Pro Taste
Ditch the Dairy for International Coffee Day 2024
October 1, 2024
Oxygen, food and coffee. Life’s bare necessities for some – and according to many – not necessarily in that order. Coffee is, in fact, a civilisational fixation.
What would the world be like without it? How would businesses operate without caffeinated office workers slavishly chugging the sable beverage on a near hourly basis? And where would people go on romantic dates after discovering a mutual admiration for the famous ‘cuppa joe’? Scroll briefly on a social media feed and you are almost certain to discover one or multiple memes regarding the poster’s excessive dependency on that magical black liquid. With health benefits vs. risks still being hotly debated; it never seems to interfere with its prevalence in the marketplace or our compulsion to consume it.
Coffee is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages globally, prized for its rich aroma and, of course, caffeine content. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, its cultivation began in the Middle East and by the 15th century, coffee houses were common from Turkey to Persia. Coffee came to Europe in the 16th century, but many Europeans rejected it due to its popularity in the Islamic world until Pope Clement VIII gave it his approval after trying a cup. By the middle of the 17th century, London alone had more than 300 coffee houses, where scientists, artists, writers, merchants, and politicians gathered to drink coffee and prattle all night long. Today, Starbucks alone has nearly 40,000 outlets globally and coffee can be had or requested practically anywhere that has any kind of beverage service.
International Coffee Day is celebrated on the 1st of October as an occasion that is used to promote and celebrate coffee as a popular drink, worshipping at the totem-pole of humanity’s addiction to this stimulant. The first official date was 3 October 2015, and was launched in Milan, Italy, not just to advocate for coffee products, but also to promote fair and ethical trade. Coffee is grown in more than 70 tropical countries and is the second-most-exported commodity in the world after oil. The top coffee-producing countries globally are Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia. Not so long ago, the highest annual per-person consumption occurred in Scandinavian countries, where long, dark, and cold winters make a steady stream of coffee refills highly desirable. More recently the most devout coffee drinkers are in the United States, Brazil and Japan with the highest amounts of national consumption, and with smaller nations such as Luxembourg, the Maldives and Lebanon leading per capita. The average person in the US consumes about three cups of coffee per day, but the enthusiasm for it is a truly global unifier. Make coffee, not war.
A survey reported that while coffee has evolved and seems to have exploded in the global marketplace, South Africa, though not one of the contenders when it comes to being in the top five consumers has undergone a transition from approximately 589,000 60kg bags in the year 2016-17 – to 675,000 60kg bags in the year 2019-2020 – slowly catching up to the drinkers of the developed world. Milk, cream and sugar are the most ubiquitous additions to any coffee variant – but one need look no further than plant milks for the greatest number of options, flavours and viscous modifiers to add to your morning brew. Not just for vegans or those who struggle with lactose intolerance; plant-milks compete well with dairy milk as a coffee companion and – like any sensuous pairing – accentuates the flavour of your favourite roasted bean drink in various subtle and nuanced ways. Presently there are at least 120 different plant-milks available in South Africa, including barista blends especially crafted to mingle perfectly well in any formulation of coffee.
Here is ProVeg South Africa’s run-down of the best barista blends to try this International Coffee Day, or whenever you have your next cup:
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Wellness Warehouse – Barista Quality Unsweetened Almond Milk
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Wellness Warehouse – Barista Quality Unsweetened Macadamia Milk
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Lifestyle Food – Sweetened Barista Blend Almond Milk With Sunflower Oil
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Lifestyle Food – Unsweetened Barista Blend Oat Milk With Sunflower Oil
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Lifestyle Food – Sweetened Barista Blend Macadamia Milk With Sunflower Oil
For more niche and novel options, ProVeg has several suggestions for new plant milks available to the South African consumer:
New Barley Milk!
Barley Milk is still a new and innovative option on the market, with the first alternative, Mwah!, launching earlier this year in South Africa. Deeply flavourful, and reminiscent of a Pronutro flavour, it’s hugely versatile and is slowly becoming more available in the country.
New Maize Milk!
There’s nothing too new about Maize milk, except that it hasn’t been available in South Africa before. Enter Maizly from the United States. With a unique flavour and ranking high for sustainability and health it may just be the next big thing in plant milks.