The practice of adding spice to coffee is common all over the world. Turkish, Egyptian, and Indonesian-style coffee all contain warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg. In Mexico, café de olla is a popular spiced breakfast coffee with a rich cultural history.
No matter your heritage, adding spices to your coffee can brighten your morning and, in our opinion, set you up for a great day, no matter what your plans are. If you’ve never experimented with spicing your coffee the whole idea might be a little intimidating, so we put together this guide to get you started with confidence.
Sprinkle
The easiest way to spice up your coffee is to simply sprinkle your spice right on top. This works best with coffee that has steamed milk foam or whipped cream on top.
Our favorites for this method:
Stir
Ground spices can be stirred into brewed coffee in the carafe or by the individual cup. You can do this with black or milky coffee, but the creaminess of milk will help distribute the spice flavor better.
Our favorites for this method:
Brew
Toss a little scoop of whole or ground spices in with your coffee grounds and brew it all together. This is the best way to really infuse the flavors of the spice into your brew and the tastiest choice if you prefer your coffee black.
Our favorites for this method:
Sweeten
Did you know you can make syrups as good as the ones at the coffee shop at home? Here’s a quick how-to for making a basic flavored syrup:
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
- Take off the heat, add about 3 heaping tablespoons of spices, flowers, or tea
- Cover tightly and let infuse for 8 - 10 minutes
- Strain out the plant matter and add 1 cup of sugar or honey to the liquid portion
- Stir over gentle heat until fully dissolved
- Once it has cooled, store in the fridge
Although there is some work on the front end, once you’ve got your syrup made it is quick and easy to add to any coffee beverage.
Our favorites for this method:
Notes:
Less is more
Start with a small amount and work up until you’ve found your perfect spice level
Stick with warm or floral flavors
When trying out new spices with your coffee, the best options will be warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, or florals like roses and lavender.
Have fun and stay spicy!
