I have a confession. I’ve had this blog for nearly 2 years now and I’ve only just started making my own almond milk. For so long everyone told me just how easy it is to make your own but I didn’t listen. Maybe it was a bit of stubbornness but more likely it was the thought that this would be some huge project to tackle. Just another thing on my plate. I mean, I make ENOUGH of my own things around here from scratch, get enough kids dressed, laundry done, blog work done etc., I don’t need to add another thing to my list.

While my favorite go-to, store bought, clean almond milk will alway be the New Barn, I recently started seeing these boutique flavored almond milks popping up and it piqued my interest. They’re packaged beautifully and have some amazingly delicious flavors but they’re going to run you about $6 per bottle. As in one serving. Yikes! I knew it was something I could easily get hooked on and shelling out $6 each time that I had a craving didn’t sound like that great of an idea.

That’s why when San Francisco Bay Coffee and I decided to partner up for Earth Day to create an environmentally conscious recipe and enlighten you on coffee sustainability and OneCup vs. K-Cup facts, I decided a homemade Jamocha Almond Milk would be the perfect fit.

We’ve been drinking San Francisco Bay Coffee for years around here so when they reached out, it was a natural fit for us to partner up as I already loved their product. And as you know, I’m not only passionate about what type of food we eat but the sustainability of it as well. That’s one of the things that I really love about San Francisco Bay Coffee, their focus on quality, sustainability and giving back.

So first let’s chat a second about what we so commonly know as K-Cups. According to a widespread report from MotherJones.com that came out in 2013, the amount of K-Cups that go into landfills each year can circle the Earth 10 times each year. 10 times. That’s insane! With the number of single serve coffee drinkers on the rise, that number will obviously rise as well. However, there’s a much more sustainable method behind the single serve coffee phenomenon and that’s the OneCup. With materials made from plant based, renewable resources, the lidding and ring are both compostable. That’s a huge difference from the crazy Franken-plastic used in the K-Cups. They’re also compatible with most single serve brewers.

Not only does San Francisco Bay Coffee offer the OneCup as an environmentally friendly alternative to the K-Cup, they’re focused on farming sustainability as well. Their Arabica beans are all shade grown above 3000 feet which means it provides a shade of trees that promote slow growth of the beans and lends itself to a move developed coffee bean and flavor. It also promotes a biodiverse habitat to native plants and animals that maintains and restores the natural ecosystem unlike the monoculture coffee farms that deplete it’s environment.

How cool is that? Not only have I loved their coffee for years, but now I can feel good about drinking it. So now let’s talk about this blissful almond milk that I created using their coffee. I didn’t want this to taste like some overly sweetened coffee drink, I wanted it to taste like an almond milk that’s flavored with coffee and hints of chocolate. Not vice versa. And boy does it ever. This almond milk is uber refreshing and light yet still rich enough in flavor to feel like a real treat. I’ve already made it three times since I perfected it…  4 days ago.  Whether you’re a seasoned almond milk maker or this is your first go at making it, you’ll love this recipe and will find yourself coming back for more. One tip I’ll leave you with is that if you can refrain from gulping it down as soon as you make it, leave it in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors really sink into each other and chill. Or you can just start guzzling it. Your call. Either way, enjoy!

As we’re choosing foods that our better for our bodies we need to be choosing foods that are better for our environment as well. Our health and ecosystem are so closely interwoven that each need to be healthy to thrive. It’s something that I feel incredibly passion about.

So this Earth Day, let’s focus food and drink that not only are healthier for us, but our environment as well! (I’m on the other side of the screen cheers-ing you with my cup of Jamocha Almond Milk as you read that.) 😉

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

jamocha almond milk

A non-dairy refreshing almond milk and coffee beverage.

Prep Time12 hrs

Total Time12 hrs

Course: Beverage

Cuisine: Paleo

Servings: 4 -6

Author: the Whole Smiths

Ingredients

• 1 C. almonds
• 2 C. water
• 1 C. brewed San Francisco Bay coffee
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. semi sweet chocolate chunks
• 1 Tbsp. ground cacao or cocoa

Instructions

• Add almonds to a bowl and cover with water
• Soak almonds 8 hours or overnight
• Once fully soaked, drain almonds
• Add almonds, water, coffee, maple syrup, chocolate, and cacao/cocoa to a high powered blender
• Blend on high for one minute
• Using a nut milk bag or cheese cloth and strainer over a bowl, pour almond milk into bag and drain milk into the bowl
• Gently squeeze all milk out
• Pour into cups to serve or a mason jar to store

Please note that I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with the Whole Smiths’ goals. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions and bad jokes are 100% my own.