5 unexpected things you should be adding to your coffee

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Are you the sort of person who loves to experiment with your coffee? There are so many different ways that you can alter the taste, or even tweak it to your own tastes.

Coffee has come a long way in recent years. A lot of us can remember the time before coffee being a “barista” drink in many parts of the world, and coffee was only usually produced in one or two different ways. Instant coffee used to be the most popular way to drink coffee in the UK, and many people have gone looking for a more exciting way to brew, and preserve more of the original and delicious flavours.

All you have to do when you walk into the nearest coffee shop is take a quick look at the menu, and you will see how many different varieties there are. As well as choosing between brewing methods, you will also have the option to choose between a number of different milk varieties, syrups to add to the coffee, and of course the varieties of coffee and coffee bean.

With so many people experimenting so much with their coffee, it is little surprise that some more niche ingredients to put into coffee have started to grow in popularity.

Cardamom

Cardamom can be a really bold taste. If you have tried chai tea, and other forms of chai drink such as lattes, then you will probably get some idea of whether you like the extra bit of spice that they create.

Cardamom comes in pods but you can buy ground cardamom and sprinkle it on top of your coffee to impact the flavour. Be warned that you really do not need to use a lot for it to start to take on a huge flavour, so start small before you ruin your cup of coffee.

Honey

Are you the sort of person who likes to sweeten up your coffee? For some, the bitter taste can be a bit too much, and that is nothing to be ashamed of (even if some of the coffee snobs would have you believe that it is).

Honey can be a great way to sweeten, but what is the point? Well, when compared to sugar it has a lot of other benefits including antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. It can even help your immune system.

Ice Cream

We won’t pretend that there are any benefits to this besides the fact that it is absolutely delicious.

This kind of drink is called an affogato. A whole generation of people on Snapchat and TikTok users may have seen people making a “cheat” version of this using McDonalds ice cream or milkshake and adding espresso to it.

It’s better done in the traditional, Italian way, where you add ice cream to either a filter coffee or an Americano, and this will make it sweet, creamy, and even more delicious. You can make changes to the ratios of coffee to ice cream based on your own preference.

Another bonus is that it quickly reduces the temperature of the drink, to make it easier to drink.

Salt

This sounds a bit mad to some. Coffee has a bitter taste and the idea of adding salt might seem silly, but don’t knock it until you have tried it.

Salt can actually enhance the flavour of many different foods and drinks, and there is no harm in putting a small amount of salt in your coffee as part of a balanced diet.

Some people associate this with one of the oldest practical jokes in the world, swapping out sugar for salt, but actually, as long as you don’t go crazy with quantities it tends to be a surprisingly delicious experience.

Cinnamon

This has a couple of different benefits. In fact, cinnamon has been linked with a lot of different positive benefits to the system, such as protecting people against getting high blood sugar, helping with your cardio health, and boosting the antioxidants in your system.

Cinnamon can also be great for those who are looking to avoid too much sugar, and sprinkling some on your coffee can be an alternative to sugar, though not as sweet, but it can be a fantastic option for adding new and interesting flavours.

Summary

There are so many different ways in which you can experiment with your drinks, and as well as all of these additions, you can also enjoy other additions, such as different types of milk and cream. There are many vegan options, such as oat milks, but these are also delicious regardless of whether you drink cow’s milk or not.

Of course, you won’t necessarily love every addition to your coffee, but if you aren’t willing to experiment, how will you ever know what you do love?