# Cafe Question: Why half-and-half for coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [May 23, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932 "2011-05-23T18:33:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/1 "2011-05-23T18:33:26Z")
So, most places I go for coffee will offer three dairy lighteners for coffee – skim milk, soy milk, and half-and-half. What’s up with half-and-half? Why not whole milk or cream? ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/2 "2011-05-23T18:43:29Z")
Because carrying 90 variations of dairy and dairy subs is a pain and expensive. Light cream (half and half) is fine for most people who like rich coffee, and you can mix half-and-half and skim to approximate whole milk. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/3 "2011-05-23T18:50:15Z")
What **Claire Beauchamp** said, with the addition that cream tends to get clotted pretty quickly, or can be overly thick and hard to blend in with coffee. I’ve done extensive experiments in this field; half-and-half is the best of all worlds when it comes to coffee additions. Well, at least until you get to liquor. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/4 "2011-05-23T18:52:04Z")
I’ll note that there’s collateral damage for tea drinkers, because any kind of cream in tea = yuck. Tea wants milk. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/5 "2011-05-23T20:00:39Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’ll note that there’s collateral damage for tea drinkers, because any kind of cream in tea = yuck. Tea wants milk. Since when? I put half and half in my tea all the time, and have used cream in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/6 "2011-05-23T20:28:22Z")
bleagh ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/7 "2011-05-23T20:43:47Z")
I LIKE cream in my tea. I’ll put milk in if I don’t have cream, but I vastly prefer cream. If I’m gonna upset my belly by drinking coffee, I want cream in that, too. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/8 "2011-05-25T13:34:53Z")
You can get away with ultra-pasteurizing half and half. You can’t with whole milk, and, as someone already mentioned, cream clots quickly. Oh, and people freak out over non-dairy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/9 "2011-05-25T14:13:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You can get away with ultra-pasteurizing half and half. You can’t with whole milk Ah-hah. That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/10 "2011-05-25T14:42:24Z")
I see what you did there: this may be the only cafe question I’ve seen in Cafe Society. And, I love half-and-half (try a splash on your cereal…mmm), but it seems that in London, it’s a no-show in cafes–easier to get steamed milk in your coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/11 "2011-05-25T15:23:39Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I see what you did there: this may be the only cafe question I’ve seen in Cafe Society. I wondered if anyone would notice. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/12 "2011-05-25T15:36:25Z")
How do Americans survive overseas? Here it’s milk or nothing, ditto England. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/13 "2011-05-25T16:00:34Z")
Where’s “here”? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/14 "2011-05-25T16:17:43Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > How do Americans survive overseas? Here it’s milk or nothing, ditto England. They don’t have cream in England? :dubious: I’m hardly an expert, but I believe there’s a number of different types of cream typically available in England - single cream, whipping cream, etc. I’d go for the lowest fat percentage and mix with milk if necessary. It’d be around the same thing as half and half. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/15 "2011-05-25T16:47:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Where’s “here”? The Dibster’s only been about the place for ten years and hardly posts at all, so you may have missed that he’s from South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/16 "2011-05-25T16:49:18Z")
Thanks for the info. I’m not so sure I’m grateful for the sarcasm. Am I expected to remember everyone’s location just in case they make a post referring to it obliquely? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/17 "2011-05-25T17:16:46Z")
No, it’s just that I’m an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/18 "2011-05-25T17:19:52Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > They don’t have cream in England? :dubious: > > I’m hardly an expert, but I believe there’s a number of different types of cream typically available in England - single cream, whipping cream, etc. I’d go for the lowest fat percentage and mix with milk if necessary. It’d be around the same thing as half and half. I don’t think anyone has claimed that there is no cream in all of England, just that it’s not customarily made available to people buying a cup of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/19 "2011-05-25T17:25:56Z")
_Pace_ Mr Dibble, but many outlets in England serve up whitener in sealed single servings, and cream or half cream are by no means unusual in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932/20 "2011-05-25T19:42:34Z")
Starbucks offers whole milk as one of its choices, doesn’t it? As does Au Bon Pain. Maybe it’s more prevalent among the larger chains, perhaps because they go through a larger volume of milk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cafe-question-why-half-and-half-for-coffee/582932.md?page=2)