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International

Dirty coffee

Vegetarian

A small glass of very cold milk with a hot ristretto or espresso poured slowly on top, so the coffee bleeds down in streaks. Drunk straight away, unstirred, for the hot-and-cold contrast.

Dirty coffee is an International cold drink, ready in about 4 minutes and made with milk and finely ground coffee. It serves 1 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
3 min
Cook
1 min
Total
4 min
Serves
1
Level
Intermediate
Calories
79

Plus chilling the glass.

Ingredients

1 small glass

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Chill a small glass in the freezer for 10 minutes, then fill it with the very cold milk (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min

  2. Step 2

    Pull a ristretto (18 g coffee to 25–30 g out) straight over the milk (opens in a new tab), or pull it into a jug and pour it slowly onto the milk's surface.

  3. Step 3

    Serve immediately, without stirring and without ice.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainA café style popular in East Asia from the late 2010s; its origin is not documented.Also popular in China, South Korea, Japan
    Dish
    Snack · Cold drinks
    Cooking method
    No-cook
    Taste
    creamy, rich, bitter
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium
    With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Cook more with
    Milk · Finely ground coffee

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    79 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 165 g · recipe makes 1

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 20%
    • Carbohydrate 34%
    • Fat 46%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy79 kcal48 kcal
    Protein4 g2.4 g
    Carbohydrate6.7 g4.1 g
    Net carbohydrate6.7 g4.1 g
    Sugars6.2 g3.8 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre0 g0 g
    Fat4 g2.4 g
    Saturated fat2.3 g1.4 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol12 mg8 mg
    Sodium54 mg33 mg
    Salt equivalent0.1 g0.1 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    199 mg
    Calcium
    145 mg
    Iron
    0.1 mg
    Magnesium
    16 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    57 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.6 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    6 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Finely ground coffee: Instant coffee powder used as a stand-in for the soluble part of roasted ground coffee; list the grams actually consumed with consumedGrams.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • No ice — it breaks the layers. The colder the milk, the cleaner the streaks.

    Storage

    • Drink within a minute or two, while the layers last.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Customise in Sip & Blend

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Milk, very cold (chill the glass too)120 ml · 124 g
    Used in step 1

    Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

    Customise in Sip & Blend

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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