Coffee – this is one thing that many of us cannot leave without. I am one of the many people guilty of consuming cups after cups of coffee. I am aware that it can have negative health impacts, but like many of you, I find it hard to resist a cup of a caffeine fix with robust aroma and flavor.
For a lot of people, the usual coffee can be boring and bitter. Luckily, there are many companies that have introduced flavored coffee to give everyone’s favorite drink a new twist. With the best flavored coffee, you will experience distinct tastes without letting go of the caffeine.
If you are having a hard time deciding which flavored coffee is best to purchase, you came at the right place. Keep on reading the rest of this post and we’ll share with you some of the best options that you can find in the market these days.
Why You Should Choose Flavored Coffee
There is an on-going debate whether flavored coffee is good or bad. There are some people who are claiming that they are useless because they take out the essence of drinking coffee. After all, why don’t you just drink hot chocolate or whatever flavor is desired? However, once you have tasted flavored coffee, you will understand why many people love it!
The best thing about flavored coffee is that it provides your caffeine fix with a new twist. Coffee will never be boring because of the abundance of the flavors that are available. Also, for non-coffee drinkers, they may appreciate it because the coffee flavor is not too strong.
Flavored coffee can be good for your health. Coffee in itself can already bring an abundance of health benefits. If you add blueberry, cherry, or sea salt, among others, it can even become healthier. Nonetheless, just like anything else, be sure to consume flavored coffee in moderation.
How Is Flavored Coffee Made
At home, there is one simple way to make flavored coffee – add a flavored syrup to your cup of coffee. You can add any syrup you want. However, this may result to weak flavor and aroma. Below is a short video that will show you how to make your own version of a flavored coffee:
For those that are manufactured commercially, the first step in making flavored coffee is roasting the beans. After which, the beans will be allowed to sit until it cools down. After cooling, the beans will be transferred in a mixer. After a slight agitation, the flavorings will be added. The mixing will go on until the beans are completely coated with the desired flavor.
There are stringent quality control measures to make sure of the best outcomes. For instance, there are certain anatomical techniques that are utilized to evaluate how strong or weak is the flavor. This can be possible through spectrophotometry or gas chromatography. Cupping is also done as a method of sensory evaluation.
How to Choose Flavored Coffee
Given the endless list of the options that are available, how can you make the right decision? Below are some of the essential considerations:
- Reviews: Start with reading the feedbacks of other people, especially those who have purchased and used the flavored coffee before. Their experiences will be a good starting point, making it easier for you to weigh the possibilities.
- Packaging: It is important to choose a well-packaged product because it will have an impact on the freshness of the coffee. Packaging protects coffee from sunlight, humidity, moisture, and other external elements. Make sure that it has a tight seal so that air will not pass through, and hence, it will remain flavorful.
- Roast: Through roasting, coffee becomes more fragrant. It maximizes the aroma and flavor. Light roast is perfect if you want your coffee to be mild. This also means that the beans will have no oil. Dark roast, on the other hand, will make the beans shiny. It will be stronger in flavor but less acidic.
- Ground or Whole Beans: Choose whole beans if you have a grinder at home and if you want to be in complete control of how fine or coarse the grounds will be. On the other hand, if you are after convenience ground coffee beans will be perfect as all that you have to do is mix it with water.
- Beans: The quality of the beans will also be important as it will have an influence on the taste of the coffee. 100% Arabica beans are common in a flavored coffee. Research about where the beans are from and make sure that they have undergone careful selection.
- Roast Date: Fresh coffee is always the best. With this, look at the label and refer to the roasting date. If the roast date is not specified, this can be a bad indication. If you are buying online, checking the roast date can be quite a challenge.
- Flavorings: Because we are talking about flavored coffee, it is critical to know what the flavorings are or how the coffee is flavored. Choose those with natural flavoring. Chemicals and artificial flavorings should be avoided as they can be bad for your health.
- Sustainability: Be a responsible buyer. Choose flavored coffee that is made with sustainable practices in mind. For instance, the manufacturer should source their beans from local farmers and they should be using eco-friendly methods in their production.
Top Picks for the Best Flavored Coffee
In this section, we will have a quick discussion of some of the best products that will be worth your attention.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- DARK ROAST COFFEE: A bold, eye-opening dark roast gourmet coffee made with 100% Arabica beans from Colombia and Honduras
- LIGHTNING BOOSTERS: the coffee is expertly infused with a powerful nootropic, double caffeine from green coffee beans, and essential vitamins to sharpen your body and mind.
- NOOTROPIC INFUSION: Laser in with Alpinia galanga, an ancient spice from the ginger family; which, in combination with caffeine, creates long-lasting, brain-hacking focus.
- 2X CAFFEINE: Supercharge your energy and crush the day with 200 mg of caffeine, naturally derived from our dark roasted beans, plus an infusion of green coffee bean extract.
- ESSENTIAL VITAMINS: A powerhouse blend of vitamins B1, B5, B6, B9, B12, and vegan D3 are infused in to make it easy to get a brilliant combination of nutrients to power your body.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- 100% PREMIUM ARABICA COFFEE – Kauai Coffee is a 100% Arabica ground coffee, featuring a smooth, delicious flavor and amazing aroma. Each cup is a truly satisfying experience!
- COCONUT CARAMEL CRUNCH – The combination of sweet, nutty caramel, tropical coconut and our medium-roasted beans makes this delectable ground coffee the perfect cup for any occasion.
- ROASTED TO PERFECTION – Our Roast Masters use premium beans, 10% of which are grown on our estate in Kauai, to capture the easygoing character and subtle nuances that distinguish our ground Kauai coffee.
- GOOD FARMING – From growing the coffee to roasting and packaging, we employ sustainable, farming practices throughout every step of the process.
- HAWAII’S LARGEST COFFEE GROWER – Kauai Coffee is Hawaii’s largest coffee grower. We have just about 4 million coffee trees grown on 3,100 acres – a true Hawaiian coffee estate!
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- Flavors of sweet blueberries with hints of spices.
- Medium Roast.
- Gluten Free and Certified Kosher.
- 100% Arabica Coffee with natural and artifical flavors.
- New England Coffee has been roasting coffee the same time-tested way for over 100 years, so you can count on a consistently great tasting cup of coffee each and every time.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- UNIQUELY HANDCRAFTED COFFEE: One, 12 ounce bag of Cameron's Toasted Southern Pecan Blend. We craft Cameron's Coffee to be the smoothest, most flavorful coffee possible. Our coffee is sustainable, hand-crafted, and small-batch roasted.
- RICH AND FLAVORFUL: Show your best hospitality serving our specialty Arabica coffees with a taste of sweet Georgia pecans.
- ALWAYS SMOOTH, NEVER BITTER: We choose only the top 10% of Arabica coffee beans in the world, hand-crafted to perfection. Brew a smooth, full-flavor coffee experience every time. Never over-roasted.
- SUSTAINABLY SOURCED: From roasting in small batches to reducing water consumption, Cameron’s Coffee is committed to making every day brighter. Creating positive change mean caring about our coffee, farmers, and the environment.
- QUALITY FIRST: We choose only the top 10% of beans in the world, hand-crafted to perfection. Never over-roasted. If you enjoy Lavazza Coffee, Door County Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Death Wish Coffee, or Illy Coffee - try Cameron's Coffee.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
- A VITAMIN INFUSED BREW FOR YOU: Stop feeling sluggish, emotional, forgetful, sick, and irritable with an instant boost from our vitamin-infused coffee to start your day without sacrificing taste.
- ALL DAY HEALTH BENEFITS: Signature vitamin blend contains B1 (thiamine), B5, B6, B9, B12, D3, and Antioxidants to boost your immune function, increase productivity, support your metabolism, and feel sharper throughout the day.
- KEURIG COMPATIBLE: With most Keurig (including 2.0), Mr. Coffee, iCoffee, Hamilton Beach, and most Pod brewers.
- WAKE UP YOUR TASTE BUDS: Our magnificent vitamin blend will help you power through your day without the flavor overpowering your favorite breakfast meal. With zero calories VitaCup is your healthy coffee choice full of flavor.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2020-04-04 at 18:26 PST - Details/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Conclusion
In sum, the best flavored coffee will provide you with a unique way to appreciate your caffeine fix. If you do not like bitter drinks or if you simply want to give your coffee a distinct flavor, we hope that the products mentioned above will be worth your money.
If I can pick and recommend only one, I would say it is VitaCup French Roast Coffee Cups Infused With Essential Vitamins The combination of chocolate, cherry, and coffee provides the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. It is not only flavorful, but also rich, smooth, and aromatic.
