Your wallet is tired of visiting overpriced coffee shops for drinks that could be made in your kitchen.

Cold brew coffee has become the hottest trend (if you’ll forgive the pun) in caffeinated beverages. Americans spent nearly $372 million on cold brew coffee in 2021, which is a 237% increase since 2015, according to data collected by Statista.

But most cold brews are rarely enjoyed “black.” For example, a cold foam of steamed or frothed milk can be added to replace coffee creamer. Add heavy whipping cream to the batch and your drink has dessert-like sweetness to compliment the bold cold brew.

Popular coffee shops, such as Starbucks, know additional flavorings and add-ons equal extra dollar signs at the register. Nick Mantooth, a former Starbucks worker in Orange, California, was shocked by orders that added an extra dollar or two before the final total. “For most cold brews, I would almost always add flavoring, the sweet cream cold foam, and most of the time extra milk or dairy,” said Mantooth. “I would see customers three to four times a week and wondered if an extra dollar of flavoring and cold foam was worth it.”

A venti cold brew from CUC’s on-campus Starbucks in the Koehneke Community Center is $4.65 before tax. A “vanilla sweet cream cold foam” cold brew, however, raises the price to $4.95. Seasonal drinks, such as the pumpkin spice cold brew, is an even costlier $5.65  — before any add-ons.

At this point I knew there was potential to give Starbucks cold brews a run for their money, and bring down my cost for a highly requested sweet cream cold foam to less than $2. Baristas aren’t the gatekeepers of all knowledge when it comes to making specialty coffee drinks. You can whip up a cold brew coffee with all the extra sweetness, creams, and almond milk with a little time and a recipe.

The cold brew process requires a 1-to-4 ratio of fresh coffee grounds to water, which is mixed and then chilled in a refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours before straining. The end result is a stronger concentration of coffee, making it the perfect energizer for true coffee aficionados.

“Cold brews take a certain level of tolerance for a bolder cup of coffee,” said Kristina Velpel, a barista at Jo’s Java at Greenville University. “If you want to taste the flavor from the coffee beans more, cold brews are a great way to experience rich coffee flavors.”

A Google search of “sweet cream cold foam recipes” found thousands of articles with step-by-step instructions. All the recipes consisted of four parts milk, two parts heavy whipping cream, and one part vanilla flavoring.

I chose a recipe from the coffee blog Grounds To Brew that seemed to closely replicate Starbucks’ product. First, I measured out one cup of 2% milk. Next I added 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. The recipe said to lightly stir the blend together, then add 1/4 cup of vanilla flavoring. After another quick mix, I used an electric frother, which whips the milk into a foam, for 1 to 2 minutes until the mix was slightly bubbly. I frothed the bottom again for just another minute to make it thicker then poured it into a travel mug. Frothers are widely available on Amazon or at many department stores.

After my barista experiment, I walked into my local Oak Park Starbucks off of Madison and ordered two cold brews: one regular and one with sweet cream cold foam. As I observed barista Miranda Everport working on my order, I noticed that she didn’t touch a frother or mix milk and heavy whipping cream herself. Instead, she reached into a mini fridge a pulled out a pitcher of white liquid and poured out enough to cover the upper fifth of the cup.

“We use portioned out milk, heavy whipping cream, and add the vanilla flavoring to give it more sweetness,” said Everport. “It’s prepared by the closing shift and then mixed using a blender before being chilled in the fridge overnight.”

Already two differences emerged that all the recipes I saw and the one I followed left out: how to blend and when to serve the sweet cream cold foam.

To compare the home brew results with the genuine article from Starbucks, six taste-testers at a recent Spectator meeting sampled two cups of coffee. One contained the Starbucks cold brew with sweet cream cold foam. The other contained the same Starbucks cold brew with my recipe. Both identical in appearance, and contained the same ratio of coffee to sweet cream cold foam.

The experiment resulted in a split decision: three Starbucks and three for my attempt. I was initially shocked, but overall satisfied with the results. Maybe I underestimated my barista skills.

Some participants were able to taste a slight difference between the sweet cream cold foams. “The Starbucks version is definitely sweeter,” said senior Tessa Wienss. “I do like yours more, though, since I like drinking coffee without as much added sweetness.”

In contrast, some participants still preferred the name brand mix. “I like Starbucks and it’s just my personal preference,” said sophomore Jeremiah Schultz.

The experiment didn’t completely crush the Starbucks version, but I felt like I proved my original theory that it is possible to replicate similar add-ons to brand-name coffee at home. If I were to make my own 24-ounce cold brew, it would cost only 50 cents per venti cup using the Starbucks medium roast beans from Jewel-Osco, which are $8.99 a bag before tax.

The sweet cream cold brew recipe gives you more bang for your buck, with the ability to bring the coffee shop flavors to your kitchen. The half gallon of heavy whipping cream, half gallon of milk, and vanilla flavoring cost $16.47 before tax. You’ll run out of heavy whipping cream and milk before the flavoring, but the haul will get you four to five servings. Per cup serving, it costs 65 cents for every 16 ounces of coffee.

That brings down the cost of each cold brew with sweet foam that I make to just $1.15.

It’s safe to say I won’t be visiting my local Starbucks as often anymore. My homemade cold brew and sweet cream cold foam tastes too good to let my wallet suffer from my coffee habits.

Cold brew recipe:

1. Freshly grind the coffee beans on the coarsest setting. If you don’t have a grinder, ask a local roaster to grind their beans on the coarsest or “French press” setting, or grind them on your own at the grocery store. I don’t recommend using pre-ground coffee for cold brew.
2. Place the grounds in a quart-sized jar or similar vessel. As long as you can cover it – even with plastic wrap – and the liquid will fit, you’re set. If you want to flavor the brew, toss in a cinnamon stick or a little vanilla bean paste.
3. Pour the water over the beans, working to saturate all of the grounds. Use a spoon to gently mix in all the grounds to ensure that they are completely wet.
4. Cover the cold brew and let rest on the countertop or in the fridge for 14-24 hours, as desired. I like to brew for about 18 hours.
5. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and spread a piece of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag on top of the sieve (see the post for additional straining options). Pour the coffee into the bowl to strain it.
6. To serve, fill a glass with ice and add the cold brew. If the coffee is stronger than you’d like, dilute it with water or add cream, milk, or flavored simple syrup as desired and enjoy!

Sweet cream cold foam recipe:

1. Pour 1 cup 2% milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1/4 cup vanilla syrup into a large jar and stir to combine. This vanilla sweet cream and can be added directly to drinks.
2. Transfer 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the vanilla sweet cream to a cup or jar. Using a frother or electric whisk, beat the mixture on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until it froths, and then another minute until it thickens into a foam. If your cream starts to firm up into soft peaks, you’ve whipped for too long.
3. Pour the cold foam on top of your iced cold brew.