Flavored Coffee 101

Being human, when we find a good thing like coffee we try to make it better. That is what flavored coffee is all about. Making coffee even more appealing by adding complimentary flavors.

The history of flavoring coffee begins with cinnamon, cardamon and even pepper. All of these ingredients were a part of the spice trade running through the original coffee growing areas around the African Horn.Hence it was only natural to try adding them to "kaffe."

Today, at Bean Central, we think of flavoured coffee having seven flavor divisions. These are Chocolate, Vanilla, Fruit, Nuts, Spice, Caramel and Distilled Spirits. These flavors are presented individually and in various combinations. e.g. Chocolate Cherry. In addition a cream taste component is frequently a part of the Flavored Coffee blend.

How are these flavors made?
While some flavors are derived from the natural plant itself, many are created by mimicking the natural oil and aromatic flavor components of the targeted taste. For example, the taste of cinnamon is Ethyl Cinnamate. The molecule for orange is Octyl Acetate. When food scientists want to make an imitation of a flavor they extract the flavor or aromatic component from its place in nature and use a spectograph to identify the precise molecular structures that comprise the flavor. Hence the phrase "Natural and Artificial." In addition some flavors are so-called "Nature Identical" flavors. This means they are comprised of exactly the same chemical structure as the naturally occuring flavor but they are synthesized artificially.

Learn more about the howto and the science of coffee flavors. Wikipedia,com has this short article about flavouring. For an in depth study titled "The science of artificial flavor creation"  visit this commercial flavor site.

How is the Flavor added to the Fresh Roasted Coffee

At Bean Central, for quality and consistancy, we roast 100% Colombian Excelso for our flavored coffee beans. We roast only the amount needed to fill our daily flavored coffee orders. The flavors are in a liquid form. We flavor by weight. So if one pound is ordered a pound of just roasted fresh coffee is pulled and the corrresponding amount of flavor is added. Generally, for a pound of coffee, slightly over a half ounce of flavor is used. The beans are stirred so that all are well coated. Then they go in their valve bag and are sealed for freshness and then immediately shipped to our lucky customer.

Does Flavoring Coffee Add Calories?
That is a very good question with an even better answer. Flavored coffee does not have any appreciable calories. How could something taste so good and have essentially no calories? Sometimes we are just blessed by nature. Enjoy.