GOURMET FLAVORED COFFEE

Flavored Coffee

Raspberry Chocolate           Cinnamon                    Cappuccino

Flavored Coffee Bean

Background

Coffee beans are coated with flavor compounds to supplement coffee beans' natural taste. In addition, these flavors help extend the shelf life of coffee by disguising changes in flavor due to decaffeination, oxidation, or aging processes. Flavored coffees in one form or another have been used for centuries, but the gourmet coffee boom of the 1990s resulted in an increased interest in exotic flavors of coffee. With current chemical technology, the beans can be produced with almost any flavor imaginable.

History

Although many people regard flavored coffee as a modern invention, its origins are nearly as old as the original beverage itself. History shows that a few hundred years ago in the Middle East, people enjoyed drinking flavored coffee blended with nuts and spices. In modern times, innovative marketers have capitalized on coffee drinkers' desire for more flavors than nature can provide and have found new ways to introduce flavoring agents into coffee. First, flavored syrups were used to spike brewed coffee with a touch of a favored flavor. More recent improvements in food science have led to ways of introducing complex flavors directly onto the beans as part of a post-roasting process. When these flavored beans are used for brewing, the flavor is extracted into the resulting beverage. Today consumers can choose from a wide array of flavored coffee beans with names like "Chocolate Swiss Almond," "Hazelnut," "Amaretto Supreme," "Irish Creme," "French Vanilla," and "Georgia Pecan."

Coffee beans

The type of bean used to make flavored coffee greatly impacts the taste of the finished product. It is estimated that flavored coffee beans contain over 800 different compounds which contribute to their flavor, including sugars and other carbohydrates, mineral salts, organic acids, aromatic oils, and methylxanthines, a chemical class which includes caffeine. The bean's flavor is a function of where it was grown and how it was roasted. The name of the beans usually indicate their country of origin, along with additional information, such as the region within the country where the beans were grown, the grade of beans, or the type of roast. For instance, "Sumatra Lintong" denotes a specific growing region (Lintong) in Sumatra; "Kenya AA" designates AA beans, the highest grade of beans from Kenya; and "French Roast" is a blend of beans which are roasted very dark in the "French style." Some flavored coffees consist of only one kind of bean, like Kenya AA, which has distinctive regional taste characteristics.

In general Coffea arabica (or arabica) beans are used for flavored coffees due to their low levels of acidity and bitterness. Arabica was the earliest cultivated species of coffee and is still the most highly prized. These top quality beans are milder and more flavorful than the harsher Coffea canefora (or robusta) beans, which are used in many commercial and instant coffees. Some manufacturers create flavored coffee from a blend of beans from various regions. High quality beans are grown in Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

Processing the beans
1. Raw coffee beans are processed in two primary ways. The "dry method" allows the beans to dry on the plant or be dehydrated by the sun after harvesting. The beans are then separated from the rest of the plant debris by milling. In the "wet method," the beans are steeped and fermented up to 24 hours, then a water spray removes the pulp, and the beans are dried in the sun or in tumble dryers. A hulling machine then removes the protective membrane around the bean. In both cases the beans are cleaned, sorted and graded.

Roasting the beans
2. Roasting develops the beans' natural flavor by making the raw beans darker and bringing out the oils. Green, raw beans are roasted in ovens at a temperature between 380-480°F (193-249°C) for one to 17 minutes. The degree of roasting determines the depth of flavor—the darker the roast, the heavier the flavor. There are five commons roasts: American, Viennese, Italian, French Dark, and Espresso Black. The American, or Regular, roast has light to medium brown beans, with no oil on the bean. It makes mild to medium coffee with a definite acidic snap. The Viennese roast is slightly darker than American roast. The Italian, also known as Continental, roast features dark brown beans with an oily surface. It makes coffee that is dark flavored and bittersweet. French Dark roasting produces dark brown, almost black beans, with a shiny, oily surface. With its smoky, roasty flavors, it makes an authoritative coffee. Espresso Black is the highest roasting degree. This roast produces beans which are almost carbonized, and it yields the strongest brew.

If flavoring is added to beans which have too mild a roast, the coffee lacks significant flavor characteristics, and a flat-tasting beverage results. If the roast is too dark, the added flavor is overshadowed by the taste of the beans. For example, a French Vanilla flavor will be lost on a French Roast bean because the robust quality of the bean will overwhelm the sweet creamy tones of the flavor. The perfect roast color is medium to brown.

After the beans are roasted, they must be quickly cooled before flavorings can be added. Flavoring the beans while they are still at high temperatures can destroy some of the flavor compounds. In large commercial operations, cooling is done by water quenching, which is a quick, economical process that has the undesirable effect of leaching out some of the natural flavor of the beans. Gourmet beans are dried more carefully, usually by jets of warm air.

Determining flavor usage
3. The appropriate amount of flavoring to be used must be determined before flavor oils can be added to the roasted beans. The rate of use typically varies between 2-3%, averaging 2.7% industrywide. A 3% usage rate means that three pounds of flavor oil are added to 100 pounds of roasted beans. The amount of flavoring required depends primarily on the type of flavor and its intensity, as well as the type of bean used and its roast level. Cost constraints also may play a role in determining how much flavoring to apply to the beans, because flavors are relatively expensive.

The combination of flavors to be used and the quantity to be applied to the beans is established by experimental trial and error, in which test batches of beans are flavored with small quantities of oil until the desired characteristics are obtained. This formulation process is similar to the way one decides how much sugar to put in a cup of coffee or tea—add a small amount, taste it and, if necessary, add a little more. Once the precise amount is set, the dosage is held constant for that particular flavor oil and roasted bean combination. For different combinations of oils and beans, the usage level must be readjusted for optimal results.

Adding flavor oils
4. Flavors are typically added to roasted beans before they are ground. The beans are placed in a large mixer which is specially designed to gently tumble the beans without causing them damage. Examples of this type of mixer include ribbon blenders, drum rotators, and candy pan coaters. The flavors are usually introduced via a pressurized spray mechanism which breaks the oils into tiny droplets which allows for better mixing. Oils must be added to the beans very gradually to guard against areas of highly concentrated flavor called hot spots. The beans are agitated for a set amount of time to ensure the flavor is evenly spread. This process may take 15-30 minutes, depending on the batch size and mixing characteristics of the oil. When the beans are properly coated, they take on a glossy finish that indicates a uniform distribution of oils.

It is also important to note that, instead of flavoring whole beans, flavors in dry form can be blended with ground coffee. In such cases, the flavors are encapsulated in starch or some other powdered matrix. There is enough moisture in the coffee to promote transfer of flavor and color from the encapsulated flavors to the coffee grounds in about 24 hours after mixing.

Article Source:Stacey L. Blachford eNotes.com. 2006

Our Gourmet Flavored Coffee is 100% Sugar Free! With over 100 flavors to choose from, it should'nt take long to find your favorite ones!

This coffee is light roasted and flavored, just right, for the richest aroma and unique flavor in every cup.

All our coffees are great served hot or try them chilled over ice!

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