How to Make Sea Salt Coffee: Taiwan’s Creamy Salted Cream Classic

The first sip is the strange part: cool, slightly salty cream, then sweet, cold coffee underneath, and suddenly the salt makes everything taste rounder and more like caramel. That is Taiwanese sea salt coffee, a sweetened iced Americano capped with lightly salted whipped cream. Here is how to make sea salt coffee at home: whip cream with a little sugar and a pinch of fine sea salt to a thick but pourable foam, then float it over sweetened espresso and cold water on ice. Do not stir it in. You drink the coffee through the cream so every sip has both.

Key takeaways

• The drink is an iced Americano, sweetened and topped with sea salt whipped cream.
• It was popularized by 85°C Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese chain founded in 2004.
• Salt goes in the cream, not the coffee: about ⅛–¼ tsp fine sea salt per ½ cup (120 ml) cream.
• Whip to soft, pourable peaks so the cream floats instead of sinking or sitting like a stiff cap.

In this article

1. The story behind sea salt coffee
2. How to make sea salt coffee
3. Getting the salt right
4. Variations and a dairy-free version
5. FAQ

The story behind sea salt coffee

Sea salt coffee is the signature drink of 85°C Bakery Cafe, a chain founded by Wu Cheng-hsueh in Taiwan. Its first shop opened in July 2004 in what is now New Taipei, and the company is headquartered in Taichung. The name comes from Wu’s belief that 85°C (185°F) is the ideal temperature to serve coffee.

The idea behind the salty topping is usually linked to a Taiwanese habit of sprinkling a little salt on fruit to bring out its sweetness. Salt works similarly with coffee: in small amounts it softens the perception of bitterness and makes sweetness seem fuller. The chain brought the drink to the United States when it opened its first American store in Irvine, California, in 2008, and has since grown to around a thousand shops worldwide, from Taiwan and China to the US and Australia.

Salt and coffee have a longer relationship than this one drink. If you are curious about a pinch of salt in a regular hot cup, our article on salt in coffee covers the science and the history. Vietnam has its own salted coffee tradition too, made differently with condensed milk and salted cream over strong phin coffee.

How to make sea salt coffee

Makes 2 drinks.

Sea salt cream

Coffee base (per drink)

No espresso machine? Use ⅔ cup (160 ml) strong brewed coffee or cold brew concentrate diluted 1:1 and skip the extra water.

Steps

1. Sweeten the coffee. Stir the syrup or sugar into the hot espresso so it dissolves completely. Let it cool for a minute.
2. Build the glass. Fill a glass with ice, add the cold water and pour in the sweetened espresso.
3. Whip the cream. In a cold bowl or jar, combine the cream, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Whisk, use a handheld frother, or shake hard in a sealed jar for 1–2 minutes until it thickens to soft, pourable peaks, like melted ice cream. Stop before it turns stiff.
4. Taste the cream. It should taste clearly salty-sweet on its own, a little saltier than you would think, because the coffee dilutes it.
5. Float it. Pour the cream slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits in a thick layer on top of the coffee.
6. Sip, don’t stir. Drink straight from the rim, or tilt the glass so coffee comes up through the cream. A light sprinkle of flaky salt on top is optional.

Getting the salt right

Salt is the whole point, but it is easy to overshoot. Use this as a starting point and adjust.

• Use fine salt in the cream. Flaky salt does not dissolve evenly; save it for the garnish.
• Sweetness balances salt. If it tastes harsh, add a little more sugar rather than less salt.
• Cream too thin? Whip a little longer or reduce the milk. Too stiff? Whisk in a spoonful of milk.

Variations and a dairy-free version

• Sea salt latte: replace the cold water with milk for a creamier, milder drink.
• Sea salt cold brew: use cold brew concentrate cut with water; it is naturally smoother and lower in acidity.
• Salted caramel: add 1 tsp caramel sauce to the cream before whipping.
• Hot version: spoon the salted cream over a hot sweetened Americano. It melts faster, so serve immediately.
• Dairy-free: whip chilled full-fat coconut cream (the solid part from a chilled can) with a splash of oat milk, sugar and salt. Coconut adds its own sweetness, so start with less sugar.
• Lighter: use half-and-half and shake it in a jar; the topping will be thinner but still distinct.

If you are wondering whether to start from an Americano or a classic iced coffee base, our comparison of the iced Americano vs iced coffee explains how they differ in strength and body.

Best coffee for sea salt coffee

The salted cream loves a coffee with chocolate and roast depth. Pull the espresso with our 6 Bean Blend, a dark roast with dark chocolate notes and thick crema, or with African Espresso for a fruitier, livelier take. Prefer no machine? Our Cold Brew Coffee, coarse ground for smooth, low-acid concentrate, makes an easy base. For a salted caramel twist without syrup, brew Caramel flavored coffee as the base.

Sea salt coffee FAQ

What does sea salt coffee taste like?

Sweet, cold coffee under a creamy, lightly salty topping. Most people say it tastes like salted caramel, with less bitterness than a plain iced Americano.

Is sea salt coffee hot or cold?

The 85°C classic is iced, but the salted cream works on a hot Americano too.

Should I stir sea salt coffee?

Traditionally no. Sipping through the cream layer gives the contrast. Stirring makes it more like a salted latte, which is also good.

Can I use regular table salt?

Yes, but use slightly less, since fine table salt is denser by volume than many sea salts, and avoid strongly iodized salt if you notice a metallic taste.

Sources

1. 85°C Bakery Cafe, Wikipedia.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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