What each one is, what it does to the coffee, whether it needs a cooler, and what it costs. Food-service prices, October 2026.
| Add-in | What it is | What it does in the cup | Needs cold? | Brands and price | Use it when, and what to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy | |||||
| Whole milk | At least 3.25% milkfat | Lightens and thins; softens acidity | Yes: 41 °F or below | Any; buy pasteurized Grade A | A customer asks for milk. Cools a small cup quickly. |
| Half-and-half | 10.5–18% milkfat | Body without much dilution; three times the fat of milk per splash | Yes, unless in sealed shelf-stable cups | Shelf-stable single-serve cups, about 6¢ each | The standard "cream" for hot coffee. Shelf-stable cups are short-dated. |
| Heavy cream | At least 36% milkfat | The most body in the least volume; cools the cup least | Yes | about $5 a quart | A rich drink; whipped topping. A little goes far. |
| Evaporated milk | Unsweetened milk with 60% of the water removed | Creamy, slightly cooked taste; body of half-and-half | Not until opened | about $1.30–$1.50 a 12 oz can | A stall with no refrigerator; strong dark coffee. Cold once opened. |
| Sweetened condensed milk | Concentrated milk with sugar; at least 8% milkfat | Sweetens and thickens in one spoonful | Not until opened | about $2.90 a 14 oz can | Phin coffee; cà phê sữa đá; egg coffee. "Filled milk" or "creamer" on the can means vegetable oil, not milkfat. |
| Plant milks | |||||
| Oat milk, barista edition | Oats and water with added oil and a phosphate salt | Creamy, neutral, a little sweet; holds together in hot coffee | Not until opened (shelf-stable cartons) | Oatly Barista $3.33; Califia $3.54; Planet Oat $3.67; Pacific, Chobani $4.00 (32 oz) | The default non-dairy milk. Use opened cartons within 7–10 days, cold. |
| Soy milk | Soybeans and water | Fuller, beany; the most protein | Not until opened, if shelf-stable | Pacific Barista Soy $3.79; Silk unsweetened $3.42 (32 oz) | A customer asks for soy. Curdles in hot, acidic coffee unless it is a barista edition. |
| Almond milk, barista edition | Almonds and water with gums and citrates | Thin, nutty | Not until opened | Almond Breeze Barista $3.42; Califia $3.62 (32 oz) | Requested; iced drinks. Tree-nut allergen. Thinner than oat. |
| Flavors | |||||
| Honey, as honey syrup | Honey thinned 3 : 1 with warm water | Sweetens with the flavor of the honey; mixes cold | Mix on the day; keep spare cold | The stall's own | Any drink; iced drinks especially. Neat honey will not mix into a cold drink. |
| Milk and honey, premixed | Milk with honey syrup stirred in | A quick pour for a sweet, milky coffee | Yes: it keeps like milk, not like honey | Made at the stall | A busy market and a set menu drink. Make only a day's worth. |
| Vanilla | Extract: vanilla in 35% alcohol. Syrup: sugar and vanilla. | Extract flavors without sweetening; syrup does both | No | Extract about 13¢ per mL; syrups $7.50–$9 a litre | A few drops of extract in honey syrup. Imitation is plain vanillin. |
| Cinnamon, cardamom | Ground spice | Aroma; cardamom is the classic in Arabic coffee | No | Ground cinnamon about $5 a lb | Steeped in a syrup, or ground with the beans. Powder floats or settles; it does not dissolve. |