It's Jackie Smiles

I’m a coffee person. I thought I’d start off with that statement. Honestly when I first saw this trend online I thought it was the most wasteful way to make coffee. The way it was prepared also made it look so unappetizing, I thought the coffee would be bitter or taste strictly like the cream at the bottom of the glass.

However, after seeing the reactions of everyone trying the challenge and actually enjoying the beverage, I caved and made a cup myself. It also helped that I literally had nothing else to do and I was bored enough to make this time consuming drink. The ingredients are ridiculously simple too, just add equal parts instant coffee, sugar and water.

I started off with a classic whisk and whisked until the dark liquid became a light brown and fluffy. However I soon realized that it would take five to ten hand cramps, multiple changing of which hand was whisking and maybe a few frustrated tears to get it to the consistency that I needed. I quietly said a prayer for the brave souls who did it the old fashioned way and then proceeded to grab my hand held mixer out of the cupboard. The hand mixer cut the mixing time in half so if you have one I recommend you use it.

Grabbing a glass and filling it with ice I then added my cream of choice before scooping up the fluffy, whipped coffee. (Quick note: when I made equal parts of each, I used 2 tablespoons. That’s enough for at least two to three cups of coffee) Once added I mixed it together with a straw and when I tell you this drink didn’t even taste like coffee… I mean it. It tasted like a melted ice cream smoothie with the buzzing effects of caffeine added for sh*ts and giggles. The taste could be the cause of the creamer I chose but it just didn’t taste like coffee to me. I felt very energized about 15 minutes after drinking it. I got a lot done that day.

The crash that followed was not fun I must say, and after drinking it for almost two weeks (about two cups a day) straight then becoming extremely lazy and not wanting to do it daily anymore, my body began to crave it. The withdrawals that soon followed were not fun at all.

At the end of the day it was an interesting experience almost everyone in quarantine has done. While very simple and very delicious it’s time consuming and a pain to make daily, when you can just as easily have a very simple regular iced coffee with a good’ol Keurig. Try it for yourself if you find the time, it might just be your new favorite thing, or something you’ll later regret and call yourself dumb for falling into the TikTok hype.

If you do try this, let me know your thoughts. What did you like or not like about it?

That’s all for now, stay hopeful, and keep smiling.