Skip the whipped cream and pile on the cold foam, a trendy drink enhancement that adds a creamy, customizable layer to coffees and other icy drinks.
Like pulling a sip through a foamy cloud, cold foam has made its way onto coffee menus almost everywhere. However, Rêve Coffee Lab general manager Eric Schoonmaker says the trendy topper isn’t entirely new.
“Cold foam has always been around, just not too many people were doing much with it,” Schoonmaker says. “At Rêve, we started doing cold foam around November last year. It was most likely a Starbucks drink that started the trend, but they didn’t create cold foam.”
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Cold foam at Rêve is made using equal parts syrup and heavy cream, Schoonmaker shares. The mixture is frothed creating an airy, bubbly layer of foam that perches on iced drinks. Though it can be made with milk alternatives, Schoonmaker says using something other than heavy cream might yield a different consistency that is less fluffy and more likely to mix into the drink.
At Rêve, 20% to 25% of iced drinks are ordered with cold foam, according to Schoonmaker. And, three out of four of the shop’s spring seasonal drinks featured it, which he says were the most frequently ordered among the group. He says the foam enhances the drink in two ways.
“It makes the drink visually appetizing and creates a fun tasting experience,” he says. “Ultimately though, I think it makes the drink look prettier. I’ve just recently created a drink with a chai cold foam that really elevates the tasting experience.”
Reve is just one of the local shops dabbling in this hot cold beverage trend. Check out our list of coffee and tea spots that are frothing up their own cold foams. Just watch out for those cold foam mustaches.
Know of a cold foam creator we missed? Let us know at [email protected].
Coffees and teas
Light House Coffee
257 Lee Drive
Known as a haven for busy and studious college kids, Light House Coffee is on trend with its use of cold foam. Add it to iced coffees or find it in seasonal offerings like the Banana Sundae Latte or the Whipped Honey Cortado.
Brew Ha-Ha!
711 Jefferson Highway, Suite 2A
Add some flavor to your beverage at Brew Ha-Ha by seasoning your cold foam with an array of syrup choices. From almond and cinnamon to rose and lavender, add extra oomph to your drink by opting for a foam flavor that complements your coffee choice.
Teatery – Tea and Tapioca
At Teatery, add the fluffy layer with flavors like ube and sea salt to teas or Vietnamese iced coffee. Want to reverse the roles? Try the Dalgona Coffee where the coffee component is whipped and layered on top of milk.
City Roots Coffee Bar
1509 Government St A
Flavored cold foams usually make their way into a few seasonal drinks over at this Government Street coffee spot. But a City Roots sweet cream foam add-on is great for any cold brew or iced coffee. There’s even a menu staple, the Cold Brew De Crema, that is completed with a pour of the sugary foam topping.
MoMo Tea
7673 Perkins Road
Cheese foam, anyone? Yes, you read that right—cheese foam. Don’t knock it till you try it. The cheese-based foam adds a slightly savory layer to iced teas and smoothies, giving an almost cheesecake-like flavor. MoMo Tea also offers a bright purple, ube-flavored foam to top other drinks.
CC’s Coffee House
Multiple locations
This Baton Rouge-born chain has been known to play with cold foam in its seasonal offerings. Most recently, the frosty froth made its way into Honey Lavender- and King Cake-flavored cold brews.
Cocktails
Who says you can only add foam to iced coffee and teas? Cocktails are getting into the trend with a twist. Think: Sudsy sheets created by tireless cocktail shaking and frothy egg white layers on top of unique mixed drinks. Here are just a few we found bubbling up in local cocktail lineups.
Beijing Queen from Tsunami
100 Lafayette St.
1 Smart Way
Gin, Asian pear sake and Sugarfield honey liqueur are mixed with fresh lemon and beet juice before raspberry foam is poured on top for an added layer of tang.
Mango Unchained from Tap 65
515 Mouton St., Suite 103
Tropical and citrus flavors from ingredients like Mango Chutney-infused Bourbon, mango puree, lemon and orange bitters combine for a bright cocktail topped off with foamy egg white.
Ginger Rita and Clover Cloud from Rocca Pizzaria
3897 Government St.
This Mid City pizza shop has two drinks on its cocktail menu that are enhanced with a bubbly garnish. The Ginger Rita contains tequila, orange liqueur, lime and bitters finished off with ginger foam. The Clover Cloud is a gin-based beverage with a cucumber-lime foam.
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Love Note from Olive or Twist
7248 Perkins Road
Lavender gin mixes with crème de violette, lemon juice and butterfly pea tea, and is topped with airy egg white for a layered cocktail that seems too pretty to drink.