Flavoured Coffee Methods: Syrups vs Flavoured Beans
There is no arguing that we all (ok, most of us) enjoy a slightly out-of-the-ordinary coffee from time to time. Whether it’s our favourite Hazelnut flavour, or perhaps a Holiday0-theemed Pumpkin Spice, a change is surely as good as a holiday.
If you own or rent a coffee machine though, using pre-favoured coffee beans could spell disaster for you in the long run, so let’s explain the different ways flavouring your coffee can influence the lifespan of your coffee machine – and your health!
Flavoured Coffee Beans vs Syrup
“French vanilla, hazelnut, and cinnamon all sound like they would be a natural addition to coffee, but in reality there are very few coffee bean flavors that are truly natural. To flavor coffee, the roaster adds the chemical propylene glycol to the beans to help get the flavoring to sink in.
Any Irish Crème drinkers out there? Here is what is in that delicious drink: ethyl alcohol, dimethylamine-D1, formamidiniumacetate (try saying that five times fast or even once!), alpha methyl benzyl alcohol, and heliotropin (used to manufacture perfumes and soaps). How about anyone who likes a nice peanut flavor added to their coffee? Now you are ingesting 2,4-dimethyl-5-acetylthiazole or 2,5-dimethylpyrazine. Other flavored coffees consist of up to 80 different compounds to achieve a certain flavor. YIKES!
And do not worry about the people using these chemicals to flavor coffee because they are protected by the hazardous materials suit that is required by law. In the safety statements of the chemicals mentioned, it says, “Wear suitable protective clothing, gloves and eye/face protection”. If they have to wear haz mat suits, imagine what it does to our bodies after consuming it! I know for one thing that I would not want my liver filtering all these chemicals.”
In short – pre-flavoured coffee beans are not only detrimental to your health – but they can (and will) cause damage over the long term to your internal coffee bean grinders in any type of coffee machine.
That all being said, you only other real alternative is to use coffee-flavouring syrup. This might be a worry to anyone who concerns themselves over their sugar intake – which is something you would need to consider as well. However, because the syrup is added to the coffee only after it is brewed, you run absolutely no risk of damaging your coffee machine in this process.
h/t to blackriverroasters.com for this info!
Cover Image Credit: nvtc.ee