Coffee is a bitter drink. But that doesn’t always have to be the case.
Why not a coffee that tastes like walnuts or caramel, or a coffee with a hint of chocolate? Coffee can taste like anything we want. This is where the flavors come into play.
So we’ve put together this guide to explain what flavored coffee is, which flavors are the most popular and what to look for when buying one.
Table of Contents
How are coffee beans flavored?
There is no coffee plant that is cultivated in such a way that it is e.g. B. how chocolate tastes. There are two different ways to change the taste of the beans, which differ in the timing of the process.
Flavoring the coffee after the beans have been roasted
The most common method is to add flavoring in the form of oil or spices to regular coffee beans after the roasting process. If this happens before or during the roasting process, the heat of the roasting process would dissipate the flavor and the beans would not fully absorb it.
The flavors are added while the beans are still warm. If left to cool, the hardness of the beans will not properly absorb the flavor. In that case, manufacturers would have to use twice the amount of flavoring to compensate.
This is the most common method, but not the only one. Some manufacturers choose to flavor the coffee before roasting, especially when seeking flavors from alcoholic beverages such as whiskey, bourbon, rum, or wine.
Flavoring before roasting the beans
In this case, no oils or spices are used for flavoring, instead the green coffee beans are stored in the same barrel or other empty container previously used to store liquor.
The beans stay there for months, allowing them to soak up the full flavor. Coffee beans are porous, so they naturally absorb the aroma and flavor of their surroundings. The beans are then roasted and ground using the usual method.
What are the most popular coffee flavors?
The best-flavored coffee brands tend to have a range of flavors to appeal to the diverse tastes of their customers.
Chocolate Coffee
If you are both coffee and chocolate lover, a chocolate flavored cup of coffee is the ideal drink to enjoy. It is an alternative presentation that serves the same purpose as the mocha coffee. With this coffee variant, cocoa powder or cocoa extract is added to the coffee to achieve the right taste.
This flavor is available as both regular coffee and instant coffee.
Vanilla coffee
Vanilla coffee has a sweet aroma and taste. It’s very popular in the United States, where it’s known as French vanilla coffee.
Vanilla flavored coffee beans are available in different degrees of roast. The most popular is the medium roast in ground and artificially flavored form. This coffee is not very strong.
Depending on the level of sweetness that we like, we can choose the coffee roast that we prefer. The lighter the roast, the finer and sweeter the taste.
Note: Vanilla coffee can also be prepared by adding vanilla syrup, extract or cream directly into our coffee. With coffee and vanilla we can also make iced coffee and vanilla blond latte.
Caramel coffee
Caramel was originally added to coffee in Turkey. The coffee expert took cane sugar and caramelized it manually in the ibrik (Turkish coffee pot). Then he added finely ground coffee beans and slowly steeped them in the hot sand.
The process required great skill, an understanding of how it worked and special attention. Adding flavoring to the beans makes it easier to preserve the sweet taste.
The main purpose of this artificial caramel flavor is to create a dessert drink with a rich and interesting taste without the need to add syrup and sugar to the drink, which is suitable for making coffee cocktails.
Hazelnut coffee
Thanks to foods like Nutella, hazelnuts have become increasingly popular and can be found in more and more products. The rich, nutty flavor of hazelnuts is both aromatic and sweet.
The use of hazelnuts in coffee is said to date back centuries when Alpine monks used them to flavor their coffee.
Hazelnut coffee comes as ground beans or as artificial flavors that are added directly to the coffee. The most popular brand is Volcanica Coffee Company, in its ground coffee presentation.
Cinnamon Coffee
Cinnamon gives regular coffee a warm, spicy, and sweet taste. Its spicy taste combines well with salty and sweet flavors, so it goes well with coffee.
He even manages to make the inherent bitterness of coffee more pleasant. This makes it an interesting option if you want to reduce your sugar consumption.
Blueberry Coffee
This is a new type of coffee where it is more common to use flavored beans than to add flavors or essences directly to the infusion.
It can be described as a taste that manages to capture the sweetness and juiciness of this fruit in coffee without overpowering the aromas. It can be combined with chocolate desserts and fruitcakes. It is available in both decaffeinated and regular forms and in 5 different grinds.
The most popular is the medium roast, which emphasizes the sweetness of the coffee bean and blueberries.
Guide to Buying Flavored Coffee
When it comes to buying flavored coffee, we know there are several factors that can determine its quality.
Some of the most important characteristics to look for when choosing a delicious coffee include the quality of the ingredients, the flavor options, the grind, the roast, and the quantity.
Flavored coffee flavors
At the time of purchase, it is also ideal to have a reference, an orientation as to which flavor suits you best.
Flavored coffee accounts for nearly 20-30% of all coffee sales in the United States, and the five best-selling flavors are:
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Caramel
- Hazelnut
- Cinnamon
Now analyze the qualities you want most from your cup of coffee and choose the aroma that gives you just that.
Bean quality
Not all coffee beans are created equal: Arabica beans tend to be rich in flavor, while Robusta beans have more caffeine, less flavor, and are cheaper to produce.
Keep this in mind. Pay attention to the type of beans used to make the coffee, as it is common to flavor inferior quality beans.
When buying coffee beans, whether from a coffee shop or supermarket, you should use 100% Arabica, except for espresso blends, which can be a combination of the two.
Ground coffee or beans?
There are many types of coffee that you can buy, including whole bean or ground coffee.
This decision is entirely down to personal preference. Some people just want their coffee to be ready ground. Others prefer to drink their coffee as fresh as possible. So the bean coffee is freshly ground every morning and is also our recommended option if you have the time.
The freshness of the coffee at the time of brewing can affect the taste. Even if you buy fresh beans but grind them and store them ground, they will lose their original freshness.
Coffee roasting
Depending on the degree of roasting, the taste of the coffee also changes. When it comes to flavored coffees, the medium roast is predominant and easier to acquire. It contains high caffeine content and has a special sweetness that combines with the mostly sweet flavors.
The other roasts that are less common on the market are light, medium and dark.
Conclusion
The type of flavored coffee we ultimately choose should be made from the highest quality beans. This allows us to take full advantage of the rich, natural flavors of the flavored coffee bean.
The degree of roast and the type of bean are key to the overall taste and aroma of a perfect cup of coffee. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or just want an extra kick in your morning cup.
