A splendidly whipped four-ingredient coffee—called Dalgona in South Korea—is the internet’s favoured isolation beverage.

A beloved companion, a perennial source of comfort, the perfect start to the day, nothing can replace a cup of coffee, the most satisfying beverage since times immemorial. Stopping by at your quintessential coffee shop on the way to work, or the much loved coffee dates every afternoon, are acts that used to punctuate our days with a reliable rhythm.

Adapt we must, to the lockdown norms but without sacrificing a cup of coffee. The aroma, the warmth of the cup enveloping the hands and the ideal kick of caffeine has found its way in COVID times. Armaan Kohli, a die-hard coffee fan confesses that he planned more for the coffee beans than the essentials at home.

“The beans are superb, but the challenge is in the battle for the blender with my mother. My day started at Starbucks and concluded at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and slowly, we have resolved the use of blender time.” Sweet and sour challenges of COVID and coffee we can say.

The pandemic has introduced a brand-new new vocabulary for 2020 with concoctions that won’t be forgotten for a long, long time and we can rely on new music albums which will ensure that the coronavirus will be remembered for the pandemic, beer and the satirical music. Coffee too has a new avatar, the much talked about Dalgona.

“It only calls for three to four very basic ingredients, instant coffee, sugar, hot water and milk, which are kitchen staples. Even in the midst of a lockdown, we still have these in our kitchens. When everybody is trying new things in the kitchen, this comes at the right time,” says Sunny Singh, a law graduate who relied on Barista for breakfast every morning.

A splendidly whipped four-ingredient coffee—called Dalgona in South Korea—is the internet’s favoured isolation beverage.  A trend that took birth in late January is now a kitchen competitive sport on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with people vying to churn out the most sumptuously frothy Dalgona coffee.

And there is a reason why it resonates in our hard-pressed times, when most of us have gradually attuned to occupational therapy to calm distressed nerves.

Sonu Bains a real estate developer shares his story, “I first came across the Dalgona Coffee wave when a friend of mine uploaded a story on Instagram, flaunting a beautiful cup of coffee; a glass full of milk topped with a fluffy and creamy layer of whipped coffee. This reminded me of those childhood days when my sister and I used to try different ways to make our coffee drinking experience a little more exciting. And then we discovered this incredible technique of whisking coffee, sugar and water which resulted in a pillow-y concoction, resembling a home-made cappuccino and called it the Dalgona Coffee.”

Many people at home started making it instantly because the turnaround time is less.

“The process where we constantly whip the sugar and the coffee together, it’s a lot like what we have been doing with our cold coffee. The difference is in the presentation. In Dalgona, you take cold milk with ice in a glass and then top it with the whipped coffee mixture. The presentation is the reason why it is catching all the attention,” says Armaan.

Therapeutic properties of coffee are known far and wide and the cravings for it are for every occasion and time. Ishwita Malhotra, a German language trainer in Chandigarh talks about her coffee affair.

“Coffee is a positive intoxication that helps you get into action and makes you focused. The only legal opium that helps me go through my hectic schedule. It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during a crisis. Talking to people you trust helps. Contact your friends and family with a cup of coffee. And better still make that coffee and when we have all the time to stare at blank walls, why can’t we all try Dalgona, a coffee lover’s new passion and an effective fear burner.”

Affordable, dependable and water-soluble, instant coffee always had its place. And now it also has its time, as evidenced by the popularity of a beverage born of social distancing: Dalgona coffee. Enjoy your cuppa!