Spicing Up Your Cup
I steer clear of most flavored coffees, as the flavorings tend to greatly overpower the subtleties of a really good coffee. However, on occasion, it’s nice to amp up flavors in your coffee just for a change of pace. But, rather than buying flavored coffee, why not just make your own, in small batches that give you just enough to enjoy without growing sick of it. Simply place your coffee beans in an air tight jar with aromatic spices and let them sit for a day or two. You’ll add just a hint of flavor that should enhance rather than mask the flavors in the coffee. A great combination for the holidays is vanilla, cinnamon and dried citrus (orange or lemon) zest paired with a coffee that already has hints of citrus, like the Papua New Guinea Kimel Peaberry.
Make sure you take the spices out of the coffee before grinding the beans… and remember to clean your grinder to remove any residual oils left in the grinder, or you may be tasting spices in your non-flavored coffee as well.
