Specialty coffee gets its name from the care and attention it receives from harvest to roast, ultimately providing the consumer with a nuanced (and delicious) flavor experience. Once properly extracted, sweetness is one of the naturally-occurring notes you encounter in specialty coffees, but for some, their ideal cup leans more towards the sweeter side of things. This is where sweeteners come in.
Flavored coffee isn't a recent phenomenon. In fact, adding sugar to brewed coffee dates back 500 years when European traders brought home “exotic” foodstuffs from far away lands. Sugar and coffee were two of these exciting discoveries that quickly became luxury items.
In 16th century Europe, only wealthy elites had access to coffee beans and a heaping spoonful of sugar. Aside from their high prices, these two ingredients were also considered a delicious combination due to sugar's ability to balance out the bitterness in coffee.
However, it should be noted that these were different times when people didn't have today’s access to bean variety. For the most part, coffee beans were of lower quality, roasted very dark, and, as a result, quite bitter. When Italy's espresso culture flourished and spread across the Mediterranean, so did the demand for bitter coffee, particularly dark roasted Robusta. This only made adding sugar in coffee more desirable to those who didn't care for a strong, unsweetened doppio espresso.
Eventually, prices for both sugar and coffee dropped, making them more attainable for working-class people. And as one can imagine, those with newfound access to these foods didn't hesitate mixing them together. But the European tradition of stirring sugar in coffee isn't the only method for sweetening your cup. Many cultures use spices like cinnamon, cardamon, and clove to achieve a different flavor profile. Other traditions, like in Vietnam, use sweetened condensed milk to simultaneously thicken and flavor their brewed Robusta. And then there are the man-made and naturally sourced sweeteners found in today's supermarkets that have made their way into people's kitchens (and morning cup.)
Similar to other mix-ins like milk, coffee sweetener can drastically alter the drinking experience. Each type of sweetener brings a distinct flavor to your coffee, whether it’s manufactured or naturally sourced. And like your favorite store-bought creamer or milk brand, choosing a sweetener ultimately comes down to personal preference. Some might prefer a more neutral-tasting option to not overpower the coffee's natural properties. On the other hand, other coffee drinkers might not enjoy coffee on its own and prefer altering it to their liking. So whether you're looking to venture into the world of flavored coffee or are interested in changing your typical coffee sweetener, here is a comprehensive guide for adding some extra flavor to your cup.
You can't describe sweetness without discussing sugar, the most commonly used sweetener in the world. Derived from processing sugar cane, sugar can come in a few different forms, each with their own unique characteristics.
White Sugar
White sugar, also known as granulated sugar, is what typically comes to mind when people think of this pantry staple. Once the naturally occurring molasses is removed in sugar’s refinement process, you’re left with white crystals that don’t adhere to each other. This makes white sugar easier to weigh and measure for baking, cooking, or portioning off for your coffee.
White sugar’s popularity also comes from its neutral, clean, sweet flavor and versatility. Its lack of aftertaste makes it easy to control your coffee’s level of sweetness as well.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar gets its name from its color, which results from adding the natural molasses back into the granulated sugar crystals. This gives brown sugar its distinctive moisture and rich, caramel and toffee-like flavor. Brown sugar in coffee is a tasty option that brings its unique notes, unlike its more neutral white counterpart.
Raw Sugar
Raw sugar often gets confused for brown sugar, and that’s because they’re not too different. That is, except for one major difference. Unlike brown sugar, raw sugar is never fully processed. As a result, raw sugar still contains its natural molasses rather than having it reincorporated after processing. This gives it a coarser texture and a similar caramel-like flavor to brown sugar, although much milder in potency.
Sugar has gotten a bad rep in recent decades, which has left some people searching for alternatives that provide a similar experience. Today, coffee drinkers can swap out their granulated sugar for manufactured and natural coffee sweetener alternatives.
Stevia
This natural sugar substitute is made from the leaves of the stevia plant that commonly grows around Asia and South America. Regarding its appearance, stevia looks similar to white granulated sugar but with a finer crystallized texture. Stevia is widely marketed as a low calorie sweetener alternative to cane sugar, but it can also be between 100 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Some claim that stevia has a bitter aftertaste that resembles menthol, making it a less neutral-tasting alternative to granulated sugar.
Erythritol
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that has been manufactured and sold as a sugar alternative since 1990. But this substitute also occurs naturally in fruits like pears and grapes or during the fermentation process in cheesemaking and beer brewing. Erythritol comes in a gritty, crystallized texture similar to granulated sugar and melts when stirred into hot coffee. Its taste is similar to granulated sugar but with a brighter, “fresh” aftertaste that slightly lingers in the background.
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