The Impact of Different Coffee Flavors on Your Daily Grind

Written by Damian Papworth

Saturday, 10 October 2009 09:33

by DamianPapworth

You might say that coffee is an acquired taste, as it will often strike people as bitter upon first encounter. For this reason, people will commonly add milk and sugar to a cup of coffee in a an effort to soften the impact or to sweeten the taste. For people with more of a sweet tooth, even that might not do the trick. The process of adding different flavors to coffee drinks -- or even to the bean itself -- is nothing new, but the number of coffee flavors available is increasing all the time.

In the past, the number one flavor added to coffee was chocolate, or mocha. With origins in European espresso-based cafes -- most of which serve hot chocolate -- it was not much of a leap for coffee drinkers looking for a slight change to add some chocolate to an espresso drink, creating the ?caf? mocha? now served in coffee houses big and small all across the world. After that, the practice of adding syrup ?shots? to coffee became popular, mimicking the flavor of liqueurs (amaretto, hazelnut etc.) as well as supplying distinct flavors (orange, mint).

Of course, if you are looking for coffee flavors without adding anything after brewing, you can find flavored coffee packaged and ready to go. Hazelnut, mocha and other flavors can be added to the coffee in bean or ground form. Clearly, it?s impossible to grow coffee with a flavor present in the bean, so any type of coffee with flavors has to be altered after the harvest. Despite the use of an artificial flavoring process, the flavors themselves need not be artificial.

Among the most popular flavors being found today, almond, pistachio, orange and white chocolate have joined hazelnut and mocha at the top of the list. Whatever flavor or type of sweetener you love, you?ll probably be able to find it at a caf?. Even the syrups being used can be produced organically.

Coffee flavors like chocolate do have an authentic element to them, as chocolate has been produced in powder and syrup form for some time. Production methods need not always spoil the natural intentions.

Some of the more exotic flavors being marketed in coffee drinks are pumpkin spice and cinnamon varieties.

For coffee drinkers who are experimenting with different flavors and concoctions, you should remember that caffeine is generally the ingredient with the biggest impact in traditional coffee. When you are adding elements like whipped cream, syrups and powders, the fat and sugar content in your drink could rise considerably.

For coffee purists, the further you are pulled from the original intention of the coffee bean, the less likely you will enjoy it. However, for those with a sweet tooth who have never been crazy about the basic bitterness of traditional coffee, coffee flavors will add an element of enjoyment which will keep you heading back to the caf?, caffeinated or not.

About the Author:

Damian Papworth, a coffee purist, has recently been investigating 4 cup coffee makers. He posted his analysis on the One Cup Coffee Makers site.