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How do they get those in there? Photo: Erin Meister.
There are some things in this world that were meant to taste like hazelnut. Actual hazelnuts, for instance, and also Aunt Sylvia's famous holiday pralines. Maybe even a hot cocoa or a cookie batter that has a dash of extract in it.
But what about coffee beans?
Flavored coffee is and will likely always be a loaded topic; It's often considered the final qualifier when separating the proverbial men from the boys of caffeinated beverages. "Is it really so bad?," you might ask yourself. "What's all the hubbub?"
Read on after the jump to find out.
Think of it this way: Does a quality butcher marinate his best cuts of meat in soy sauce before laying them out for sale? Do any world-class vintners reserve their best grapes for wine coolers? So too are the finest coffee beans kept out of the reaches of any chemical flavoring process. If there's nothing to hide, why bother disguising them with a flavor additive?
So what's in that cup of Snickerdoodle Explosion? (This is actually a flavor of coffee I have seen, sold at a convenience store in Oklahoma City.) Possibly cheaper, lower-grown and lesser-quality beans, maybe even robusta, roasted and coated in any number of chemical flavoring agents (some of which may be natural, others not so much). It's pretty common for the chemicals to actually not taste like much of anything, though they might smell like bananas or Irish cream. Because our senses of smell and taste are so linked, your schnoz could be telling your brain it's tasting something that's not really there.
If you still need a dose of vanilla bean in that morning cup of joe, try adding it to the finished drink instead of the raw materials -- many companies offer organic, kosher and/or sugar-free flavored syrups to squirt into that eye-opener. Better yet, make your own infused simple syrup, and you'll soon be enjoying a homemade Snickerdoodle Explosion, which we all know is the best kind.
What do you think of the flavored-coffee debate? Tell us in the comments.
Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.
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1-13-2010 @7:16PM Flavorful said... Coffee is coffee-flavored, and tastes like coffee, because it's coffee. If you add another flavor to it, it's not coffee-flavored any more, because it's not just coffee that you're tasting. If you want hazelnut vnlilla smackafrappaccino with cinnamon, go spend eight dollars at Starbucks, but if you want real coffee, spend a buck at your local diner. Better yet, brew it yourself.
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1-13-2010 @8:28PM Matt Ahmuty said... I completely agree with the article. It could not be any more specific and absolutely correct. Even before I became a morning coffee fean who must have his cup of java before the day starts, I could never see why some people like the flavored coffee. In most cases I can detect that it is some sort of chemically fabricated scent that somewhat resembles a fruit or nut. Many of them invariably leave a terrible after-taste in your mouth and nose which is offensive to anything else that you would eat or drink. If you want good flavors and a great taste with your coffee, try a Black Russian or an Irish Coffee or a good Expresso. The flavored coffees that are found nowdays almost everywhere are sold to bring in more dollars and make a fortune off of simply serving coffee in a somewhat different fashion and making a bundle on it. A good plain ground coffee is expensive enough without adding more price to it at all. Like the comment I read, If you want a flavored coffee, you can easily make your own with "real", natural ingredients.
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1-13-2010 @7:59PM SunnyHawaii said... I was way into coffee before this current explosion. I was ordering coffee from around the country looking for the perfect cup. Nothing beats Jamacia Blue Mountains that I got in Japan though. But going thru all of this, now I like adding Nestle's powdered Toffee to my coffee for a sweet Mocha like coffee. I use a french press, the best form for making coffeee. Of course if I drink 100% Kona coffee, I drink it straight up. But I also like chilled coffee which I make the night before so I don't have to use ice cubs to chill it down. Using a powdered coffee flavor tastes better than adding a same flavored syrup to it. I sometimes add chocolate syrup to boost the flavor, but most times not. I think it's up to each individual how they like their coffee. If you're a purist then only the best coffee, the right temperature water, the right storage method is for you....luckily the rest of the world allows for different strokes. There are always snobs in every field, wine snobs, food snobs, and now coffee snobs. Whatever java rows your boat.
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1-13-2010 @9:37PM Cathy B said... I don't buy flavored coffee but I do buy the coffee mate pumpkin spice and gingerbread creamers around the holidays. I tried flavored coffees but didn't care for them because they left a background taste. I buy Kona from Gevalia for special occassions, and Tim Horton's or Dunkin Donuts coffee for everyday. I drink the Kona coffee black and use dry Coffee Mate in my everyday coffee. Gevalia has excellent coffee. I wish I could afford to drink it all the time.....lol
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1-13-2010 @11:03PM Stew said... I thought coffee was a flavor. I see no reason to flavor coffee and prefer it as it is.
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1-13-2010 @11:52PM TheCoffeeGeniusMacDaddy said... I WISH SOMEONE WOULD MAKE A COFFEE THAT TASTED LIKE CHINESE DUMPLINGS!!!!!!!!!!
EXCEPT IT MIGHT BE TOO ACIDIC
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1-14-2010 @12:49AM Cae said... I drink flavored coffee to keep from scouring every cupboard for sweets.
I suppose you are right for some flavored beans not much of a kick.
I love Target brand ground flavored coffees and an Orange flavored one from a gourmet store. Flavor is true for these. Also 7-11 Vermont Maple Crunch
I have been disappointed by some others.
Biotrex -is right I add ground cinnamon to regular coffee and it mellows out the bitterness. You get a true smooth coffee flavor that way.
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1-15-2010 @1:21PM Greg said... If it needs flavoring, it ain't coffee you're after.
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2-15-2010 @7:50PM MOM_IN_OHIO said... I just like my plain, old style, Ohio coffee. :) So does my husband. I'll let the younger generation have all the crazy flavors, thanks!
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