Another, although not new coffee craze re-hitting the coffee industry this month and no doubt here to stay involves using almond milk (or equivalent) in coffee.

Almond milk does sound strange but if you’re wondering how it is made it is usually produced by blending Almonds with water which creates a pulp and from that a milk can be strained from it. The general taste is also quite nutty (as expected) and quite sweet, which also gives people a different style of coffee.

The use of almond milk has many benefits but the most highlighted would be those related to our health. Almond milk, carries a lot less calories in it compared to dairy milk, no cholesterol or saturated fat and also a low sodium content. This obviously makes it very appealing to the health conscious side of the market, coupled with the fact that it contains no lactose, making it suitable for people who are lactose intolerant, gives it a double win! To add to this, almond milk is available in different variations, which include unsweetened, sweetened, Vanilla and Chocolate, which gives you another variation to your coffee.

But before you go rushing out to purchase a carton of almond milk there are some downsides you should know about. One common problem with almond milk is that it can often be difficult for it to mix properly with the coffee, which can make it curdle in you drink. This problem can be solved by letting the coffee cool slightly then adding the milk, but even then this sometimes doesn’t work. Another downside is that all the variations apart from the original are very high in sugar, which unfortunately doesn’t make almond milk as healthy as it has been made out to be. The final downside? Due to the milk having a low fat content it makes it quite difficult to froth and hold its shape, which doesn’t make it ideal when using it in a barista style coffee.

We’ll let you make your own decision on whether almond milk is right for you, one thing is clear to us, there are health benefits, but is it the correct method for our coffee baristas? Jury is out still…