What Coffee Flavors Do You Prefer?
Posted by Admin on 14 May 2020 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Flavored coffees are nearly as old as the original beverage itself. History shows that a few hundred years ago, in the Middle East, people blended coffee with nuts and spices for nice, personal and special flavors. In modern times, this trend for unique flavor alternatives continues.
The truth is that today’s consumers want to taste and experience more flavors than nature can provide and they welcome the introduction of flavoring agents into coffee.
Flavored syrups have been used to spike brewed coffee with a touch of “that special flavor.” Food science and technology advances now allow the introduction of complex flavors directly onto the beans as part of a post-roasting process. When such flavored beans are brewed, the resulting beverage features the flavors extracted and provides a great tasting experience!
How does the type of bean used to make flavored coffee impact the taste of the finished beverage?
- For one thing, let’s remember that coffee beans contain over 800 different compounds which contribute to their taste and aroma.
- For example, to mention just a few: organic acids, aromatic oils, sugars, carbohydrates, mineral salts, and methylxanthines which is a class of chemicals that includes caffeine.
- In addition, the bean’s taste and aroma is a function of the coffee origin, where it was grown and how it is roasted.
- Professional flavor chemists compound flavoring oils which are combination’s of natural and synthetic flavor chemicals.
- Natural oils, on the other hand, are extracted from sources such as vanilla beans, cocoa beans, nuts and berries.
- Cinnamon, chicory and clove are used in a variety of coffee flavors with delicious and aromatic results that are simply unforgettable.
- Some food flavors may require in their composition 9 or 10 ingredients to achieve the desired flavor but it is not unusual to require up to 80 (that’s right!) different compounds to achieve a special and subtle flavor.
- As most flavored coffee lovers know, the ideal coffee used for flavoring should be smooth and well-balanced, so no one characteristic of the coffee’s taste profile “stands out.”
Why do consumers like flavored coffees?
- There are many answers for this question. Some consumers want to create an image of themselves through the flavor they choose.
- Flavored coffee drinkers see themselves as trendsetters, unique and adventurous individuals.
- They like trying flavors and doing things that are not “run of the mill.”
- There are many studies about the meanings of personal flavor preferences.
- For example, a large majority of coffee drinkers who taste trendy flavors tend to go back to the classics. Of course, what is a classic flavor for someone may be totally different for someone else.
How many coffee flavors are there?
This is where the fun begins and seems almost endless. Classic hazelnut, vanilla, amaretto, chocolates, desserts and spices, fruits and creams, liqueurs, nuts and crunches…the list goes on and on!
- Chocolate Coffee, for instance is a great example of a favorite flavor. Everyone loves chocolate, right? Well, almost everyone loves one of the many varieties of chocolate flavor available.
- For those consumers who want the right taste of coffee at the same time as the flavor of chocolate, mixing the two in one beverage delivers an exquisite specialty blend with a noticeable aroma that delights the nose.
- Dessert and spice flavored coffees are usually a favorite as an after dinner coffee and dessert beverage that makes a meal complete without the added calories.
- Fruit and cream flavored coffees are a fresh, natural and refreshing beverage.
- It is truly amazing that the combination’s available include selections of bananas, cherries, berries, oranges, peaches, creams, and cremes. And, if this is not enough choice, there are many combination’s of these available in either regular or decaffeinated versions.
- People have enjoyed drinking coffee accompanied by liqueurs or distilled spirits since the early days of coffee’s popularity in European coffee houses. So, it is no surprise that now many rich classic tastes of flavored coffees include names such as Amaretto Royale, Butter Rum, Egg Nog, Irish Cream or White Russian!
What are you waiting for? Go ahead and enjoy a great cup of macadamia or pecan flavored coffee in either regular and decaf!