How to Make Flavored Coffee

As a coffeeholic, I often get asked if I drink regular or flavored coffee and if I have a go-to flavor I would recommend. The easiest way to answer this would be to say that I would try whatever kind of coffee someone gives me. I do not have anything against flavored coffee. but before I drink it, I do want to know how flavored coffee is made!

Here is why – some people tend to flavor their beans with sugary sweeteners. Others do it with syrups, and some just do not know what they are doing. Flavoring coffee beans is not that simple, and if you do not know how to align your taste notes and how to flavor the beans, the coffee you make with them will not taste good. In some cases, saying that the coffee is bad is going to be an understatement.

If you are a person who likes flavored coffee or wants to experiment with flavors, you have come to the right place. In this guide, I will tell you everything you need to know about flavored coffee. By the time you reach the end of this guide, you will be a coffee-flavoring professional, trust me!

How Is Flavored Coffee Made?

Flavored coffee is coffee that has added flavoring in it. Flavoring is a very delicate thing because you need to align the taste notes of the coffee beans with the taste notes of the flavoring you are using. If you do not do that, the coffee will not taste that good and the effort would be for nothing.

One of the key things I want to point out is that you can flavor the coffee beans in a variety of ways. Some people like to add a sugary glaze to the beans after they have been roasted. Others like to do the flavoring with syrups.

What type of flavoring you go with depends on your preference. However, you do need to be careful because the sugary flavoring can damage your coffee maker. As the beans go through the coffee machine, the sugar will start grabbing onto the parts, and that will eventually lead to damage and malfunction of the machine.

This is why I always recommend using beans flavored with syrups. You can also flavor your beans with syrup flavoring at home – it is not that difficult or time-consuming. If you want to learn how to do that, move right on to the next section!

How to Make Flavored Coffee Yourself: Step-by-Step Guide

Flavoring your own coffee beans can be a good thing because you get to flavor the beans just the way you want to. You can use natural or artificial flavoring, depending on your preference. You can also choose the type of beans you flavor.

With so many different companies selling quality coffee beans, the possibilities are endless. But I want to help you learn exactly how to select the beans, the flavoring, and how to go about the flavoring process to get the taste that you deserve. The following steps will show you exactly how to flavor your coffee beans, so let’s get right into that!

Step 1 – Decide on the Coffee Beans and the Desired Flavor

First things first, you need to choose the coffee beans and the flavor. By that, I mean that you have to choose beans that will be suitable for your desired flavor.

On most coffee packages, you will find a section where the taste notes are given one by one. The taste notes on your coffee beans have to be in accordance with the taste notes of your flavoring. If that is not the case, the flavored beans might not taste as good as you would hope.

As for flavoring, I suggest you go with a highly concentrated syrup because it is the easiest to use, and it can give you the best taste. There are some other flavoring options that you can consider, but I think you should stick to this one.

Step 2 – Roast the Coffee Beans

One more thing that you need to look out for is that the beans are freshly roasted. If there is a chance for you to get them while they are still hot, do that! The fresher the roast is, the better the beans will absorb the flavoring.

You can also get some beans and roast them yourself. You can use your oven to roast the beans and then get to the flavoring part. Whatever option you choose, make sure that the beans are fresh and hot when you start with the flavoring.

Step 3 – Mix the Coffee Beans with the Flavored Syrup

Once you have your freshly roasted beans and your highly concentrated syrup, you should add both of them to a mixer. Based on the total weight of coffee beans you are using, use 3% of the syrup.

Stick to this ratio for the first time. If you consider the flavor of the beans to be too strong or too mild, add more or less flavoring the next time you do the flavoring process.

Step 4 – Wait It Out

After you mix the coffee beans and the flavoring in the mixer, turn the mixer on and let it spin the beans for approximately 15 minutes. This is the ideal time for the beans to absorb the flavoring.

Step 5 – Your Beans are Ready!

After spinning the beans for 15 minutes, take them out of the mixer and get ready to do the first brew using them! If you did everything as explained, the coffee you brew should taste better than any other flavored coffee you have ever tasted!

FAQs on Making Flavored Coffee

Now that you know how flavored coffee is made, I want to give you a couple of other pieces of information on flavored beans before I wrap this guide up. This information will come in handy when you decide to flavor your beans for the first time, so make sure that you read it!

Is flavored coffee unhealthy?

Some people think that flavored coffee is unhealthy because of the type of flavoring used. In most liquid flavoring, there is at least some propylene glycol. When consumed in large doses, this propylene glycol can be harmful to your body.

So I would like to recommend that you drink flavored coffee in moderation – once or twice per week. When it comes to a type of coffee you can drink every day several times per day, stick with coffees like espresso. You can make flavored coffee the occasional “cheat beverage” of your diet!

What can I add to coffee for flavor?

Aside from the obvious sweeteners and syrups, you can also use some natural sweeteners in your coffee to make it more flavorful. Natural flavoring will have less of a negative effect on your health and body, so it is a good idea to stick with them instead of artificial flavoring.

Some of my favorite flavorings include cinnamon, mint, ginger, cocoa powder, and lemon. I know that some people also use salt, but I have not tried that yet. Also, I would recommend that you look into vanilla, chocolate, or coconut extracts as they are also great for adding flavor to coffee.

What is natural coffee flavor made of?

Aside from the fact you can flavor your coffee, you can also use coffee flavoring to flavor other things like tea, milk, other beverages, and even some snacks.

To get that coffee flavor in all these things, you have to use a coffee extract that is usually made with coffee beans and a solvent. If you are someone who likes coffee, you will be surprised by how amazing it is to pair a cup of coffee with some coffee jelly beans or potato chips!

Ready to Add Some Flavor?

Thank you for sticking with me through this guide! I hope you learned a lot of valuable information on how to make flavored coffee, what type of flavoring to use, and what to avoid when flavoring the beans. Make sure that you follow the simple guide given above when you flavor your next batch of beans!

Let me know in the comments below what your favorite coffee flavors are and if you have ever tried flavoring your own coffee beans. I would love to know more about your experience and your thoughts on this, so do not hesitate to share your thoughts with me!