What Kind of Milk is Oat Milk Added to Coffee? Is Coffee Made with Oat Milk Tastier Than Cow's Milk and What Are the Differences?

The Rise of Oat Milk Coffee

Traditional specialty coffee is made primarily with whole milk. That dense microfoam and smooth texture are exactly why a milk coffee is the first choice for many people who never quite took to black coffee. But as the market has evolved, a problem has appeared: homogenisation. Walk into shop after shop and the specialty coffee on offer all tastes the same.

Without innovation, customers simply have fewer choices. That is why, in recent years, more and more creative coffees have been developed, and oat milk coffee is one of them.

What is Oat Milk?

Oats are a traditional food in the Nordic region. Oat milk, made from oats, is high in plant protein and dietary fibre. Its fat content is lower than that of dairy milk, which makes it lower in calories. No sugar is added, either; the sweetness comes entirely from the oats themselves.

Why Has Everyone Started Drinking Oat Milk?

Many people cannot imagine coffee or milk tea without milk, yet milk is high in fat and sugar, and a great many people are lactose intolerant. This is where plant-based milks, similar to milk but easier on the body, came in: soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and the rest.

Among all these alternatives, oat milk's texture and mouthfeel come closest to dairy milk. It can stand in for milk in a latte especially well, which is why it has become so popular in coffee shops.

Who Chooses to Drink Oat Milk Coffee?

People who are lactose intolerant: Those with lactose intolerance have trouble digesting the lactose in milk. Their symptoms mainly include diarrhoea, intestinal gas, and stomach cramps, along with other physical effects such as headaches and difficulty concentrating after consuming food or drinks that contain lactose.

Vegans: Lactose-free Oatly oat milk contains no animal fat, which also makes it a daily choice for vegans.

People with a milk protein allergy: Unlike lactose intolerance, cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is a true allergy, because the reaction to milk protein involves the immune system. It is the most common food allergy in infants and young children, with symptoms mainly affecting the skin (eczema) and the respiratory system. OATLY can be used to make complementary foods for babies over six months old. Generally, for children over two years of age, it can serve as the main beverage.

Does Oat Milk Coffee Taste Better Than Milk Coffee?

The great wheel of time keeps turning, driving constant development and progress. Oat milk coffee is no exception: it gives coffee lovers who cannot tolerate milk another option.

The coffee market is always moving forward, and that is as true of specialty coffee as of anything else. More creative coffees will certainly appear. Coffee's charm is so great that it is worth exploring again and again.

Whether oat milk coffee tastes better than milk coffee comes down to personal preference. Coffee made with oat milk carries a distinctive oat aroma, while coffee made with dairy milk has the natural sweetness of lactose and the smoothness of milk fat.

From FrontStreet Coffee's own experience making hot lattes with different brands of oat milk, the flavours vary significantly from one brand to the next. Not every espresso bean pairs well with oat milk to produce a delicious milk coffee.

If you want to make a genuinely tasty oat milk coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends an espresso blend with nutty characteristics. Take the "Specialty Blend Coffee Beans" currently sold by FrontStreet Coffee: it combines 70% Brazilian Cerrado Red Bourbon coffee beans with 30% Colombian Huilan Caturra coffee beans. Extracted with suitable parameters, the espresso expresses dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and caramel.

With that flavour foundation, whichever brand of oat milk it is mixed with, both the coffee and the oat milk can show their strengths, producing an oat milk coffee that is rich in oat aroma, oat sweetness, and full-bodied texture.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

When milk is part of the picture, the beans behind the espresso matter more than anything else. For a classic, foolproof latte, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is a dedicated espresso and moka-pot blend built for outstanding crema; even an entry-level home machine can pull a dense, velvety shot, so it is the first choice for lattes, cappuccinos, and Dirty coffees. If you want a nuttier, cocoa-forward cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend pairs Brazilian Cerrado with Colombian Huilan for the familiar almond, walnut, and chocolate notes that round out any milk drink.

For those who would rather brew by hand and then add a splash of milk, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, Bird of Paradise, and Brazil Queen's Estate all work beautifully. Each is medium to medium-dark roasted, so its chocolate, caramel, and nutty character can still come through once the milk softens the cup rather than being buried by it.