Flavored coffee

Flavored Coffees – Home Infusion Ideas

The perception of flavoured coffees among coffee connoisseurs is often associated with cheap beans and artificial flavour agents. Sometimes, we all want to try other flavours and enjoy different aromas. The easiest way is to go to the local chain coffee shop and order sugar-laden, syrupy-infused coffee. Eventually, it might become a habit until one day, and you realize that all these sugar-flavoured coffees are probably not the best for your health. So, now what? I still love my vanilla hazelnut brew; what are my options, you might ask yourself.

Flavor Your Coffee at Home

Adding flavour to coffee is not a complicated process, and it is probably better if you do it yourself instead of buying it from the store. It involves deciding what coffee beans and roast levels to use (Arabica or Robusta), choosing the infusion method, and the flavour you are after.
People can flavour coffee beans right after roasting and apply the same flavouring methods to store-bought ones. Preferably, store the infused coffee in stainless steel or ceramic containers; plastic might be porous and retain the smell. If using a glass jar, place the beans in a dark place away from sunlight.

The available flavour combinations for infusing coffee beans (vanilla, roasted coconut, cardamom, hazelnut, whiskey, etc.) are limited to one’s imagination.

Buying from coffee retailers is also an option, but you will be dependent on the producer’s decision on the quality of coffee beans used, the chosen type of infusing process, and the flavouring agents used, which are crucial to the potential health benefits of the brew. Often, producers spray the flavours over the coffee beans, creating a sugary coating that overpowers the natural flavour.

Infusion methods are quickly done at home.

Typical Infusion Process

  1. Syrup—Add flavour to the syrup with simple syrup (1:1, sugar to water). Use ingredients of your choice, such as orange peels, caramel, ginger, and cinnamon, or check this post for more syrup recipes. Let the roasted coffee beans soak in the syrup; the longer they stay, the more flavour they absorb. After that, strain them and let them dry before storing them. In commercial settings, they spin the coffee mixture for 15-20 minutes before straining and drying.

    The best time to flavour coffee beans is when they cool down a little after roasting, as their surface is more porous and allows better flavour absorption. The optimal bean temperature is between 38°C and 65°C (100-150°F). If you have already roasted coffee beans at home, warm them in the microwave or mix them with the syrup as they are.
    • Add no more than 3% of syrup to the weight of the coffee beans. (10 ml of syrup per 100 grams of coffee or 1/3 oz to 3 oz approx.)
    • Syrups contain sugar, which adds lots of calories to your beverage.

  2. Alcohol is an infusion that goes both ways, as the spirit (rum, whiskey, vodka) can also be used in coffee-flavoured cocktails.
    Add 750 ml of alcohol and 1/2 cup of coffee beans to an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark place for 6 to 24 hours. Shake the mixture once or twice during that time. Strain, let the beans dry, and store them.

  3. Spices are probably the easiest and most versatile way to infuse and add flavour to your coffee before brewing. Mix the spices (vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, clove buds, cardamom, or nutmeg seeds) into your coffee beans and store them in a dark, cool place. It may take longer to infuse the desired flavour; however, no sweeteners or artificial flavours are added.

  4. Coffee bean oil flavouring—Don’t use flavoured oils from the supermarket. Buy specialty manufactured ones, as they can withstand high brewing temperatures. How much oil to use will depend on the manufacturer’s instructions; usually, it is between 1 and 3 teaspoons for a pound of coffee, or typically 2 and 3 percent of the bean’s weight.

    Mix everything well and let it sit for about one hour or overnight, depending on the desired flavour strength. Check the ingredients. If the flavoured agent uses a chemical solvent carrier called propylene glycol, avoiding it is probably a good idea.
    • Many oils are made with natural and synthetic flavouring agents. These artificial chemicals are usually treated with solvents like propylene glycol, alcohol, or water. Before buying oils, check the manufacturer’s process for using them.
    • Add oil after roasting, not before.


Coffee Flavor Ideas

Flavours can also be added during the brewing process.

Spices are an exciting way of creating flavours. We can combine different aromas to create a new and more complex sensory experience similar to how masala chai is made. Coffee can be used as a substitute for tea.

People worldwide have been adding flavour to coffee for a long time. In the Middle East, the Arabs have used cloves, cardamom, and black pepper for centuries. In India, spice mix was used for centuries to make chai, and in Thailand, which is famous for its Thai coffee, spices and beans are added to the coffee before packaging and brewing. The traditional Mexican coffee, Cafe de Olla, is made with Mexican ground coffee, cinnamon, and raw dark sugar.

Here is a recipe for making Thai coffee, similar to Vietnamese coffee but simultaneously different.

Thai Coffee

Thai coffee

We will need a specific type of infused coffee to make traditional Thai coffee. If you cannot find one, add 1-2 teaspoons of ground spices (cardamom, almond, etc.) to the coffee before brewing, or use whatever plain roast you have. I blended coffee, corn, soybeans, and sesame seeds.

From that point, brew the coffee using the equipment you have. To make it more authentic, try the recipe below.

Traditional Thai Coffee

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Thai coffee
  • 1 cup hot water – not boiling, no more than 205F
  • Cheesecloth
  • condensed milk or milk syrup* – 1-2 oz – depending on personal taste
  • ice
  • 1 tsp of sugar – optional
  • pinch of salt – optional

Directions

  • Place the cheesecloth in a tall container, add the coffee, slowly pour over the water, and let it soak for 5 min.
  • Remove the cheesecloth with the coffee grains.
  • Add the coffee’s condensed milk/milk syrup, sugar, and salt.
  • Stir everything well.
  • Strain over ice in a tall glass.
    • Another way to serve is to pour coffee into an iced glass and slowly layer the condensed milk/syrup. Stir gently.
  • For adults: add liquor of choice to the coffee: amaretto, Baileys, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, brandy, whisky, etc.
Thai coffee Variations
oliang  Black coffee with ice
gopi  Black coffee with condensed milk
oliang – yokloBlack coffee with ice and fresh milk
iced coffeeBlack coffee with condensed milk, ice, and fresh milk 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliang

Flavored coffee should not be dismissed and regarded as inferior. Suppose you can not find or find it too expensive to buy good quality naturally flavoured coffee. In that case, one can always do it at home, experiment with flavour combinations, control the flavouring agents, and, most importantly, have fun tasting different brews.

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