This is wild. While pouring in the coffee, it smells like a very acidic light roasted coffee from Kenya, but when you taste it, it’s both bitter and sweet. Unfortunately, that slightly off-putting, chemical, burnt rubber note comes through. It foams well, and tastes increasingly better with time, but the chemical undertones are always there. 3/5 Innocent Nutrition (per 8 ounces): 150 calories, 6g fat, 22g carbs, 1g fiber, 15g sugars (includes 15g added sugars), 2g protein. Fortified to achieve the following RDA percentages: 20% calcium.* Discontinued Flavors of Califia Farms Barista Blends Alas, the Mushroom Oat and Hemp Barista blends were very short-lived. They were both introduced in 2021, and hit shelves for less than a year. More Allergen Notes In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Greg Steltenpohl, founder of Califia Farms commented: “Califia Farms has been a leader in innovation by bringing diversified plant-based products to market that consistently deliver on taste, nutrition, quality and performance- and our new Oat Barista Blend is no different. It has a light colour, and is the only one that doesn’t fully mix in with the coffee without stirring, forming separate layers. It tastes watery, quite acidic, but definitely coffee-forward.

By far, Innocent’s oat milk is the thinnest in the lineup. It’s slightly sweet but with a bitter aftertaste. It tastes like mineral water with some oats in it, but that slightly chlorinated water-flavour is dominating. 2.5/5 Minor Figures The two important things we were looking for with this test were how the oat milks heat and foam up, and what they taste like when added to coffee. And since most homes don’t have an espresso machine steamer, the best way to do the test was using a French Press. Alpro It’s very different from the rest, and overtakes and masks the coffee’s flavour a bit. It tastes very porridgy too, but the issue is that the milk is the star, not the espresso. 4/5 Rude Health At first, it does not have a lot of acidity, but it becomes almost unbearable as it sits. And the taste of oat takes over the coffee. 2/5 Minor Figures However, it has a slightly chemical, bitter aftertaste. It’s pleasant at the beginning, but loses flavour as it sits with the ice, unlike the others. 3/5 Califia FarmsNo milk is worth its salt if it doesn’t hold up in savoury cooking. And what better to test it in than a classic roux-based béchamel, the king of white sauces?

We used flour and vegan butter to make the roux, and then slowly added the oat milk to turn it into béchamel, which formed a base for a mushroom spaghetti. Consistency, binding strength and taste were the key factors here. Alpro All five of the current Califia Farms Barista Blends reportedly work as plant milk in cereal or recipes, give coffee a rich but smooth finish, and easily steam and foam. But leave your own rating and review below once you’ve tried any of these varieties. Oat Vanilla Oat milk in oatmeal might sound like overkill, but it actually works. This test focused on how the oat milk heats up, how creamy it is, and how it tastes; all the things that make oatmeal the go-to weekday breakfast. Alpro We took the best oat milks in the UK market and tested them with various recipes to see which would win the ultimate oat milk showdown. It has a 9.8% oat content, using chicory root for the fibre, sunflower oil and sea salt for texture and flavour, and is fortified with calcium and vitamins. Califia Farms

Unfortunately, it tastes more like a white Americano than a cappuccino; very water-forward with a bitter aftertaste. 3/5 Califia Farms Ingredients:oatmilk (water, oats), sunflower oil, minerals (dipotassium phosphate, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate), sea salt. You can taste the oats a lot, due to its freshness and the addition of oat flour, which also leaves caramel-coloured spots in the end. 2/5 Minor Figures Any test has to start with the unadulterated version. We poured out each oat milk into a clear shot glass, to examine its colour and texture and then drank it straight. A lot of people drink cow’s milk straight up, but which oat dairy-free milks make for the best replacement? Alpro

There isn’t any acidity, good or bad, at all. It’s moderately sweet, pleasantly oaty, and very creamy. While it’s closest to whole milk in consistency, it doesn’t overpower the coffee’s taste as much as it does in cappuccinos. 3.5/5 Rude Health It holds its shape, but not its form, spreading a little in the pan, but not flattening entirely. It’s not fluffy enough, and the flavour is nothing exciting. 3/5 Oatly This is super creamy, complements the flavours really well and makes for an incredible carrier for the oats. It is not too naturally sweet, but the texture is fantastic. Having said that, you can still get unpleasant aftertones of that burnt rubber taste. 4/5 Innocent We Brit’s love a good cup of tea, but sadly many vegan milk alternatives don’t make the perfect cuppa. Keen to give vegans in the UK more dairy-free milk options that can be used in hot drinks to create a milky drink that doesn’t split, Califia Farms has launched a new barista-style drink – the Oat Barista Blend. This is the most important test for a lot of people. Two common complaints about plant-based milks are how they don’t foam up enough and how they curdle when added to light-roasted coffee. The latter doesn’t really apply to oat milk as much as it does to soy or almond, which are more acidic.

The Facts on Califia Farms Barista Blends

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Califia Farms Barista Blends are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Select varieties are also added sugar-free, grain-free and/or nut-free.* Califia Farms’ Oat Barista Blend is made with whole rolled oats and is completely unsweetened with no gums or stabilisers. According to the company, the Barista Blend “steams beautifully, perfectly pairs with coffee and tastes great by itself.” We added apple cider vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a few minutes to see if it curdles and bubbles up a little, which is what provides the pancakes with the fluffy texture. We used baking powder as well, and examined the consistency, rise, whether it held its shape, and the flavour. Alpro