Swapping Milk For Soy Lattes: Worth It?

When it comes to morning coffee rituals, people don’t like the change. The average individual who needs a pick-me-up to start the day is more likely to change their religion than their brew. 

Even so, things can evolve. And that’s certainly been what’s been happening in the coffee space. People are starting to realize that they don’t always have to do things the way they’ve always done them. They can also experiment. 

This is a collaborative post.

That’s where soy lattes are coming into the picture. People are picking these up as a lighter alternative to conventional full-fat milk. 

Italian coffee connoisseurs wouldn’t like the idea of people swapping out conventional cow’s milk for soy. But the trend is accelerating. Today, there is hardly a coffee house in the land that doesn’t offer a dairy-free alternative. 

But is it as bad as people make out? Or is there actually an upside to using more soy? That’s what we’re about to find out. 

Why Soy? 

While soy might not produce an identical drink to conventional coffee, there are still plenty of reasons for using it. Here’s why it is becoming more popular. 

The Price

Soy milk is made from soybeans, one of the world’s most abundant crops. Manufacturers process the beans and siphon some protein suspension, forming it into milk. It’s a slightly complicated process but much less resource-intensive than rearing cows. 

As such, the price of producing soy milk is up to 50% cheaper, even if governments subsidize conventional farming. This means that soy lattes are often less to make (although the coffee shop will usually charge you the same price, irrespective of the milk you use). 

The price discrepancy comes from the efficiency of calorie production. It takes more energy to produce each unit of conventional milk compared to soy, which pushes up the price. On top of that, there are additional costs, such as keeping the animals, sourcing sufficient food for them, and housing them in a suitable environment. These problems don’t exist for soy. 

The Nutrition

There’s also a strong case for soy milk offering superior nutrition to cow’s milk, something that remains taboo. 

Cow’s milk is great for growing young, but it isn’t the best option for fully-grown humans who want to switch off their growth processes. Dairy is a growth-signalling compound, designed to help calves put on as much weight as possible, early in their lives. But when you feed it to older people, you activate the same pathways that encourage growth, division, and maturity. 

The nutrition community loves milk because it contains plenty of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Soy milk is lower on all three of those fronts (unless fortified). But it skips the potentially harmful growth signalling, which makes it a more sustainable option for people later in life. 

Soy milk is also a source of soy isoflavones. Research shows these compounds feed bacteria in the gut that produce beneficial, life-extending, and disease-fighting compounds, such as equol. By contrast, milk produces an abundance of more dangerous bacteria, like putrescine, which can cause harm to the colon. 

The Environment

People are also switching to soy because of the perceived environmental benefits. As a plant, soy has a significantly lower environmental impact than cow’s milk, simply because it doesn’t require cattle rearing. 

Most cows feed on grains that require energy to harvest. These food inputs require substantial energy to produce and transport. Eventually, this energy makes it into the cow’s body and makes milk, but the process isn’t 100% efficient. Cows must consume vast numbers of plant calories for each calorie of milk they produce. 

The Taste

The taste is another factor that’s drawing more people towards soy lattes. However, this factor is strongly a matter of personal opinion. Some people love the taste of soy, but others dislike it, particularly if they are used to specific flavours in their coffee. 

The most popular soy milk brands contain small amounts of sugar. This gives the liquid a similar, slightly upbeat taste like milk. 

However, unsweetened is the healthiest. Stripping out the sugar produces something much healthier and flatter on the palate. 

Granted, soy and cow’s milk do taste different. But these properties allow them to bring out the various aspects of the beans. Some soy lattes can be fantastic, while others might struggle to enjoy the drink. Grab a bag of grind from contact coffee co, pour soy milk on top, and you might end up finding your next favourite morning pick-me-up! 

Making Soy Lattes

Making soy lattes can be a lot of fun, especially if you’ve never experimented with your coffee before. It can take a little while to get used to the new taste of the brew, but it is often worth it. 

This section introductions what you need to do to swap regular for soy milk lattes: 

Step 1: Grab Your Ingredients

The first step is to collect all the things you need. You want to ensure you have all the tools you require to make your dream drink. 

First, you’ll want to stock up on the raw ingredients. These days, you can find soy milk and coffee beans online, but you can also grab them in the store. 

When choosing soy milk (or any non-dairy milk for that matter), select one with a frothing agent. These help the milk to bubble up when you stir and froth it, making it better at producing the crema on your lattes. 

Finally, you might want some optional additions like sugar, syrups, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These let you craft more styles of drinks from your espresso base. 

Step 2: Set Up Your Equipment

Once you have the ingredients you need, the next step is to set up your equipment. You want to prime everything for lattes. 

Ideally, you should have an espresso machine with a milk frother. Having one of these will let you add volume to your drink. 

It can also help if you have a small saucepan if you don’t have conventional frothing equipment. 

Step 3: Brew Your Coffee

Next, start brewing your coffee using your preferred method. Again, using a professional espresso machine is the best option because it forces hot water through fresh grounds, but you can also use an automatic coffee machine. 

Step 4: Pour The Soy Milk Into Your Frother

Once you start doing that, begin pouring the soy milk into the frother. If you are using the right type of soy milk, you should notice a smooth foam forming. 

Try to avoid it getting too thick. You don’t want the soy milk to behave like clotted cream. Instead, just go for something light that you (or the person you are serving) will find attractive. 

Step 5: Pour The Espresso Into The Mug

Once you finish frothing the milk, pour it into a mug. Then, add the espresso shot to the mix, directly into the coffee. 

Some professional baristas hold back the foam during this pouring process to ensure more of the coffee mixes with the underlying soy milk. However, you should still get a well-balanced drink, even if you plop it directly. 

Step 6: Spoon The Foam

The final optional step is to spoon the foam back into position to create a more attractive drink. Most people like to have about half an inch of foam at the top of the glass. 

How To Make The Best Use Of Soy Milk In Lattes

Soy milk is a great alternative to conventional milk, but you still need to know how to use it properly. Therefore, if you’re planning on whipping up a soy latte, always use chilled milk to start with. It froths better. You also want to pour the espresso into the milk from a height to create an attractive pattern in the foam.