Coffee: Flavourings and Decorations

Amongst many tastes, the most obvious partners with coffee are the flavors of milk and cream. Depending on the drink being concocted, the choice of milk or cream is wide.

Milk and Cream

People making espresso- based drinks usually ask the question, "Which milk is best for frothing?" as everyone has difficulty in learning to froth or steam milk. Some experts believe that any milk can be frothed while others suggest skimmed milk as it easily froths but unfortunately it tastes like cardboard! Other options are homogenized or heat treated milks. Low fat milk works adequately, but nothing beats pure whole milk for real Italian- style flavor and rich, cream milk is superb for complementing the flavor of any espresso. Also, the temperature factor is as important as the fat content of the milk: the milk to be steamed should be very cold.

Whipped cream should be used to garnish, not as a substitute for milk. A tablespoon of milk in double cream lessens the risk of over- whipping and adds richness and body to the cream.

Milk curdles easily, when heated conventionally for hot coffee drinks. Hence, do not boil the milk instead heat it gently. To stabilize the milk compounds, add sugar in hot drinks containing potentially milk-curdling ingredients.

Sugar

Sugar is an important coffee ingredient, it not only stabilizes milk, but also offsets the bitterness, which is almost always present in some degrees in cold coffees. The truth is, like many aspects of coffee drinking, the choice is sugar is purely a matter of choice.

Various types of sugars are available. They have different flavors depending on whether they are refined or unrefined cane sugar. Unrefined or raw sugar has more flavor because of the molasses content, which varies from in demerara to high amounts in dark muscovado other darker soft brown sugar. Caster (refined) sugar is excellent in recipes as it dissolves quickly.

Chunky rock sugar crystals are exclusively marketed for coffee. It does not dissolve properly and contributes little to the flavor of coffee. Apart from looking good in a sugar bowl, it is a complete waste if time.

Chocolate

In any form and color, chocolate is an excellent accompanying flavor for coffee, so much so that many coffee drinks include the word ‘mocha’ which means combination with chocolate. Cocoa or powdered chocolate can be sprinkled over any foamy milky coffee surface. To produce a happy combination, add any type of chocolate syrup or melted chocolate to coffee. Chocolate mints, chocolate wafers and even chocolate covered beans make lovely coffee garnish.

Essences and Flavorings

Use of wide range of coffee flavors started in early 1980’s. Different forms of oils and flavors were mixed with hot coffee, just after roasting. This culture is still prevalent in North America. There are no hard and fast rules concerning combination of flavors with coffee. Somehow, the ‘gourmet’ coffee craze that began in the US has led to all sorts of taste combination's. Vanilla syrup, power or even vanilla sugar goes well with coffee. A drop of vanilla essence extract can convert an ordinary drink into an addictive elixir. Many people consider cinnamon a suitable coffee accompaniment.

Fruits, Nuts and Spices

Fruit flavors like banana, blackcurrant, blueberry, cherry, lemon, coconut, raspberry, pineapple and strawberry can be combined with coffee in different ways, depending on the texture and length of the coffee. Nuts seem to provide coffee better partnership. Powders and extracts of almond, hazelnut, pecan and peanut work very well with coffee drinks. Nuts are also used as garnish. Spices like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin, if used in small quantities, provide subtle difference to a coffee drink.

Alcohol

Alcohol and coffee are a delightful combination. Usually, orange based liqueur like Cointreay, Curacao and orange flavored brandy, are wonderful coffee partners. Normal brandy, Armagnac, cognac, calvados and poire each individually blend well with the flavor of coffee, as do grappa, marc and raki.

Almost all liqueurs and spirits, except a few, when used in right proportions, go well with strong coffee.