What is the name for the stuff

[semantic nuance]

Hi,

What do you call this little thing added to coffee? Cream ball? or what?

Thanks!

[aristotle1990]

In the US, half and half.

[semantic nuance]

half and half?

I mean the thing added to the coffee. What do you call that? It's obviously not cream sachet. Do you call it 'half and half' in US?:huh:

Here in Taiwan, we call that cream stuff as 奶油球, I'd like to know its English?

[roddy]

Coffee creamer, I think, unless it's actually milk, in which case we'd call it . . .milk.

[semantic nuance]

Thank you guys!

[aristotle1990]

Yeah, it's actually called "half and half" in the US (colloquially, at any rate -- people will obviously understand "coffee creamer" as well).

[daofeishi]

"Creamer" and "half and half" are both used, but refer to different things. Coffee creamer is usually not made from milk, but rather from vegetable oils/other non-dairy products and emulates the taste and texture of ordinary cream. It exists in both powdered and liquid form. "Half and half" refers to a half-half mixture of milk and cream.

[renzhe]

It could also be condensed milk, often used in Europe.

[semantic nuance]

Thanks, everyone. I don't know if I get it right or I miss the point here. You guys give different names for that stuff. Be it creamer or milk added to coffee, what I want to know is its exact name for the little thing I posted, if it exists in English. Could it be 'a tub of coffee creamer'? The shape of it, as I indicated earlier, is obviously not a 'cream sachet'. I want a name to go with its shape. As renzhe offered, condensed milk is commonly packaged in tins or tubes. So, can I call that little thing -condensed milk? I guess not.

Sorry for being fussy. Thanks once again.

[renzhe]

At least in Germany, you often get condensed milk (of the non-sugary variety) containers like the one in your photo, used precisely for adding to coffee (see the attached picture). Sometimes you get a small package like that when buying coffee in simple cafes or bakeries.

I guess the choice of calling it "half-and-half", "cream", "creamer", "milk" or "condensed milk" will come down to what it actually is I think that "creamer" is a good catch-all description.

I don't know how to call those little plastic containers. I'd probably call it a "small package of creamer" or something equally boring.

[gato]

I call it "cream".

Sometimes it's "half and half", sometimes it's 100% cream, depending on how much cream I feel like.

[jbradfor]

@semantic nuance, if I understand your question, you're asking for the name of the container, right, not the name of the contents?

If the former, honestly, I have no idea. We pretty much never call it by name, we just ask for "creamer" (or whatever) and just take whatever container that place uses. I even did a google search, and came up with nothing. [OTOH, I did learn that he name of the container used to give communion to the sick is called a "pyx". I'll have to remember that for my next game of hangman with my 6-year old niece ]

Regarding names of stuff to add, last year in London I ordered some coffee, and the person asked me if I wanted it black or white. I had never heard that expression before (as it relates to coffee), so I answered "black". Then I realized I bet the person is asking if I want cream with the coffee, so I said "no, white". She looked at me as if I were a tad daft....

[OneEye]

If there is a name for the package itself, I don't think most people use it:

"Cream and sugar in your coffee?"

"Yes. Three creams, two sugars."

That would be three of those containers of creamer, and two packets of sugar.

[skylee]

I think black coffee is quite common, no? And there is this coffee called "flat white" (the Australians I work with love it).

[semantic nuance]

@semantic nuance, if I understand your question, you're asking for the name of the container, right, not the name of the contents?

Yes, exactly! So, there's not a name for the container, right?

[gato]

People don't commonly refer to the container. But if you want to, you can call it a "cup", which is just a generic term.

[adrianlondon]

In the UK, it's either milk (if the content is milk) or cream (if the content is cream). So easy ;) They're not likely to put condensed milk in these things; we're not in Thailand where tea is drunk like that.

As for the little cartons themselves, they're called - wait for it - little cartons. We don't have a unique word for this; or if there is one I don't know it and no one near me has ever used it.

So, "Can you get me one of those little cartons of milk please?" is perfect. In fact in a cafe just saying "carton" is OK as no one expects you to grab a litre/pint of milk from behind the counter.