Flavored coffee is becoming more and more popular every day, in spite of negative reactions of the classic amateurs of coffee. In this article we cover:
- What flavored coffee is
- Is it just fashion or a new market and taste habit?
- What are the key factors that influence the quality
- Tips to recognize if we are in front of a 'best flavored coffee' or not.
WHAT FLAVORED COFFEE IS?
In its simplest definition, flavored coffee is coffee with additional flavors added to the beans to give a specific taste, different than the classic organic taste offered by the coffee 'alone'. Flavored coffee is made by adding flavored oils to the beans after they have been roasted and before they have been ground.
JUST FASHION OR NEW TASTE HABIT?
You may like it or not, but flavored coffee is today synonymous with gourmet coffee.
Flavoring coffee is not just a 'new fashion', and it is a very old habit as well. Flavored coffees have been used for centuries: Arabians began flavoring their coffees with cardamom hundreds of years ago; Africans experimented with citrus flavours; and South Americans enjoyed a hint of cinnamon in their cups.
Flavored coffee as we know it today began its development in the 60's, with the spread of flavored tea from Europe. But it was with the specialty coffee boom of the 1990s that the overall interest in exotic flavours increased so remarkably.
Flavored coffee is a controversial topic among roasters and retailers. Real coffee connoisseur do not like it at all. But business is business, and despite a sometimes less-than-enthusiastic reception, flavored coffees are continuing to penetrate deeper into the market, as a result of exposure from large coffee shops, restaurants, and retailers of all kinds.
Today we can choose from a wide array of flavored coffees, with attractive names like 'Amaretto', 'French Vanilla', 'Hazelnut', 'Chocolate Swiss', etc.
Flavored coffee has therefore become a very trendy drink, so popular that according to some estimates one out of four Americans (25%) drinks a flavoured coffee at least twice a month!
KEY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE QUALITY
Three main factors influence the quality of the best flavoured coffee:
- the selection of coffee beans
- the quality of flavors
- the process used.
Coffee beans: the type of beans used to make flavored coffee greatly impacts the taste of the finished product. Arabica beans are most frequently used for creating the best flavored coffee, due to their low levels of acidity and bitterness.
Flavors: the coffee roaster must choose between 100% natural flavours, artificial or 'Nature Identical' flavorings. Although the flavor name on packages may be the same ('French Vanilla'), the product inside is of course very different.
The Process involves the appropriate amount of flavoring to be used, the chosen roast level, and how and when the flavours are applied. A more in depth view about how the best flavoured coffee is produced will be covered in another article, 'How Best Flavored Coffees Are Produced'.
Source : ezinearticles.com
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