In the coffee-enthusiast community, purists tend to look down their noses at flavored coffee beans.
We aren’t really sure why, perhaps because of the industrial-grade garbage put out every day by Starbucks, the term “Pumpkin spiced chai frappe” elicits a shudder, even from us.
Here at Barista HQ, we think freshly roasted beans with flavor have been given a bum deal, and in this article, we are going to aim to change your mind and educate you on the wonderful world of professionally flavored coffee beans.
If you have hidden your passion for flavored coffees from your caffeinated friends and want to know how to make the highest quality flavored coffee, this article is for you.
Effective Ways To Add Flavor To Coffee Beans At Home
The best way to add flavor to coffee beans at home is to take your beans straight out of the roaster and while they are warm, add them to the mixer.
If you are using syrup or coffee flavoring oils, the best ratio is to use 3% of the weight of the roasted beans in flavored syrup or oil.
Any more than that, and the flavor will be too concentrated and may even burn your tongue.
Wait 15 minutes with the beans soaking the aroma and flavor. Roasted beans act like sponges, capturing the delicate flavors, and with their porous texture, they can take a lot of flavor on board.
This is the traditional way of flavoring coffee beans. Oils and syrups are used the most often to capture those amazing flavors in the coffee beans.
In some recipes, there are nearly 100 taste profiles and compounds used to create that unique taste.
If you prefer a more organic, natural, and lighter flavoring, as opposed to synthetic flavor chemicals, you can add spices to the beans during storage.
Popular spices to add include cinnamon sticks, cocoa beans, and nutmeg. My personal favorite is adding cinnamon sticks in the winter months.
Another popular way to change the flavor of your coffee is to add alcohol, turning your beverage into a brewski.
Simply fill a container with your favorite rum, bourbon, or whiskey, and add your beans for 24 hours.
At the end of the 24 hours, remove your beans and roast them as normal for a boozy treat without the headache.
Also See - What To Do With Old Coffee Grounds
When Is It Good To Add Flavor To Roasted Coffee Beans?
As with the other aspects of coffee brewing, timing is of the essence. You will need to add your spices, syrups, and oils to the beans at the perfect time to avoid ruining the delicate flavors of the bean.
To begin with, you need to pair the coffee beans’ natural flavor profile with the flavor you are going to add to your beans. This is just like wine pairing.
For example, a light roast might do well with a hint of vanilla, whereas a darker roast will do well with caramel and chocolate; make sure you think about the end goal.
The best time to add your flavor is when the beans are straight out of the roaster and warm.
Popular Coffee Bean Flavors Discussed
Wine has sommeliers and coffee has baristas; both need to know how to pair the right flavors with their offerings.
Some of the different coffee bean flavors to add to your beans include:
Can You Buy Flavored Coffee Beans?
You can buy flavored coffee beans from a number of places, but our favorite place to source flavored coffee beans is to find local independent coffee shops and roasters and buy from them.
When buying flavored coffee beans, you can support their passion as well as the fact that passionately roasted flavored coffee usually tastes a lot better than any of the common brands you might find in Walmart.
The only downside to this is the cost. You will usually spend more on independently made flavored coffee beans compared to purchasing flavored coffee beans from a big store.
For most people who really love their coffee, though, this isn't really an issue. High quality coffee beans with flavor are definitely worth the higher price tag.
Coffee Bean Flavoring FAQs
How can I flavor coffee without adding calories?
The best way to flavor coffee without adding any calories is to store the beans with whole species like cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
What does adding salt to coffee do?
You can add salt to a coffee to reduce the bitterness without adding other chemicals or additives.
Is it bad to put vanilla extract in coffee for flavoring?
As long as you add it in moderation, there should be no problems healthwise.
Conclusion
There we have it. We hope that anyone reading this leaves today with a much stronger idea of the incredible world of flavored coffee beans.
Pairing the bold flavors of coffee beans and the different levels of roasting with new innovative ingredients can create a coffee experience that is out of this world and will appeal to even the hardest purists.
