Cream Curdling in Coffee – Coffee Cherish

One fine day, I purchased Half and Half Coffee Creamer to enhance the taste and flavor of my daily coffee. But when I added it to my cup of hot brewed coffee, it started to curdle in the coffee. At that time, I wondered why it happened and the first thought that came to my mind is that will it be ok to drink a coffee with curdled cream in it. Therefore, I researched about this topic a lot and this is what I found after hours of research. The simple and short answer to the question “why does cream curdle in coffee?” is the higher acidity of your coffee and increased lactic acid content of your coffee creamer. These are the two major factors which decides whether the coffee creamer curdles in your coffee or not. The higher temperature of your coffee becomes an important factor too. The lactic acid of your coffee creamer becomes stronger when the creamer freshness decreases over a period. If you use a creamer that is not very fresh, then its lactic acid content increases. When the ratio of lactic acid and the acid in your coffee is very high, it disturbs the pH balance of your coffee creamer. This is why, expired or not so fresh coffee creamer and too much acidity in your coffee are the two main contributing factors that leads to cream curdling in your daily coffee. Now, you know the true reason behind this curdling phenomenon, I want to provide few more interesting facts regarding cream curdling in your coffee. I recommend you to read this article till the end so that you know whether its safe to drink such coffee and then I will show you 3 easy methods to prevent this cream curdling phenomenon. FAQ Related to Cream Curdling in Coffee Is It OK to Drink Curdled Cream in Coffee? If you are fearful of drinking such coffee with cream curdling in it, then I want to assure you that its completely harmless and safe for your health. There is no big issue in drinking such coffee unless and until the used coffee creamer is past its expiration date. If you don’t believe me then I would like you to read this FAQ of Nestle.ca. The Nestle company has clearly mentioned that drinking such coffee with cream curdling in it, is completely harmless and safe for us. They mention this concept as “Beverage Feathering”. They call it as a harmless physical reaction which does not indicate that the quality of your creamer is bad or it has expired. Therefore, my opinion on this issue is you will need to make sure that the coffee creamer you use must not be expired or past its expiration date. Plus, if you choose healthy coffee creamer for your coffee which is fresh and made from quality ingredients, then you will have less chances of cream curdling. I highly recommend you to buy only healthy coffee creamers which are not expired and made from non-dairy and plant based ingredients. Click Here to Purchase Healthy Coffee Creamers on Amazon. Recommended Articles for You: 2 Easy Methods to Freeze Liquid Coffee Creamer at Home 5 Basic Differences Between Coffee Creamer and Powdered Milk Is It Okay to Reheat Cold Coffee with Creamer in the Microwave Oven? What Happens if You Drink Curdled Cream Coffee? Can curdled cream in your coffee make you sick? This is the question that you must be having in your mind when you see your coffee with curdled cream. There are two scenarios to think of when you search the answer for this question. The first scenario is when you use coffee creamer that is expired or open for long period of time. And you also use a milk in your coffee that is expired. On the other side, the second scenario is when you use a healthy coffee creamer with natural ingredients and milk which is fresh to use. In the first case scenario, the lactic acid in the cream increases due to long time exposure of the creamer with the open air. And unintentional curdling of the expired milk combined with expired coffee creamer can definitely increase the chances of you getting sick. So, the combined effect of expired milk, coffee creamer and higher acidity of the coffee when mixed together can definitely lead to your sickness. Again, it may or may not make you sick which highly depends on how old your coffee creamer is, how spoiled your milk is and how much time both of them are exposed to open air. In the second case scenario, it is perfectly fine to drink coffee even if it gets curdled with cream. Because it can happen mainly due to the higher acidity of your coffee beans used in the coffee. The coffee creamer and milk used in the second case are not expired or exposed to open air for long period and therefore using them in your coffee is perfectly safe for your health. So, in this case using a low acid coffee will solve the issue of cream curdling. Click Here to Check out Some Good Quality Low or No Acid Organic Coffee. 3 Methods to Prevent Cream Curdling in Coffee To solve cream curdling in your coffee, you mainly have 3 options at your disposal. The three methods that will solve this issue are provided as follows. 1. Use Low Acid or No Acid Coffee: This is the first important reason why your coffee gets curdled with either cream or milk. If you use high acidity coffee beans for your coffee, then it disturbs pH balance of the coffee when mixed with coffee creamer at higher temperature. So, by using a low acidity coffee or even no acid organic coffee will solve this issue quickly. So, I highly recommend to use only Low Acid or No Acid Coffee which you can get online easily. 2. Use Healthy Coffee Creamer: I strongly recommend to avoid use of sweetened and dairy coffee creamers in your coffee as they are full of calories and sugar. Plus, they increase the chances of cream curdling in your coffee. A healthy and fresh coffee creamer option such as unsweetened half and half coffee creamer is the best way to prevent cream curdling in your coffee. If you are looking for such high quality half and half coffee creamer then I strongly recommend you to start using Califia Farms Unsweetened Half and Half Coffee Creamer. The best thing about this half and half coffee creamer is that it is made from natural almond milk and coconut cream. It is an ideal creamer for people who are health conscious and looking for low calorie creamer option for their daily coffee. Click Here to Get Califia Farms Sugar Free Zero Carb Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer for Your Coffee. 3. Never Add Expired Milk to Your Coffee: Sometimes, people do not pay attention to the quality of their milk while adding it to their daily cup of coffee. A milk that is past its expiration date often causes milk curdling in the coffee. And it could make you sick due to the chemical reaction of coffee acid with the milk. Therefore, it is in your best interest to use only the fresh cow’s milk or non-dairy milk such as almond milk or coconut milk to your coffee. Some of the best non-dairy milk products you can use for your daily coffee are provided as follows. 1. Califia Farms Unsweetened Plant Based Oat Milk 2. Califia Farms Sugar Free Vegan Almond Milk By using these types of non-dairy and healthy milk products, you can definitely prevent milk curdling or cream curdling in your coffee. Plus, it contains very low calories and offers more health benefits in comparison to the traditional dairy based cow milk or buffalo milk. Final Thoughts The main reason behind cream curdling in your coffee is high acidity of your coffee beans and increased lactic acid content of your coffee creamer. If you can control these two main factors, then you can certainly avoid the cream curdling issue of your coffee. But if you use a healthy coffee creamer option, then unintentional curdling can be safe for your health. To prevent intentional curdling of your coffee, I recommend to use the above 3 methods. By using a healthy and fresh coffee creamer, non-dairy unsweetened milk and low acid coffee, you can reduce the chances of cream curdling or milk curdling of your daily coffee. So, do try the above mentioned methods and see the results for yourself. Good luck. References: https://contact.nestle.ca/en/article/my-coffeetea-curdles-after-adding-coffee-mate https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-ways-to-make-your-coffee-super-healthy https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2013/09/coffee-creamer-good-or-bad https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/5hm2og/my_coffee_is_curdling_my_cream/