Dalgona coffee, otherwise known whipped coffee or cloud coffee, is the newest social media craze - and the thousands of TikToks showing people making the drink make it clear why.
Unlike regular coffee, or even a latte, dalgona coffee stands out because of its frothy top — made by whipping instant coffee with sugar and water, which results in a visually appealing fluffy light brown foam that is then spooned over milk.
Unlike other food trends, which may require at least some cooking skill, dalgona coffee is easy to make.
According to a recipe uploaded to YouTube by The Cooking Foodie, which has been viewed more than 4m times, you’ll need two tablespoons of instant coffee, two tablespoons of sugar, and two tablespoons of hot water.
After pouring all of the ingredients into a bowl, you whisk with either an electric mixer or a whisk until the mixture is “thick and creamy”.
Once you’ve achieved the desired fluffiness, you pour milk into a cup with ice and top with the coffee foam.
If you prefer your caffeinated drinks hot, you can also warm the milk before topping it with the fluffy mix, according to other recipes.
As for why the whipped drink is so popular right now — apart from its Instagrammable aesthetic — it seems people confined to their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic are looking for distractions.