker texture. Perhaps as close to whole milk as you can get, without the dairy.