This recipe uses four pantry staples universally stocked at every Charlotte chain, making it a true five-minute weeknight option with zero shopping friction. The cost per serving is under a dollar—instant coffee and sugar are the only minor expenses, milk and water essentially free—which is substantially cheaper than iced coffee from any café. The five-minute claim is honest if you already have instant coffee dissolved; the only real prep is whisking the coffee-sugar mixture until fluffy and pouring over milk, which genuinely takes moments. The single drawback is that it's a drink, not a meal component, and leftover whipped coffee mixture will collapse within an hour, so it's firmly a same-day item best consumed fresh.