If you are not interested in spending money on those expensive flavored coffee beans, then you may try making them at home. Here are some tips for making flavored coffee beans.
As we all know, coffee is made from the beans of coffee plant. The use of coffee as a beverage is said to have a very long history. There are various stories about the origin of this drink. Whatever it may be, today, coffee is one of the popular beverages in the world and almost all restaurants serve it in various versions. Now, we have coffee in many different types and flavored coffee is one among them.
The use of flavored coffee is not of recent origin. Apart from milk and sugar, today we have various flavor enhancing agents like vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, chocolate, black currant, almonds, etc. You may also find a wide range of flavored coffee beans in stores. Most of them are expensive too. Some of these flavored coffee bean types can be prepared at home.
Homemade Flavored Coffee Beans
Preparing flavored coffee at home is no big deal. If you like cinnamon flavored coffee, then you may either add a stick of cinnamon while grinding coffee beans or else, add powdered cinnamon to coffee grounds. You may also opt for cinnamon extract that has to be added to the coffee brew. The same applies to vanilla and other such flavors. Another method is to prepare flavored coffee beans that can be ground, as and when required. This is one of the best methods, if you are in the habit of using freshly ground coffee beans.
- Take a glass or stainless steel container that is big enough to contain the required amount of roasted coffee beans. Plastic ones are not preferred, as the flavor can be absorbed by plastic. It may also happen that the extract causes the plastic to break down.
- The container must have a tight lid and should be clean and dry. Fill roasted coffee beans in it, but make sure to leave one or two inches of empty space below the rim of the bottle. This will facilitate easy mixing of the flavoring agent with the coffee beans.
- Now, get the flavoring oil of your choice. You may also use easily available extracts like vanilla. All you have to do is to add a few drops of the flavoring agent to the coffee beans. If you are using a pound of coffee beans, you need 5-6 drops of flavoring extract. You may increase or reduce the flavoring, as per your requirement.
- Now, use a wooden or metallic spoon to mix the beans well, so that the flavor spreads uniformly. Secure the lid of the container and store in a cool, dry place. Take out the required amount of flavored coffee beans only, as this ensures that the remaining ones stay fresh.
- In general, it is said that the amount of flavor added to the coffee beans must be around 3% of the weight of the beans. This may vary as per individual requirements and from one flavor to another. Large amount of flavor is not recommended, as it can spoil the taste of your coffee.
- It is also believed that the longer the flavored beans are allowed to sit, the stronger is the flavor. Some people use ceramic containers for storing these beans as it is said that the beans remain fresh in such containers.
You may try this method with easily available materials like vanilla extract or any of the flavoring oils of your choice. Apart from being easy to make, such homemade flavored coffee beans are inexpensive too. So, why wait? Prepare some at home and savor its freshness.