Fancy adding an extra dimension to your coffee without loading up on syrups and sugar? Why not give flavoured coffee a go?

You might be familiar with coffee syrups, like the autumnal favourite: pumpkin spice latte, but how much do you know about flavoured coffee? If you’re looking to broaden your coffee knowledge and maybe try something a little different, read on!

Here’s everything you need to know about flavoured coffee.

What are flavoured coffee beans?

Coffee has a distinctive flavour that many of us adore to wake up to in the morning. In fact, it doesn’t just have one flavour. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to this aromatic brew. Once you really start to delve into the world of coffee, you realise just how nuanced and varied different beans can be. Factors including growing location, soil acidity, and processing can impact the flavour your favourite cuppa will have. It’s a similar story with cacao beans.

You might also enjoy an extra touch of flavour in your coffee. Whether you add a sprinkle of cinnamon, a generous glug of Velvetised Chocolat Cream, or take the Finnish route of serving your coffee over cheese curds, there are lots of ways to enhance your drink. Cafes and coffee shops often offer flavoured syrups. While these syrups can offer an excellent boost of flavour — from hazelnut or caramel to vanilla or mint — they also tend to be high in sugar and artificial ingredients.

If you’d like to explore some different taste options but don’t want to add lots of sugary syrup, you might want to consider flavoured coffee.

Rather than adding flavour to a brewed drink, some coffee beans have flavour added already. This can be artificial or natural, depending on the producer.

How is coffee flavoured?

Manufacturers create flavoured coffee beans by adding flavour extract oils to the beans. After picking, processing, and roasting the beans, they coat them with certain compounds that have been extracted from other ingredients. While the beans are still warm from roasting, producers will add a highly concentrated flavour extract. They will leave them to infuse for around 15 minutes, spinning the roasting drum continuously to evenly distribute the flavour. At this point, the beans are micro-porous, enabling them to soak up all the tastes and aromas beautifully.

Unfortunately, some coffee producers choose poor quality beans for their flavoured coffee and simply use the flavour extracts to mask it. The best flavoured coffee, however, purposefully unites complementary flavoured beans and extracts.

Flavoured coffee is helpful for those who want a little extra layer of taste without adding lots of calories. You can enjoy flavoured coffee black or whip up a latte or cappuccino for the full home-barista experience. The Velvetiser is an ideal way to get cafe-worthy milk in the comfort of your own home. Pair with your favourite form of flavoured coffee for a light yet satisfying latte without the syrup.

What about instant?

Have you ever wondered what the difference between ground coffee and instant coffee is? Well, the same goes for flavoured coffee — you can get flavoured beans or flavoured instant. After roasting and flavouring the beans, producers can spray dry or freeze-dry them. These processes distil the coffee into granules you can brew up using hot (but not boiling) water.

While instant coffee can be a quick and convenient way of getting your caffeine fix, it’s also worth noting that it’s often made from Robusta coffee, rather than higher-quality Arabica.

What are some popular coffee flavours?

What’s your favourite kind of coffee? Do you like something strong and punchy? Fruity and vibrant? Or smooth and mellow with gentle notes of baked brioche? Whatever your taste buds are after, there’s a coffee to please them. We’ve carefully curated our Rabot Estate Coffee collection, coming up with five distinct blends that we feel cover a range of preferences. Each blend lets the beans’ unique flavour profiles shine through.

However, when it comes to adding an extra hint of flavour, your options are nearly endless! Some popular flavoured coffee options include:

• Vanilla – classic and subtly-sweet, vanilla coffee usually offers a smooth drinking experience.

• Hazelnut – is there anything more satisfying than a praline undertone? Hazelnut coffee is rich and nutty with a hint of natural sweetness.

• Cinnamon – aromatic and slightly fiery, cinnamon coffee has a fiery edge that can enhance the beans’ natural flavours.

• Coconut – another naturally sweet option, coconut coffee has a strong and distinctive taste. Pair with coconut milk for a truly tropical, creamy drink.

• Caramel – for those with a sweet tooth, you can’t beat the deep, buttery notes of gooey golden caramel.

• Chocolate – we may be biased of course, but this has to be our favourite. Coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven, after all. And when the right balance of cacao and coffee come together, there’s nothing quite so delicious…

Hotel Chocolat Latte Sachets

We appreciate the marriage of cacao and coffee so much that we developed a smooth chocolatey coffee drink you can prepare in minutes. Our Latte Sachets are perfect for anybody wishing to dip their toe into the world of flavoured coffee. At Hotel Chocolat, we pride ourselves on sticking to top-quality, natural ingredients. We don’t use anything artificial, so you get the most authentic flavours possible.

Each Latte Sachet contains real grated chocolate and Arabica coffee for a mellow yet uplifting drinking experience. Our Hazelnut Latte Sachets showcase the nutty richness of ground hazelnuts against a backdrop of creamy chocolate and vibrant coffee. A delicious way to enjoy flavoured coffee with an extra dash of luxury.

Likewise, our Caramel Latte Sachets are the premium combination of decadent chocolate and reviving coffee, all infused with the dulce de leche notes of caramel.

For a harmonious pairing of chocolate and flavoured coffee, why not try the Everything Latte Box? Prepare each single-serve sachet using the Velevertiser for the ultimate indulgent drink at home.