Water Buffalo Milk Review! Does Glass-Bottled Water Buffalo Milk Make Good Coffee? How Does Fresh Milk Coffee Taste?

Water Buffalo Milk: The Latest Coffee Trend

Recently, Manner Coffee launched a Dirty coffee made with water buffalo milk, instantly making water buffalo milk a hot topic among many coffee shops. While water buffalo milk might be unfamiliar to people in many regions, for those from Guangzhou, Foshan, and most of Guangxi, it brings back childhood memories.

(We can already hear friends from the Guangzhou-Foshan region shouting loudly:)

Baifulu!

Yes, that's right! Originally, I planned to buy commercially available water buffalo milk for testing, but most of them are ultra-high temperature sterilized milk that can be stored at room temperature, making it difficult to find fresh water buffalo milk (unless you get raw milk directly from farms)... So, in Guangzhou, the only place to buy qualified fresh water buffalo milk is this one⬇️

Compared to carton milk, the taste of glass-bottled milk has always been an unparalleled experience. The difference lies in the sterilization temperatures used for these two packaging types, as milk components change with sterilization temperature, affecting both nutritional value and taste.

Pasteurized vs. Ultra-High Temperature Milk

Glass-bottled milk typically uses pasteurization, sterilizing at lower temperatures (usually 60-82°C). The advantage is that besides slight losses in vitamin C and B1, other nutrients and taste remain nearly identical to freshly squeezed milk. However, the disadvantage is the shorter refrigerated shelf life of only 5 days.

(Only the blue one is fresh milk~ I was purely curious about what the others taste like in coffee, hehe)

Meanwhile, carton milk mostly uses high-temperature sterilization, using higher temperatures (120-137°C) to eliminate germs and harmful microorganisms. The advantage is a refrigerated shelf life of up to 15 days, but the disadvantage is that high temperatures cause relatively more nutrient loss, which continues during storage, and the taste is also somewhat lacking.

This is also why as glass-bottled milk became less common, whether in terms of richness, fullness, or the milk skin formed after heating, we lost that childhood milk-drinking experience. Although carton milk is convenient for the public, some premium fresh milk itself costs around 20 yuan/945ml, while glass-bottled fresh milk is generally 4 yuan/210-220ml on the market, with discounts for bulk purchases.

When converted to equal capacity, the price is actually similar to carton milk, but the taste and nutrition differ. So if café owners in some regions can purchase locally produced glass-bottled milk, they might consider choosing it—one bottle at a time, which is not only environmentally friendly but also gives guests an ultra-fresh feeling and a sense of ceremony.

Water Buffalo Milk's Nutritional Advantages

"Let's get back to water buffalo milk."

Compared to the milk from Holstein cows that we typically drink, water buffalo milk offers superior nutritional value. Take protein and calcium—the most iconic nutrients in milk—for example: the national requirement for protein content in raw milk is 2.8%, some pure milk produced from excellent milk sources on the market has 3.2% protein content, and even better quality can reach 3.6%.

However, many water buffalo breeds can easily achieve protein content above 3.6%. Besides higher protein content, water buffalo milk also contains more calcium, vitamin A, and fat than regular milk. But! More nutrition doesn't necessarily mean better—it still depends on individual absorption capabilities.

Of course, since we're using it for coffee, let's set nutrition aside for now. The focus of this article is how the milk's texture performs when combined with coffee~

For comparison, I specifically bought both regular glass-bottled milk and water buffalo milk. Following the usual routine, I used a coffee blend with wine, berry, and nut notes to make hot lattes and Dirty, used chocolate-flavored water buffalo milk for iced mocha, and used sweet cup-shaped water buffalo milk for Dirty.

Coffee Tasting Results

Glass-Bottled Water Buffalo Milk Hot Latte

The aroma of milk skin comes through during the heating process~ The foam lacks some fineness during frothing, with a slight roughness after completion~ When combined with coffee, it presents a natural sweetness, with the richness of milk, but without overpowering the coffee's own flavor. They complement each other, forming a unique mint (fresh mint leaves) cream flavor, though the aftertaste isn't strong.

Glass-Bottled Regular Milk Hot Latte

There's also the aroma of milk skin during the heating process~ The foam becomes more delicate and dense during frothing. When combined with coffee, it presents a natural sweetness, with the richness of milk, without overpowering the coffee's own flavor. They complement each other, forming a berry vanilla cream flavor, with a hazelnut aftertaste~

Glass-Bottled Water Buffalo Milk Dirty

Water buffalo milk itself has a full and robust flavor, with decent support for the coffee, forming beautiful layers. The first sip reveals the strong fermented wine aroma + berry tartness of the coffee, transitioning to obvious roasted nut aroma and the sweetness of milk in the middle, and finishing with aromatic milk with a hint of coffee flavor.

Glass-Bottled Regular Milk Dirty

The milk has a full and robust texture, with stronger support for the coffee than both water buffalo milk and carton fresh milk, creating beautiful layering effects. The first sip also reveals the strong fermented wine aroma + berry tartness of the coffee, transitioning to the smoothness and aroma of vanilla cream in the middle, and finishing with sweet milk with a hint of coffee flavor.

Cup-Packaged Sweet Water Buffalo Milk Dirty

I checked the ingredients list, which contains milk powder and white sugar, but it's not overly sweet when drunk alone, and you can feel the rich milk flavor. This cup-packaged milk is also very "thoughtful," leaving exactly one shot's worth of space—perfectly prepared for Dirty! The first sip reveals the sweet strawberry cream flavor from the combination of sweet milk and coffee. Perhaps because the overall portion is small, one sip nearly finishes it, hahaha! So the second sip is just sweet water buffalo milk with coffee flavor~

Glass-Bottled Chocolate Water Buffalo Milk Iced Mocha

For stability (just to be safe), I took a sip first, and as expected, it wasn't chocolatey enough... I originally planned to make a sauce with unsweetened dark chocolate powder for coating the glass walls, then stir to enhance the chocolate richness... but I ran out of chocolate powder... However! After adding coffee, its natural sweetness and chocolate flavor blend without overpowering the coffee, allowing the coffee's flavor to come through, and the bean's original flavor actually enhances the chocolate taste!!

Glass-Bottled High-Calcium Water Buffalo Milk Iced Latte

The milk seller mentioned that high-calcium milk itself has a slight sweetness, but not as sweet as sweetened milk. So I made a high-calcium iced latte~ Unexpectedly delicious! When drunk alone, it tastes like melted vanilla cream ice cream, very rich and smooth! After adding coffee, there's slight clumping, but it disappears after stirring! When combined with coffee, the milk's slight sweetness can soften the bitterness in coffee while allowing the coffee's flavors to shine, presenting sweet strawberry vanilla cream + roasted nut flavors.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

I have to say, both glass-bottled regular milk and water buffalo milk are scream-inducingly delicious when drunk alone!! After heating for lattes, water buffalo milk feels a bit thin in texture. If making Dirty, I personally think water buffalo milk offers richer layers! Rich but not heavy!

Cup-packaged sweet water buffalo milk isn't readily available on the market and must be purchased from the brand's online store~ I think this is perfect for those who want to try Dirty with a sweet flavor.

Personally, I think water buffalo milk is excellent for making iced coffee! Summer still has a long way to go, so café owners should consider adding related products to their menu!

Actually, I bought many more bottles... I've decided to use the remaining milk to make double-skin milk pudding!

I can't drink anymore... But I can handle double-skin milk pudding! Ginger milk curd would work too!

See you in the next review! BYE~

- Ari, who always sacrifices herself for milk testing

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