Vegan life hack: shake soy milk for a cheater soy latte

A few years ago, I started using soy milk instead of dairy milk for my tea and (occasional) coffee. I'm not vegan, but I try to minimize my dairy intake when I can. It's also way more convenient to buy several shelf-stable pints of soy milk and store them in the pantry for when I need them. I think it tastes better in coffee or tea than dairy milk--it's richer and nuttier. 

But the coolest thing about soy milk is that it foams like mad if you shake it in its container real hard for about 10 seconds. All the shelf-stable soy milks I've tried have worked, including Trader Joe's, Kikkoman, and Pacific (my favorite). Soy milk foams best when it's cold, so even though it's shelf stable until opened, you might want to pop it in the fridge a few hours before you want your latte. 

Here's how I serve it

A couple of years ago I figured out that coffee was triggering my IBS, so I switched to strong black tea and haven't looked back! I like my tea better than coffee anyway. I put two tea bags in a big mug. This probably amounts to just a bit less caffeine than a cup of coffee and keeps me running. I add foamed soy milk and Splenda so it feels fancy. I rotate through my favorites: Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast (amazingly rich and flavorful), Stash Breakfast in Paris (Earl Gray with lavender and vanilla, makes a perfect London Fog), and Stash Chai (my favorite mix of warm spices). I can tolerate a cup of coffee occasionally when I really need it, and since my caffeine tolerance has gone down, when I do drink coffee, it actually WORKS. 

And that's it. That's the post. Just buy shelf-stable soy milk and shake it a lot before you pour, and you have an instant cheater soy latte.