What’s the Hype Over this TikTok Coffee?

By: Gabriella Pavlakis

It’s no surprise that TikTok has become the most popular form of social media while in quarantine. People post videos of themselves dancing, showing off their outfits, life hacks, and even quick and easy recipes. One of these recipes that have taken the internet by storm is the so-called “TikTok coffee,” more formally known as Dalgona coffee.

Dalgona coffee first gained popularity in South Korea when actor Jung Il-woo ordered a whipped coffee while on set and claimed it tasted like dalgona, a popular Korean toffee. During quarantine, many Koreans made videos of themselves making the coffee at home, and this eventually spread internationally and grew popular on tik tok. This coffee looks like the most delicious drink since the caramel macchiato, so I decided to put it to the test. But is it worth the hype?

For starters, I needed a recipe. I don’t actually have TikTok, so one quick Google search led me to the conclusion that all you need to make the buttery looking coffee mixture is equal parts water, sugar, and instant coffee. I decided on one tablespoon of each ingredient and then got to whipping!

The first step to making Dalgona coffee is to mix the three ingredients together in a bowl. I read online that it goes much faster using an electric whisk, so I followed that advice and the paste was ready in less than one minute! It should look like creamy peanut butter when it’s done mixing.

I mixed the paste inside of the coffee cup I was using so I didn’t waste dishes, but you can mix in a separate bowl if you prefer. Then, I added almond milk until the glass was filled to the top, and I threw in about five ice cubes. The coffee was looking pretty delicious at this point and I was so excited to try it!

After one sip, it was clear to me that Dalgona coffee is much sweeter than your typical latte. I really enjoy sweet coffee, but this was a little aggressive, even for me. The excessive sweetness can definitely be avoided by doing half a tablespoon of sugar instead of a whole one. Other than that, I would say the coffee was a success! It was fairly easy to make and didn’t take too much time to put together. It might not be my daily go-to, but I would definitely give it a go once in a while.

We hope you enjoy making it, and tag @refinemagazine to show off your attempts!

Cover Photo by Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash