The Worst Cold Foam For Your Coffee Comes From A Popular Target Brand

Cold foam is just one of the many coffee trends to emerge in the last century, with Starbucks taking credit for inventing it in 2014 and releasing it to the public in 2018 (although, baristas were frothing cold milk and sweetener and pouring it over iced drinks way before then). But, when it comes to store-bought versions, you'll be trying your luck — especially when it pertains to a popular Target brand. Our taste testers tried and ranked nine different brands of cold foams for your coffee, and they found that the Favorite Day vanilla sweet cream cold foam was the worst of them all.

Target's Favorite Day vanilla sweet cream cold foam comes in a can not too different than what you're used to getting with your store-bought whipped cream, and it operates in much the same way. So, it's really no surprise that our taste tester likened it to "glorified whipped cream." While cold foam and whipped cream are certainly similar (they are both milk or cream mixed with sugar and served cold), there are some key textural differences that the Favorite Day vanilla sweet cream cold foam fails to deliver.

For one, cold foam is intended to float above your coffee and slowly drip down. While the store-bought option from Favorite Day certainly has the first base covered, there is no dripping of any sort. Its texture is much too like whipped cream to actually incorporate into your coffee and instead dissolves away, which might actually be a good thing, because the flavor is way off.

Just because the cold foam our taste testers ranked the worst came from a popular Target brand, that doesn't mean they're all bad. In fact, they came across many impressive store-bought options in their ranking process — many of which you can also find at Target. If you're looking to save time in the morning, you should go with another, aerosol canned brand. But, if you prefer cold foam that doesn't come from a can, you're going to want to learn to make it yourself. 

Making cold foam at home is surprisingly simple, and it only takes a few ingredients. All you need is milk and heavy cream (or your go-to plant-based alternative), your preferred flavor of simple syrup, and a handheld milk frother or lidded jar. Cold foam is best served fresh, so you'll only need to use a few tablespoons of the milk and heavy cream to get enough to top your iced coffee with. The syrup can be added to taste, but you shouldn't need more than a tablespoon. This is also where you can personalize the flavor by going for different flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon, or even pumpkin spice syrup if the season calls for it. 

Once you have all your ingredients measured and poured into a separate glass or lidded jar, all it takes is a good mix with your handheld frother or shake by hand. From there, your cold foam will be ready to pour.