The USA Dalgona Coffee Craze

Guys, I came to the US from South Korea when I was 6. My friends call me a twinkie, a banana, all the things that say I’m white on the inside, and yellow on the outside! Ha!

In the last few years, I visited South Korea twice. Once to take my mom to her 50th high school reunion, and last Thanksgiving to show my “hapa” kids what Korea is like.

Sidenote: my younger son, Jake, now 14, thought he was from North Korea for years due to a joke his dad made. When he was in 4th grade, he was asked to do an ancestry project to discuss a country he was from. He picked Germany. My husband, who was adopted, has a small percentage of German in his blood which he must have mentioned to Jake.

My husband had also joked in the past to Jake that he was North Korean.

When we asked Jake why he didn’t pick Korea, which he is 50% of, he replied, “because I don’t want to be North Korean!”

Dave (my husband and I looked at each other and said wtf). And then I realized he took Dave’s joke seriously. So, we had to show our boys that South Korea is actually a very cool, hip, trendy place and they should be proud to be 50% Korean!

Looking back on my own life, I remember growing up in my predominantly white town of Rockville/Potomac, Maryland, wanting to be “white” myself.

Today, I’m proud to be Korean, and I think their trends are way ahead of the US in many ways! Which leads me to this drink that is going viral. It’s called the Dalgona Coffee. Have you heard of it?

“Dalgona Coffee is a cold latte drink that comes with a velvety smooth and sweet coffee foam on top. The combination of cold milk and the bittersweet coffee is divine!”

Made with equal parts instant coffee, sugar and water that’s whipped to sit atop a glass of milk like a big, foamy hat, dalgona iced coffee is the latest trendy drink!

So good. Try it and see for yourself!

The coffee was given its nickname in South Korea because of how much it tastes like the retro toffee-like candy dalgona. Made with sugar and baking soda, dalgona is still sold on the street in tourist areas, where the lollipop-like sweets come with shapes imprinted on them.

With Starbucks and many coffee shops being closed, we are left to find alternative coffee pleasures. The South Koreans who know their coffee, started this trend. And I think its genius!

All you need is Instant Coffee, sugar, hot water, and electric mixer and milk!

instant coffee, sugar, hot water, milk.

Directions for Dalgona Coffee Craze:

Combine instant coffee, sugar and 2 tablespoons hot water in a small mixing bowl.
Mix the coffee, sugar and water until everything is melted. Then start whisking with an electic mixer! It should form a stiff peak in about 2 minutes or until hard peaks form.
Fill a cup with cold milk.
Spoon the foam and add it to the top of the cup of cold milk.
Pour the milk into a tall glass and top with the mixture.