Chocolate cloudy goodness with smooth, sweet coffee is a drink match made in heaven. It’s reminiscent of an ice-cold milkshake with an adult twist. It’s a Starbucks favorite that made its debut in the summer of 2022 and is now here to stay.

You can easily make this at home with just five ingredients and make it again and again without spending through your wallet. Plus, the chocolate cream is so addicting!

Here’s how to make Starbucks’s chocolate cream cold brew at home!

What is Chocolate Cream Cold Brew?

Simply put, this drink is a cold brew coffee with chocolate sweet cream cold foam on top. It’s basically a fancy mocha but in a cold brew! It’s smooth, creamy, and delicious.

This is also on the Starbucks menu, first released in summer 2022 as a seasonal item, but it was so popular that it’s now a permanent menu item. Their version is a cold brew with vanilla syrup topped with their chocolate sweet cream cold foam.

The drink was inspired by the nostalgic taste of summer chocolate milkshakes or melted chocolate ice cream. It’s sweet nostalgia in a drink, perfect for hot days, and sweet, creamy, and silky.

How to Drink Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee

Before you mix the sweet cream into your coffee, try sipping from the top first to get the cream and coffee one after the other.

You get to really taste both components before you combine them, and it’s a fun textural experience. Make sure to tilt it up and get both the cream and coffee; otherwise, you’ll get a mouthful of sweet cream (which is still delicious).

Then, you can mix the cream and coffee really well with a straw or spoon. You’ll get a nice, creamy coffee that has a velvety texture. If you let the drink sit, the fat in the cream floats to the top and creates a layer.

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew coffee is coffee extracted for 20-24 hours at room temperature or cold water instead of hot water. This process draws out all the best flavors in coffee, leaving it smooth and not bitter.

Cold brew was started by the Dutch, who wanted to enjoy coffee on trade routes without fire. They sailed to Japan, which adopted the ritual and now uses a popular Kyoto-drip coffee method where cold water slowly drips onto ground coffee to make a cold brew drip coffee.

What Does Cold Brew Coffee Taste Like

Because the coffee brews for a long time, cold brew is extremely flavorful and robust, and depending on the coffee beans, the batch tastes different.

However, a cold brew coffee is generally nutty, slightly sweet, and smooth. It’s less acidic and bitter, making it the perfect coffee for milk and sugar, adding to its smooth flavor.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

You can make cold brew coffee in many ways, and it’s one of the easiest coffees to prepare at home. Unlike a pour-over coffee or iced latte, you don’t need fancy equipment to brew cold brew.

The easiest way to make a cold brew is to buy preground coffee and brew it in a large jar, jug, pitcher, or bottle. Usually, you want to add a 1 to 8 ratio of coffee to water, but it really depends on how strong you want your coffee.

Once you add your coffee and water to a vessel, let it sit at room temperature overnight for at least 14-16 hours. The coffee won’t spoil or grow mold on the table, so don’t worry!

If you want a chilled version, pop the coffee in the fridge and let it sit for at least 20 hours.

Once it’s done, remove the coffee beans and have fresh, cold brew coffee! You can enjoy it straight away. Keep the remaining cold brew in the fridge; it will stay good for weeks, but it’s best to consume it in a week.

What is Chocolate And Coffee Called?

If you add chocolate sauce or cocoa powder to your coffee, it’s called a mocha! Usually, it’s with a latte, which is steamed milk and espresso.

Coffee and chocolate are a classic flavor pairing because they bring out each other’s flavors. It’s so common that it’s even a hack for baking chocolate desserts. A pinch of espresso powder or coffee in brownies or chocolate cakes makes it taste a little better.

What is Sweet Cream?

Sweet cream is just that: sweetened cream. In literal terms, that would be sweetened heavy cream, but the meaning isn’t as defined.

When some people say sweet cream, they mean any fresh milk. Others might be referencing fresh milk and sugar. And now, with Starbucks’s popularity, it can mean a sweetened heavy cream mixture that’s aerated and fluffy.

Usually, sweet cream is unflavored, which makes it an excellent coffee cream or dessert flavor. You can also find it with vanilla or chocolate, or even make your own!

How to Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam

To make sweet cream cold foam for drinks, mix heavy cream, a little milk, and sugar and froth or blend it until it doubles in size. It should be much fluffier but still pourable, like the consistency of drinking yogurt.

You can add any flavor or syrup you like, like vanilla, lavender, cinnamon, brown sugar, etc. It’s great by itself (how can it not be), but it’s delicious on top of coffee or tea.

How to Make Starbuck’s Chocolate Sweet Cream

Starbucks uses chocolate malt powder to make their chocolate sweet cream cold foam. It’s lighter than cocoa powder and gives it a toasted flavor.

You can find chocolate malt powder in most grocery stores! There are several brands, but the most popular ones are Milo and Ovaltine. There is also the Carnation brand, but I’ve never tried it.

My favorite is Milo, but any work. You also don’t need chocolate malt powder; you can use cocoa powder instead!

Tips

Here are some tips on making a great chocolate cream cold brew coffee at home:

• A handheld frother is the perfect tool for consistently fluffy sweet cream cold foam, especially if you’re making a single serving. For bigger batches, an electric handheld mixer or blender is perfect.
• Heavy cream is an essential ingredient for the foam. Without it, you won’t get a fluffy foam. I’ve tried using half and half before, but it doesn’t have enough fat to retain its structure.
• To make this vegan, use coconut cream or a vegan heavy cream.
• You don’t have to use cold brew coffee if you don’t have it. You can also brew a cup of coffee or use instant coffee in a pinch.