As of today Starbucks is offering a coconut milk option as a second non dairy milk. (They have explained in previous statements that due to allergy concerns they will likely never offer almond milk. )
For better or worse I visit Le Bux for my bold soy misto most mornings. This morning I ordered the coconut milk and have to say that compared to soy it had a much creamier mouthfeel and only a very faint coconut flavor- I think if you didn't know it was coconut milk it would be hard to put your finger on what it was. A latte might be more noticable though.
I asked to see the package of coconut milk after my drink was made and was disappointed to see yet another chain take a really great idea and kind of ruin it...
The coconut "milk" is made from concentrate and the first ingredient is actually water...not coconut. Full ingredients and nutrition listed in this article:
http://rebootedbody.com/starbucks-coc...
I don't love that ingredient list but I think it's a big step for a major chain to even offer this option. And since Starbucks no longer offers organic dairy I think its a good alternative that might be preferable to factory farmed dairy (even though the coconut milk is not organic it's an option that doesn't support factory farmed dairy).
Anyone else try it? Did you like it enough to order regularly? Other deep thoughts on dairy alternatives in chain restaurants?
I have no issues with the ingredient list. If you look at any commercial coconut milk, you'll see very similar ingredients. Starbucks needed something that would foam, stay stable, and pour easily, and 'straight' coconut milk (the stuff you get in cans) doesn't do any of that. Really, ANY commercial coconut milk will have water as its first ingredient, and it's always made from 'concentrate' (coconut cream, the extract from coconut pulp).
You're totally right that most coconut milks do have a similar ingredient list- and for practical reasons
http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/produ...
It's not a dealbreaker for me, and IMO the fact they even offer coconut milk in addition to soy is hopefully going to convince other national chains to consider offering non dairy options.
Sure, and it will quickly separate and needs to be shaken up to reconstitute it. And it won't foam like milk for lattes. That's coconut milk made for cooking, not for drinking. Look at any commercial coconut milk made for drinking or as creamer -- it's not just coconut pulp.
That's not coconut milk, it's coconut milk beverage. Not the same thing at all. I used real coconut milk in my coffee while I transitioned to drinking it black and never had a problem with it seperating.
I'm sure that for home use as coffee creamer, you didn't have any issues. There's a huge difference between that and national distribution for a huge coffeehouse chain; they can't use canned coconut milk that doesn't stay blended and won't steam or foam like dairy milk. The stuff Starbucks is using is pretty much identical to any coconut milk you'll find in grocery stores for use on cereal, etc (Diamond, So Delicious, etc). If you want to call it "coconut milk beverage", hey, that's fine.
I wouldn't want to try it, given the ingredients list. Dealbreaker list to me. They should just call it non dairy creamer.
I'm reading a lot of bizarre comments on social media from people claiming carrageenan is a "carcinogen" and that Starbucks' coconut milk will "give you cancer". It's the most ridiculous thing ever.
Those are overstated comments about causation, but there is at the very least, reason for concern and more investigation to establish the degree of risk for gastrointestinal disorder and cancer.
Some citations here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carragee...
I tried one of those coffee flavored coconut water drinks recently. So gross - coffee and coconut do not go together. I don't care how healthy or unhealthy that coconut milk is; it's a terrible combination!
Well, it took long enough but now starbucks has almond milk! It's a 60cents charge, same as soy or coconut milk. The new almond milk was formulated specially for starbucks and has just 3g sugar per seving, so drinks made with it won't be nearly as sweet as they are when made with regular dairy or the other nondairy options.
This just started in major cities and will be available in 4,600 locations nationally by the end of sept.
I ordered a cafe misto (coffee with hot milk) with almond milk "extra foamy" today and the foamy fluff kept its shape for a good long while.
Even if you hate starbucks who doesn't love more choices? Have you tried it already? Deep thoughts?
Oops: I only ust noticed this was an old thread resurrected to comment on something complete different than the coconut milk - oh well...
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I'd never put coconut milk in coffee anyway, but while I'm not one of those people who's horrified by "chemical" ingredients just because the names have more than 2 syllables<lol>, I have to say, that is one unpleasant-sounding concoction that doesn't strike me as warranting the name "coconut milk" at all. ("Coconut non-dairy creamer", sure, but "coconut milk"? uh-uh...) It has way more additives than even low-quality canned coconut milk does... And apart from the laundry list of thickeners making one wonder how much actual coconut solids it contains in the first place, wtf are sugar (8 grams, or 1.5 tsps per serving no less) and salt doing there (the photo of the label on that page doesn't give the sodium content, but OTOH, the salt isn't one of the last couple of ingredients)? Don't people who want sugar in their coffee usually just, you know... put sugar in their coffee? And if it's "tasteless" without salt, something (else) is very wrong with that picture right there...
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