11 Flavored Coffee Brands That Use The Highest Quality Ingredients

Bones Coffee is one of those feel-good family successes that would make a great back story to a 90s era rom-com. Certified by the Rainforest Alliance — so you know its coffee is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable — upon the company's inception in 2015 the company introduced innovative flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake. Mixing seasonal favorites such as Carrot Cake and the white chocolate flavored White Rabbit with limited edition pop culture tie-ins such as Tim Burton's The Pumpkin King, its eclectic roster of unique offerings is certainly impressive. 

Ingredients-wise things are upbeat; its ground and whole bean coffee is gluten free and doesn't contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. The beans Bones uses are low in acidity, allergen free, 100% Arabica, and are created with a combination of natural and artificial flavorings. Bones coffee does contain propylene glycol, an common additive in the industry the FDA regards as safe, but one that has raised concerns among consumers nonetheless.

Still, reviews seem mostly positive with self-confessed coffee blogger Mrs. Brew praising the company stating: "No matter the time of year, you can bet that Bones Coffee Company has amazing, high-quality, flavored coffee. For two years in a row, I've enjoyed their pumpkin coffee."

All of the coffee houses on this list chose Arabica over Robusta beans as the base of its flavored coffee for one simple reason: Arabica beans taste better. Coffee Beanery appreciates this fact more than most.

The first store was opened in 1976, before — as the company notes on its site "The American public knew of the term specialty coffee." Such a claim is no mere hyperbole; speciality coffee is an industry term that, according to Origin Coffee, means it "[h]as met the standards of excellence throughout every stage of the supply chain, from meticulous care of the crop grown, to harvesting and processing."

Today the Coffee Beanery runs over 100 stores up and down the U.S. with a further 20 locations operating internationally. In terms of flavored coffee, the Coffee Beanery has an awful lot going on. Its suite includes an eclectic mix that includes tasty blends such as Apricot Cake, Butter Pecan Ice Cream, Chocolate Hazelnut Bon Bon that sell in droves alongside a few special — subscription only — delights like Frosted Carrot Cake.

Coffee Beanery is proud of the way it creates its exotically-named brews. As the brand shares, after subjecting the beans to a light/medium roast, roasters: "Layer premium flavoring oils in with the beans and mix them until they are perfectly blended," resulting in what it claims is: "The most premium flavored coffee you can find."

There are so many different flavor options for Nespresso that no definitive best of list is ever going to inspire a universal consensus. Still, the company is much beloved; praised for its moves towards sustainability and ease of use, if you can get past the sometimes hefty price point, there's no question that you're going to experience a premium product.

All the blends are of course sourced from Arabica beans, but Nespresso also allows you to choose which country of origin the beans are sourced from via its world explorations selection. The company is open about what you will find within each pod. On its website Nespresso notes that: "The Nespresso capsules contain only fresh roasted and ground coffee with the exception of the flavored coffees (Vanilla Éclair, Caramel Créme Brûlée, Cocoa Truffle) which also contain natural flavors added to fresh roasted and ground coffee."

Nespresso is also surprisingly candid about the flavoring process itself. Added to the coffee after grinding as a fine powder its more fanciful creations contain natural substances that originate from: "A base component of the characterized flavor," adding, "They don't contain any food allergens."

Best sellers such as the Barista Creations Flavor Pack contain a number of delicious options to enjoy. The brand's Vaniglia carries sweet biscuit and cereal notes, the dark chocolate inspired Chioccolatino is made with all-natural flavors, and the classic hazelnut heavy Nocciola is reminiscent of a high quality praline.

Barnie's opened its first store in Winter Park Florida way back in 1980 after some tinkering with Peruvian coffee plants resulted in what was to become its signature taste. In 1994, the company released Santa's White Christmas; it was an instant hit as customers warmed to what Barnie's later described as: "A toasty vanilla, coconut and caramel-flavored powerhouse."

Many other varieties have graced its distinctive packaging over the years including English Slated Toffee, a caramel, maple, pecan, and cinnamon blend known as Cool Café Blues, and the naturally flavored simplicity of Southern Pecan. All of its beans are 100% Arabica, are sugar, gluten, and nut free and contain less than five calories per eight-ounce cup. Flavorings however are both natural and artificial making Barnie's one of the few companies on this list to miss the all-natural brand moniker. Still, customer reviews are strong with Santa's White Christmas a predictable standout at 4.79 stars after some 609 reviews.

One Great Coffee has hit upon a simple formula for fantastic coffee that leaves little room to argue with. According to them, great coffee must be fresh, sourced from the best locations around the world, maintain flavor through variety, and offer a large selection so as to accommodate an eclectic range of palates.

Owners Donna and Mike's obsession with finding the best small batch roasters of single origin beans inspired them to form One Great Cup, relatively late in life. Now in its 60s, the company's humble beginnings are still but a recent memory. In addition to its gourmet, organic and micro lot coffees its website currently sports over 140 different flavored coffees with more being added on a regular basis. 

Each flavor is available as regular, decaf, whole bean or ground and its 100% grade one Arabica beans are roasted to order and shipped the very same day. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive with five star treats such as Italian Chocolate and Golden Pecan joining forces with similarly well-received curiosities like Sinful Delight, Swiss Chocolate Bunny, and Cupid's Kiss. Each flavor has less than five calories per 8 ounce serving and is of guaranteed gourmet quality.

Omar Coffee has been roasting beans since 1937, making this by some margin the oldest coffee company on the list. Situated in Newington, Connecticut, Omar Coffee was founded by John Costas, a Constantinople native who left his homeland to pursue the American dream. Four generations of Costas later and Omar Coffee's mission to "Buy premium green coffee beans, slow roast them to perfection, and always deliver superior freshness and personalized service to all customers," has not changed one iota.

What has changed is the variety of options available to consumers. Product lines on offer include seminal luminaries like Chocolate Cherry, Pistachio, and Toasted Almond. Limited-run, seasonal flavors are thrown into the mix every year and for those who have trouble making choices, a flavor of the month option is there to help narrow things down a little.

Reviews are consistently high across the board and quality checks are robust. As with every other company on this list Omar Coffee uses 100% Arabica beans, which are sourced from over twenty countries across the globe. Its coffee is vegan — with the exception of the Cinnamon Sticky Bun flavor –  and every single variety can be purchased as a decaf blend along with the option to have it delivered whole bean or ground. Several of the flavors can also be ordered as a single serve K-cup.