How Do They Flavor Coffee Beans? – 2 Top Ways To Make Your Own!

Many people are searching for the answer to how long does espresso last with an express aim for enjoying the freshest possible espresso shot.

Others simply want fresh coffee to remain fresh and know how long it will last in the fridge before going off or how long it will take for an espresso to go bad.

Or perhaps you belong to another group – those that want to know the effects of caffeine and how long it will take for caffeine to wear off. This is not the principal topic of this article – just to let you know, it will vary and depend on how sensitive you are to caffeine and how many espressos you had.

It takes 6 hours for the amount of the world’s most popular stimulant to half. It is safe to say the effects will last for at least 6 hours.

With the little minor diversion dealt with, let’s crack on and find out how long does an espresso last and if it really does expire and go off.

How To Add Flavor To Coffee Beans While Roasting

One thing at Latte Love Brew we strongly advise for all is to get in on the home roasting revolution. When you are roasting your own coffee beans, you are getting the freshest possible coffee, and you can roast smaller quantities more often to keep them fresh.

On your first few attempts, use cheap coffee beans, the cheapest you can find. You don’t want to spoil any expensive or good beans.

Something not to do at all is use your specialty beans or top quality beans with complex flavors as you will end up spoiling them, possibly ruining the great taste of their natural flavor.

The technique of flavoring your coffee beans after roasting is completely effortless and is a very natural way of adding a natural flavor to coffee beans.

For this technique, you must roast your own beans.

After careful roasting of your coffee beans, store them in a proper coffee canister that is airtight and has a one-way valve.

With your coffee beans, add in whole spices of the taste you want to flavor your coffee beans with. Cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, cardamon, cocoa beans, nutmeg seeds, ginger, clove buds, lavender, star anise or whatever you want to flavor them with. Hazelnut coffee is my favorite to make this way.

Vanilla beans and coca beans are best cut and mixed with your freshly roasted coffee beans.

The longer you keep your spices in your coffee canister in contact with the beans in your canister, the more of the flavor of the spice they will take on.

Freshly roasted coffee beans are best to work with as they are still degassing and not quite ready for making coffee with – their peak flavor is reached 48 to 72 hours after roasting. You must keep your spices in your coffee canister for a minimum of 24 hours.

You will need to test and find out if 24 hours is long enough by taking some beans and making a cup of coffee with them. I suggest waiting at least 48 hours and testing every 24 hours for flavor. Once you have your desired taste, remove the spices.

This technique works as coffee: both ground and whole beans are great absorbers of odors and flavors. This is why you must store them correctly in an airtight container, with preference to one that has a one-way valve.

This will permit for even better storage, and allow you to store them in your fridge, as the container will keep your beans isolated from the scents and aromas of other foods.

Coffee roasters in your area will be willing to roast beans for you and arrange for you to pick them up immediately as they come off the roaster for you to add your spices.

Coffee Bean Flavoring Oils

Using coffee flavoring oils is another way that coffee drinkers and coffee lovers can make flavored coffee and perhaps enjoy coffee shop quality at home with some truly exotic flavored coffee.

There is literally no limit to the flavors that you can make. There are hundreds, yes hundreds of possibilities, including eggnog, caramel, mocha, hazelnut coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, pecan, butterscotch, coconut, pumpkin spice and a variety of alcohol flavors including amaretto, Baileys Irish Cream.

How To Flavor Coffee Beans With Flavoring Oils

I don’t at all recommend the use of specialty or single origin coffee beans for flavoring, be it naturally with spices in the technique above or with flavoring oils.

The level of roasting, the degree of roasting determines how well the flavor ends up. Dark roasted coffee beans work best.

Look for dark roasting of your beans if you are doing your own roasting.

Obviously,

this method involves the use of synthetic flavoring and the use of non-natural products in the form of coffee flavoring oils.

The technique is simple and easy. Simply add 1 to 3 teaspoons of oil per pound (450g (approx) of coffee beans.

For more concentrated flavors add more oil. Read the label of the flavoring as each manufacturer varies the strength. Once you have applied the oil, toss your beans by hand for a minute or two and then leave them for 30 mins to an hour for maximum flavor absorption.

The longer they sit, the more they absorb the flavor. The important part is to toss your beans well and get a good even distribution of the oil on the beans.

How To Infuse Coffee Beans With Whiskey

The best way of achieving this is by ditching the coffee flavoring oils and going natural.

Start by weighing out how much coffee you will need for a cup or two of coffee with your digital coffee scales.

Do this several times, one time each for your favorite whiskey.

Take a jar, preferably a mason jar, and put your coffee beans in the jar. Dark roasted coffee beans are great here; Italian or Spanish roasts are what I suggest using.

Pour enough whiskey to cover your beans and a finger or two more to allow for the absorption of the whiskey.

If you have extra excess, whiskey – big deal! You can always enjoy a shot of coffee-flavored whiskey.

Allows the beans to soak for 24 hours and shake every 4 to 6 hours.

After 24 hours, remove your beans from the whiskey jar mix and dry them with a paper towel by patting them and leaving them in the open air.

You will notice a whiskey and coffee scent. This scent is much greater when you grind your beans. The flavor comes through when you brew a cup of coffee.

It is much better that you grind to a coarse grind and brew using a French press. The scent is not so strong when you brew your cup of coffee but at the end coffee to drink tastes amazing.

If you love Jack Daniel’s or Jim Beam, you will love making a flavored blend with a good dark roast.

Once you have made your beans, store them well, as coffee is a food product. Store them in a coffee canister, and they will last longer.

How To Infuse Coffee Beans With Vanilla

The best way of making vanilla flavored coffee is to use high quality coffee beans as vanilla works well. The main and unique ingredient here are vanilla beans. Use whole vanilla beans and cut them, immediately before you use them to flavor your beans.

Simply put your cut vanilla beans into a coffee canister that is both airtight and has a one-way valve with your freshly roasted coffee beans.

Wait 24 to 48 hours and then make a test coffee to find if you have the desired strength. When you have the desired strength that you need, remove the vanilla from the coffee canister and store your beans well.

This is much better than using oils, and you will end up with a naturally delicious smelling flavored coffee.

How To Infuse Coffee Beans With CBD

There are two ways of making this. That is to store the natural product in a canister with your freshly grounds.

The other way, which is best for CBD Oil, is to infuse your CBD oil with your freshly roasted coffee beans and put one to three tablespoons in a pound (450 grams approximately) and toss your beans well, very well and let them sit for 30 mins to an hour.

Do Flavored Coffee Beans Have Sugar?

No,

there is a minimum if any added sugar in flavored coffee beans. The natural way of using spices such as eggnog to make eggnog coffee and hazelnuts to make hazelnut coffee, for example, has no extra sugar.

The use of coffee flavored oils I can say 100% if there is no added sugar.

Flavored Coffee Beans Calories

Flavoring your own coffee beans adds very few calories to your coffee if you are using the above techniques. The techniques of using the spices and ingredients themselves add no extra calories at all to the best of my knowledge.

The oils may add a small amount, but not a lot as very little oil is used.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Do They Flavor Coffee Beans

How Do They Get Flavors Into Coffee Beans?

A flavored coffee oil is added to roasted coffee beans that are still warm. Only a small amount is needed. The beans are well mixed to coat them evenly. Once the beans have absorbed the flavoring they are packed and ready. Coffee beans are porous and take in the oil and aroma of the flavored oil.

Are Coffee Beans Artificially Flavored?

Literally all flavored coffee beans and grounds that are commercially available are artificially flavored using the popular coffee flavoring, propylene glycol.

How Do You Flavor Coffee Beans Naturally?

Flavoring coffee beans naturally is easy and effortless. Add the spice or food item that you want to a container with your coffee beans, chop it up and leave it there for a day or two to absorb the flavor, then remove.

What Chemicals Are Used To Flavor Coffee?

The chemical solvent propylene glycol is used as a carrier. Many flavored coffee oils are 85% propylene glycol. You will probably know this chemical as antifreeze.

Can I Put Vanilla Extract In Coffee Beans?

No, putting vanilla extract in or on your coffee beans will not flavor them. You can put vanilla extract in your cup of coffee to flavor it but not with your grounds or beans.

How Does Coffee Get Its Flavor Notes?

Coffee gets its flavor notes from the whole process of cultivation. From the origins, the soil and soil quality, even the microclimate. Roasting and brewing play their part too. The flavor notes are from the whole journey and process. 

Frappé-Ing It All Up – How Do They Flavor Coffee Beans

If you love flavored coffee, and I do, while some coffee aficionados and coffee geeks and purists may not like it – if you do, go for it. I advise using the first technique as it is a more natural way of doing it. If anyone asks you how do they flavor coffee beans tell them how easy it really is.

They will be astounded at the simplicity!

Join our fun, active and informative coffee community on Facebook/Meta and join in by showing us your flavored coffee beans!

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location