*hand on hip, bottoms up*

July 7, 2019 10:00 AM

Tell me everything about Japanese coffee milk.

I'm especially interested in the kind traditionally consumed upon exiting an onsen or other sort of bath. My goal is to make it a thing to have at home by myself, as authentically as is reasonable. I'm in the USA. Assume I know not much outside of a standard American exposure to plain ol' drip coffee. I don't go to Starbucks or buy fancy brewed coffees from shops. I have a standard drip coffee maker.

What temperature is it: Hot, cold, varies?

Is it basically just brewed coffee and cow's milk, 50/50? Is using soy milk common and acceptable?

Is it sweetened (or unsweetened) by default or is it made to taste?

Is it made fresh or canned? I know canned coffee is a big thing in Japan.

I imagine there are all sorts of varieties and variations but is there an overall concoction or type that forms the majority of coffee milk consumed?

If there's additional information my basic questions here are missing, I invite you to please enlighten me!

posted by glonous keming to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

It’s cold, sweet, mostly milk with a light coffee flavor. I can only remember seeing it in cartons (juice box style or 500ml) but I assume other packaging exists. I think it’s always sweet, I’ve only ever had it with cow’s milk but I’m pretty sure there’s a soy milk version. They make coffee milk in Rhode Island with a syrup you can buy at the grocery store (Autocrat brand), so should be easy to try out.
posted by chocotaco at 1:07 PM on July 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Our local Kroger affiliate started selling canned Boss coffee in black and café au lait varieties. It's the first time I've seen it stateside, and might not be exactly what you're looking for but maybe good inspiration or something? It's definitely a smooth taste on both, and the au lait is definitely sugar milk with coffee flavor like what chocotaco says.
posted by spbb at 1:33 PM on July 7, 2019

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but my mom used to make this for me, she's Japanese. About two tablespoons of powdered Nescafe Tasters Choice in a tall glass, pour about a quarter cup of boiling water over it, add a bunch of sugar, stir, add ice then fill the rest of the glass with milk. Delicious.
posted by onebyone at 4:58 PM on July 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yeah, it’s mostly milk, quite sweet, with a light coffee flavor. Like chocolate milk, but change the chocolate flavor for mild coffee. Maybe not full fat milk, but definitely not skim. Drunk nice and cold, from the glass bottle after tearing off the paper cap. (It is definitley sold in supermarkets here in pint cartons, but usually sold in small glass bottles in onsens)

It’s the best possible post hot bath drink, non-beer division. If you have an Asian/Japanese market anywhere near you, they might have it, but I doubt it, as it’s pretty perishable.
posted by Ghidorah at 11:53 PM on July 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

I don’t know what’s normal for everywhere in Japan, but up here in Iwate the hot springs I go to have coffee milk in glass bottles. Not canned coffee, that’s different. The flavors are normal milk, coffee milk, fruit milk. They’re all higher fat milk (no skim) and sweet.
Searching on cookpad (a recipe site) for coffee milk brought up what onebyone wrote above. Milk, coffee (instant or iced), sugar to taste.
posted by sacchan at 11:57 PM on July 7, 2019