Should the Crackle Coffee Trend Be Left in 2024?

At peak Iced coffee season this year, the 'crackle coffee' trend transformed iced lattes into an even more aesthetic drink than before. It created a buzz on TikTok with many people trying it at home, and it even made its way into the Glasgow coffee shops. Oaka on George street was one of the trend followers who had the drink as a special for a week! Crackle coffee has been a massive hit on TikTok but here's the big question: should this coffee trend be left in 2024?

What is Crackle Coffee?

Crackle coffee is basically frozen chocolate covered around the inside plastic coffee cup which, when crushed, cracks the frozen chocolate into shards to reveal the iced latte in the cup. I had to have a go at this myself at home so, after freezing the chocolate for 20 minutes I poured myself an iced latte in the plastic cup and successfully managed to get that famous crack. 

But once you get past the visual appeal, does it actually taste good? Well, that's where the magic starts to fizzle out.

I found that the chocolate only gave a very mild nutty/sweet taste to the coffee and the frozen chocolate didn't really melt into the coffee, but rather just collected at the bottom of the cup. Although the cracking noise was very satisfying, the taste was massively underwhelming and was definitely only for the aesthetic.

The Biggest Let Down...

The amount of time needed to make the drink is what really doesn't make this trend worth it. The recipe starts by melting the chocolate, then covering the cup, then leaving the cup to freeze and then finally (after 20 minutes of waiting for the cup to freeze) you pour the coffee into the chocolate cup. 

This all seems like a lot of effort for just the crunch, right? Especially seeing as the chocolate was barely noticeable.  

Encouraging Plastic Cup Usage  

Another big let down is the fact that the trend can only be done using a plastic cup. The trend relies on plastic cups in order to be able to crack the chocolate. Even when I was attempting the trend I found myself looking for plastic cups off of amazon in order to participate. I eventually found one in my house that had been previously bought from Starbucks however this trend feels like a step backwards in sustainability efforts made in the coffee industry. 

Another Trend for the Views?

Crackle coffee unfortunately has been the latest in a long line of trends that are more about the aesthetics rather than the actual taste. It's reminiscent of other trends such as the unicorn latte trend which although looked phenomenal online, sadly doesn't hold up when it comes to taste and practicality. Similarly, I can't see this trend becoming a menu staple in coffee shops or even catching on as a popular at-home coffee. The initial buzz has already started to wear off with less and less videos appearing on social media platforms. 

Final Takeaways 

Crackle coffee might be worth a try for the experience, but don’t be surprised if your taste buds aren’t as impressed as your Instagram followers. Sure, its fun to experience once but definitely not for your everyday coffee order. The drink takes an inconveniently long preparation time and demands more effort than most coffee lovers are willing to invest. If your looking for an aesthetically appealing drink there are definitely other ones out there like blueberry lattes or even a frappe! So, next time you are tempted by a cool new coffee trend, remember just because it looks good online doesn't mean it will taste good.