You're Adding Flavors To Your Coffee All Wrong

You may have seen the French vanilla ground coffee beans at Trader Joe's, or perhaps its seasonal special, like the spiced winter blend. We're accustomed to adding flavor to coffee drinks after it's been brewed — like a pump of vanilla syrup or a dash of cocoa in a latte — but it's possible to infuse the beans themselves with flavor. This process can be as simple as soaking unroasted green or roasted coffee beans in flavoring or spices — and it can be done at home.

Chowhound spoke with Andrea Allen, coffee expert, co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab, and 2020 U.S. Barista Champ, to understand if infusing coffee beans at home makes sense. "Yes, it is possible, but I don't recommend this," Allen says. "My recommendation if you want to add flavor is to do it after you brew. This way, you can control how much you're putting in and adjust in later cups." Allen has a point — if you're not a coffee pro, it's too easy to over-flavor the beans, masking the unique tasting notes found in coffee.

With that being said, know that it's okay to experiment for the fun of it. Aside from soaking beans in flavoring, an easier way to infuse is with extracts — think vanilla, almond, or rum — that can be added to grounds and brewed. Or, ingredients like dried fruits, orange peel, nuts, coconut, and spices can be ground and added to the coffee grinds before brewing for a one-of-a-kind cup.

The best way to maintain the pure tasting notes of coffee and complement it with other flavors is by adding the mix-ins after it is brewed. Andrea Allen is on board with this method, sharing, "I don't recommend infusing, but I think adding flavors to brewed coffee or lattes is a great, fun idea. There are a ton of already established flavors out there, like vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and white chocolate." Flavored syrups are the top choice for infusing flavors — they blend in easily and they're very customizable. Making homemade syrup is beginner-friendly, but popular brands like Monin and Torani offer classic flavors as well as some more whimsical ones, like caramel apple butter.  

While these classic flavors are proven to work time after time, there's no need to only stick to the standard coffee shop flavors. You never know — your favorite flavor or the next best coffee flavor pairing may be something completely unexpected. Allen recommends a few seasonal and quirky flavors to try: "Coming into the holidays, there's also things like egg nog and peppermint. I love unexpected flavors, like lavender, ube, miso caramel, ginger." And yes — Monin makes an ube-flavored syrup. There are smaller, artisanal brands to be aware of that also make creative flavors, such as lavender. If you want more inspiration, some of the trending coffee flavors of 2024 have been macadamia, salted caramel, maple, and gingerbread.

How much flavor you add matters. Andrea Allen recommends, "Just start with a quarter or half an ounce and go from there in a regular cup of coffee." Most syrup pumps dispense ½ ounce per pump, and a tablespoon of syrup is about ½ ounce. After this initial measurement, taste it and determine if it's to your liking. The purpose here is to complement coffee, not to cover it — if you can't taste the original coffee flavor, there is likely too much syrup. Note that stronger coffee, such as espresso and cold brew, will likely need a bit more.

That's easy enough, but did you know that sometimes black coffee is not the best for absorbing flavor? That's right, the former barista champion let us on to a helpful tip: "Also, sometimes you need a fat binder to help flavors go into the brew, so you may need to utilize milk or cream for this." Flavored syrups can be steamed with milk — either in a milk steamer or a saucepan — to better infuse the flavor throughout the entire beverage, as well as the foam. 

Lastly, remember that syrups are certainly not the only way to infuse flavor into your coffee. There is a diverse range of ingredients that can amplify a cup of joe, ranging from cayenne pepper to condensed milk. Chances are, you have something in your kitchen right now that would be perfect.