The coffee obsession begins

Elizabeth Lopatto visited Los Angeles in February and discovered a cream top drink at Stagger coffee shop in Koreatown: an iced Americano with vanilla cream on top. She became obsessed with it.

Twenty years of black coffee

For more than twenty years, Lopatto drank her coffee black.Originally she did this because cooled black coffee could be reheated in the microwave without the milk curdling.

A heat wave changes everything

When Oakland had a gnarly heat wave in March, Lopatto decided to tolerate it by making fancy coffee drinks. She splashed out fourteen dollars for the Zulay Kitchen frother and began experimenting.

How the handheld frother works

The Zulay Kitchen frother works like an immersion blender.Lopatto pours milk into a glass, sticks the frother in, and holds the power button until reaching her preferred consistency.

The cream top's Viennese roots

The cream top descended from the Einspänner, an espresso drink named for a one-horse carriage.The original Viennese version used hot espresso with whipped cream on top as insulation.

Making cream tops at home

Lopatto makes concentrated cold brew in hot weather, which has strong enough flavor to stand up against the foam.

Experimenting with variations

After mastering the simple cream top, Lopatto began making weirder breakfast treats.Her favorite is a cold brew with coconut ube cold foam, dusted with toasted coconut flakes.

“It is dank.”

Why this frother wins

Lopatto recommends the Zulay Kitchen frother because it is cheap and simple. She notes that while some people spend more on milk frothers, this one at fourteen dollars offers pleasure per dollar that expensive options…