There is no more iconic of a go-with to coffee than avocado toast. The lunchtime staple has many countries claiming it as their own, and it has become all but synonymous with high-end cafe fare. Coffee and avocado toast are two great tastes that taste great together. But not like together together. Unless…
A new coffee drinking trend coming out of TikTok—because where else would be it from—has folks mixing mashed avocados and espresso, and the results have the internet divided.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an avocado latte, though the last iteration was literally just baristas using hollowed out avocado skins as vessels for latte art. And espresso makes for a surprisingly versatile bedfellow. Orange juice, watermelon juice, there have even been rumblings of pineapple juice being tasty, espresso has paired quite nicely with them all, and we have TikTok to thank for their recent popularity (though not for their creation, as many a Gen X barista will tell you, whether you ask them or not). So maybe this new concoction is also good?
As reported by Mashed, the latest coffee trend comes via @EthanRodeCoffee, who creates of a variety of coffee-related content for this 1.8 million followers. This includes the “Making Coffee With Things I Shouldn’t” series, where Rode makes all sorts of oddities like bacon coffee, corn coffee, purple sweet potato coffee, pickle coffee, and of course, avocado coffee. As you can imagine, the results are mixed.
For the avocado latte, or perhaps more appropriately the avocado milk iced latte, Rode mashes an avocado, then adds it to a mason jar with milk and gives it a good shake. The mixture then gets run through a strainer to create “avocado milk,” poured over ice, and then finished with a few shots of espresso. Rode’s verdict is that, yes, avocado should be in coffee.
And it kinda makes sense. The fattiness in avocados could make for a creamier milk beverage. (What if you, like, freeze distilled your avocado milk? Coming a Barista Championship stage near you.) The downside is that perhaps the added ‘cado flavor may not entirely mesh with the espresso.
Mashed, on the other hand, wasn’t quite convinced. In their own somewhat comical tests, they found that while there was more creaminess in the overall drink and though it was richer than just regular milk, the sweetness was not enhanced as promised. And while not ultimately sold on the concept, Mashed nonetheless offers up some tips and tricks to help you make it yourself. (I’d like to add that a cheese cloth would probably go a long way in the straining process.)
I for one will be sitting out for this particular coffee trend. I’m here for a little splash of something zippy to punch up an espresso, and avocado milk sounds like a fine pairing, but we’ve already reached coffee-and-avocado perfection. It is a cup of coffee and a hearty piece of avocado toast. Like complimentary colors, they go best alongside one another, not blended into some weird brown homogeny.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
