Flavored Coffee

Gourmet flavored coffee is highly sought after by consumers that enjoy gourmet coffee. Flavored coffee is a luxury that is reasonably affordable for people to enjoy in their own home and share with friends, family, and co-workers.

Take the time to look for a premium gourmet flavored coffee from a gourmet roaster as there are a variety of factors that can make for a better cup of coffee.

The Flavoring Process

It is important to understand how coffee is flavored in order to be educated on the best flavored coffee to look for. The flavoring used for coffee is a combination of natural and artificial extracts very similar to those used in cooking. These extracts are formulated in a laboratory that specializes in creating flavorings specifically for this purpose.

After the coffee beans are roasted, the flavoring is added. Gourmet coffee roasters will take the time to research and pick out a specific regional bean that has been shown to allow the flavoring to soak in better than others. The gourmet coffee roaster will then add the flavoring to the beans by hand. They will add a preset amount of flavoring that has been tested previously and proven to be the best amount to use with the beans (the amount of extract used can vary depending on the flavor being used). When the customer requests that the beans be ground before shipment, the beans are left to soak in the flavoring for a set period of time in order to allow the flavoring to penetrate the beans as much as possible before grinding. If the customer orders whole beans, the flavor will continue to soak into the beans until it is ground for use. The longer the flavoring can soak into the beans the stronger the flavor will taste so grinding your own beans is preferred to having the coffee ground before shipment.

Another important factor is to confirm that the roaster you buy from uses only the highest quality Arabica beans. Some roasters will use a lower grade of beans (usually Robusta beans) assuming that the flavoring will hide the inferior quality and taste of the bean.

Some things that will make a better flavored coffee

Along with the quality of the beans, another factor that plays a major part in the taste, is the roasting process. The most common method is known as the drum roasting method, but it can leave the bean tasting burnt as the chaff is burned onto the bean during the roasting process. The other roasting method used is the hot air roasting process which provides a smooth flavor and doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste as the chaff is not burned on the bean. The hot air roasting method is also less acidic. While only a small percentage of gourmet coffee roasters hot air roast, is it definitely worth the time to find one in order to get a smoother, more flavorful cup of coffee.

The most asked questions regarding flavored coffee

Is there any added sugar or carbohydrates in flavored coffee?

In most gourmet coffees, there is either none or an insignificant amount of sugar added. As in cooking, the flavoring added to coffee beans has at most 3 to 5 calories per pound of coffee which is considered “insignificant” by most standards. In other words, flavoring added to coffee beans adds less than 1 calorie per cup of coffee.

How long before flavored coffee beans lose their flavor?

flavored coffee beans can usually be stored in a cool dry place for at least 6 to 8 weeks. After that time, some consumers may find that they will slowly start to lose their strong flavor.