Bada Beans are a new specialty product designed to make your coffee more flavorful. I use the phrase "specialty product" here because I haven't really seen anything like them before. The beans are small, sugar-free tablets that are flavored and are meant to be stirred into a cup of coffee for instant flavor, a portable alternative to the flavored syrups they offer at coffee shops. Immediately, I loved the idea because I often take my coffee on-the-go with me. I tried all three of their flavors: McCoy's Dream Vanilla Bean, Hazel's Nutty Hazelnut and Crazy Carl's Caramel Fudge.

The little tablets all smelled great in their little tins and dissolved easily in the hot liquid. Unfortunately, and this could be partially do to the fact that I like my coffee on the strong side, the flavor from the Bada Beans was not particularly strong. The chocolate had some caramel notes, but the hazelnut and vanilla had only a slight presence. Adding a second bean improved the flavor somewhat, but I also had to add milk at that point to take the edge of the sweetener. Not ready to give up what I still thought was a good idea, however, I tried adding the beans to tea and the difference was amazing. I could much more easily taste the flavors of the beans and they added a mild sweetness to the tea that was just right. The vanilla went particularly well with chai/spiced teas.

All in all, the Bada Beans weren't perfect, but I would definitely use them in teas and would consider carrying them along on trips, where you are more likely than usual to encounter coffee that could use a little boost of flavor, no matter how subtle a boost it is.