You’ve probably seen a Dalgona coffee on TikTok or Instagram: a two-toned, creamy coffee drink somewhere between posts of men grooming beards, and several other challenges.
Also referred to as Cara Bikin dalgona coffee, it is done by whipping instant coffee with water and sugar, creating a foam of butterscotch spooned over milk.
It was first made popular in January in South Korea, after actor Jung Il-woo did it in Macau for a well-known television series, “Fun-Staurant’s Top Recipe of Stars.” He mentioned in the series that he was reminded of a honeycomb coffee confection in South Korea known as dalgona, hence the name and popularity. Soon after that, the drink became popular in South Korea, also becoming a steady item on their coffee shops’ menus.
During a direct message interview on Instagram, Mr. Jung mentioned that he never expected that dalgona coffee would be so popular. And then, early in March, a TikTok user Hannah Cho posted a 15-second video of herself preparing it for her mum, and this made it even more popular. With over 207 million views, Hannah Cho attributed its popularity to its pleasing aesthetics and the fact that it’s an easy home drink. #dalgonacoffee
At the moment, matcha lattes, ice pops, martinis and tiramisu exist in dalgona styles.
However, this is not just a passing trend for many people as they have been preparing this drink at home for a long time. Whipped coffee has long been popular in homes in Pakistan and India, referred to as phenti hui. There’s also an older, similar drink in Greece known as a frappe, as well as many different versions which are white eggs shaken and served with condensed milk.
Despite not being the best morning option, whipped coffee presents an opportunity to try something new which is pantry-friendly, in place of tiresome routines. According to Mr. Jung, “It requires patience and time, but is surely rewarding.”
Steps to Making Dalgona Coffee Mixer
Step 1
To make a cup of dalgona coffee, take 2 tablespoons of granulated instant coffee with ½ tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of hot water, and mix in a medium-sized bowl. You may add more sugar as you prefer.
Step 2
Whip using a coffee mixer, or hand mixer.
Step 3
Continue until the mixture goes from foamy to frothy, and then creamy.
Step 4
Have the fluffy mixture spooned over milk, in an ice-filled glass? You can also do it over warm milk for a hotter drink.
Step 5
Mix and serve.
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