Flavored Coffee is achieved by adding flavour to coffee beans as part of the processing that takes place at a coffee roaster. It's typically done after the roasting has taken place, and can be added via automated spray nozzle in a large operation or simply adding drops to a bag and shaking in smaller operations. The ultimate consistency will depend on how thoroughly the whole beans or ground coffee is mixed after the flavoring component is added.
Coffee flavoring comes in many formats, including natural, artificial and some combination of both. Neither is inherently healthy or unhealthy in moderation, and some flavors are complex combinations of up to 20 different individual flavors. There are also various concentrations and achieving the right balance of flavour requires lots of testing. The most common flavoring components on the market typically recommend a 3% flavor syrup weight to coffee bean weight ratio.
There's a delicate balance that takes place in how much of the flavoring to use - too much and the taste can become overwhelming (or even dangerous, depending on how concentrated it is), too little and the flavor is underwhelming and overpowered by the coffee.
Some flavors are designed to enhance the natural flavor present in some coffees - vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and chocolate - are all present in certain single origins, though in a milder way. Adding flavoring to the beans allows a roaster to give the customer exactly what they're looking for - a pronounced tasting experience. This has been extended to literally hundreds of flavors that are designed to imitate other drinks or taste like desserts - tiramisu, cheesecake, cupcake, cinnamon bun and more are all available.
Organic Flavored Coffee
While there are flavored organic coffees available, the benefit (and higher cost) of organic beans are negated by the addition of artificial and natural flavoring.
Popular Coffee Flavors
Popular flavored coffees include:
- Almond
- Amaretto
- Banana
- Bavarian Cream
- Bavarian Chocolate
- Black Cherry
- Black Currant
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Butter Pecan
- Butter Rum
- Butterscotch
- Cappuccino
- Caramel
- Carrot Cake
- Cashew
- Cheesecake
- Chestnut
- Chocolate Almond
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Macadamia Nut
- Chocolate Mint
- Chocolate Raspberry
- Cinnamon
- Coconut
- Eggnog
- English Toffee
- French Vanilla
- Gingerbread
- German Chocolate Cake
- Hazelnut
- Irish Cream
- Macadamia Nut
- Maple
- Maraschino Cherry
- Nutmeg
- Peanut Butter
- Pecan Praline
- Peppermint
- Pumpkin Spice
- Pumpkin Pie
- Tiramisu
- Toffee
- Vanilla
- Vanilla Bean
- White Chocolate
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