Coffee Shop Quest: Homemade coconut cold brew horchata

During this quarantine time, I decided to try out another coffee recipe I have seen. The recipe I chose was for coconut cold brew horchata. My mom and I had been looking for new coffee recipes to try and experiment with. Just from the name, I was excited to try this out.

The first step to creating this drink was figuring out what “horchata” meant, and what flavor it entailed. After a little bit of research, I figured out it was a plant milk beverage that is popular in Mexico. I was a little confused because every site says the main ingredient in horchata is rice, which was not used in this drink. Although, I did find that cinnamon and vanilla were two ingredients in horchata that were used in this drink.

Overall, the preparation and process of making the drink was easy and simple. First, I made cold brew coffee since it had to sit in the refrigerator for eight to 12 hours. I used Dunkin’ Donuts cold brew coffee packs.

Coconut cold brew horchata recipe by Amy Sullivan

Then, I made the other part of the drink, which was the horchata mixture. I measured out all the ingredients, which included coconut milk, coconut water, cinnamon, vanilla extract, condensed milk and water, and poured them into a blender. I blended the mixture in a blender for only about 15 seconds, just until all the ingredients were mixed together.

Since I made this at night, I left the cold brew coffee and the horchata mixture in the refrigerator for the following day and I waited until the next day to actually try it.

The following day I took out the two mixtures. When taking off the cover, the coffee had a delicious aroma. The horchata also smelled really good, with a strong cinnamon smell. I had to remix the horchata blend because some of the ingredients had separated out a little bit overnight.

I grabbed a cup and put just a few ice cubes in it since both mixtures were already cold. I followed the recipe’s directions, and filled half the cup with cold brew, and half with the horchata mixture, mixed the two together, and topped it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Next comes the taste test. I was really looking forward to trying this out, and the coffee did not disappoint.

The taste of the coffee was really enjoyable. There was a perfect balance between the cold brew and the horchata mixture. I could taste the coconut flavor, the vanilla, the cinnamon, and coffee, yet all the flavors blended so well together. 

The extra bonus to this recipe is that it is not a one and done type of deal. The cold brew coffee and the horchata mixture can stay in the refrigerator for up to one week, so you can potentially make all your coffees for the week in one batch. And the recipe is so simple, it only takes a few minutes. 

In conclusion, this recipe is definitely a keeper. It is so easy and can last for a week. The flavor of the coconut cold brew horchata is the perfect mixture and tastes great. I have never tried anything like this before, and I am glad I did. 

The website I found this recipe off is called HuffPost and has four other coffee drinks I may try in the future. I 100 percent recommend the coconut cold brew horchata drink if you’re looking for some diverse coffee drinks during this quarantine.