One of the very few things in the world that almost everyone agrees on is coffee. Granted, everyone drinks it differently, but almost 70% of the world’s population drink coffee daily.
The traditional way of drinking coffee is by adding sugar and cream to a plain cup of coffee. Although this may be the simplest and quickest way to get your daily dose of caffeine, what most people tend to forget is that coffee is quite the blank canvas. You can drink it hot or iced, hot-brewed or cold-brewed, finely ground or instant, black or in a latte; the possibilities are almost endless.
In addition to the different ways to make or brew coffee, the things you can add in it also vary. Sugar and cream may be the two most common coffee add-ins, however, you would be surprised by what you can put in your coffee, and how much it would elevate the traditional coffee taste you are used to.
The following list has some of our very favourite things to add to coffee and how to use them to achieve the best results. Some may seem a bit too untraditional, but don’t knock them till you try them!
You might get a bit sceptical when you hear this one. However, you can’t knock it until you try it. Adding a plant-based oil or grass fed butter to your morning cup of coffee is an excellent way to incorporate healthy fats to your morning routine. The extra fats brought by the butter help slow your body’s response to the caffeine which will allow you to feel more energised and focused without that infamous caffeine crash. Also, because of the extra fat in the butter-infused coffee, some use it as a substitute for breakfast as it helps satiate morning hunger and control cravings. A bonus point is that the coconut oil or butter will give a rich creamy flavour to your otherwise plain cup of coffee, helping you start the day right.
How to use it: Add a tablespoon of coconut oil and/or grass-fed butter to your hot cup of coffee. Stir. Enjoy. If you want to make sure it blends well, you can use a blender to mix the coffee with the butter or oil.
If butter tasting coffee doesn’t sound like your thing, you can opt for cacao butter and add a chocolate taste to your cup of coffee, who wouldn’t like that!
The great thing about cocoa butter as a coffee condiment is that it gives you all the benefits of regular grass-fed butter or oil but with the very popular flavour of chocolate, adding a rich and delicious flavour to your coffee while making it more satiating and filling.
How to use: Add about a teaspoon of cocoa butter to your coffee while it is still extremely hot for the fat to melt easily. Once the fats have melted, stir to mix it with the coffee for a chocolate-tasting cup of coffee. For an extra chocolate flavour, you can also add about a teaspoon of cocoa powder.
Over the past, honey has been mostly associated with hot tea, however, what most people don’t know is that honey pairs quite nicely with coffee.
If you -like most people- like your coffee a bit sweet, then you probably use sugar to sweeten itm which is the most popular -however harmful- way to sweeten coffee.
White refined sugar is quite a harmful ingredient that should be consumed at a very limited rate. A great natural and healthy alternative to refined sugar is nature’s nectar, honey.
How to use: According to how sweet you take your coffee, add honey to your coffee while it is still hot so the honey can melt easily. To test it out, start with about a teaspoon of honey only and work your way up.
The benefits of collagen are numerous, mostly and most popular is that it helps with anti-aging and keeps your skin looking and feeling young, healthy, and youthful. Collagen powder also has extra protein which is a very welcome and needed addition in the morning for more energy. Another great thing about collagen powder is that it is tasteless.
Therefore, adding collagen powder to your morning cup of coffee will leave you feeling fuller, and will help you maintain your gut health as well as skin health over time, without adding any strange or odd flavours to your beloved cup of jo.
How to use: Add a scoop of flavourless collagen powder to your cup of coffee, stir well to mix it in with the coffee. Enjoy!
Collagen powder can be paired with both, hot and iced coffee. You can also use a blender for better mixing.
Most people only add protein powder to their after workout smoothies or breakfast smoothies. However, what most people do not realise is that you can also add your favourite protein powder to your regular morning cup of coffee, hot or iced.
Adding protein powder to your morning cup of coffee is a great way to increase your daily protein intake, which is always a good idea. Another great thing about protein powder as a coffee add-in is that the flavour options are almost endless.
The best way to mix protein powder with your coffee is by blending it using a blender to help remove any clumps and achieve a good frothy texture.
Although you can add protein powder to hot or iced coffee, it is mostly recommended and tried with iced coffee.
How to use (Iced Coffee Rendition): Add ice, a cup of cooled coffee, and a scoop of your favourite protein powder to a blender. Blend till all is well blended and a frothy texture is achieved. Enjoy a refreshing and filling cup of protein-rich iced coffee.
Although we should all steer clear from creamers, not everyone likes the taste of black coffee. This is where plant-based milks such as almond milk or coconut milk come in. Coconut milk or almond milk will add to the coffee a unique and creamy taste and texture that will make it more pleasurable as well as more filling.
How to use: Depending on how dark or light you like your coffee, pour the milk into your coffee, and stir through.
If you fancy an added flavour to your regular cup of coffee, a great way to achieve that coffee shop-taste is by adding a few drops of pure vanilla or almond extract. This is also a great way to sweeten your coffee without depending on refined sugars and processed creamers.
A great way to achieve that iced vanilla latte taste is mixing a few drops of pure vanilla extract with almond milk, this way, you will get that perfect vanilla latte taste without needing any sugars or creamers.
How to use: Add a few drops of pure vanilla or almond extract to your coffee, then stir well to mix it through. Taste, and add more drops for a stronger taste.
Adding different spices to coffee is quite common worldwide; from cinnamon and nutmeg to the globally popular pumpkin spice. Cardamom, on the other hand, is commonly added to coffee in the Middle East and Arab World. In addition to the exotic flavour it adds to the coffee, cardamom also helps neutralise the stimulating effects of caffeine which reduces the chances of a crash.
How to use: Sprinkle some ground cardamom into your cup of coffee, or you can add whole cardamom seeds to your coffee beans before you grind them.
Another way to upgrade your regular cup of coffee to a healthier and more flavourful version is by adding cinnamon to it. This will reduce your calorie intake per cup and help boost your immune system as cinnamon works as an anti-inflammatory. It is important, however, to use pure cinnamon, not the cheap spice powder which sometimes contains unhealthy additives.
How to use: Ground some pure cinnamon and sprinkle it on your cup of brewed coffee, or you can brew your coffee with a cinnamon stick.
Adding some pumpkin spice to your latte or even regular coffee is a great way to achieve that delicious and famous pumpkin spice latte taste at home, especially if mixed with pure cinnamon.
A healthier version can be achieved with adding real pumpkin into your coffee, instead of pumpkin spice. This will also help you achieve that perfect fall flavour without compromising your diet.
How to use: Sprinkle about a teaspoon of pumpkin spice onto your cup of brewed coffee or blend it using a blender (for iced coffee).
If using real pumpkin, blend canned pumpkin with your coffee milk, ice, and any other spices used, using a blender for a smooth texture.
This may come as one of the biggest surprising coffee additions on the list. However, salt is quite a great addition to coffee as it helps to soften the bitterness of the coffee.
Salt is also a specifically good addition when it comes to cold brewed coffee as it helps maximise the flavour of cold coffee.
How to use: Add about ½ teaspoon of salt to your coffee grounds before brewing it. You can also add a dash of salt to your already cold brewed coffee.
You might think that ice cream on coffee makes it more of a dessert than a morning drink. However, a scoop of ice cream floating on top of your coffee cup is a great way to counter the summer heat and make your coffee even more refreshing. The best proof is the famous German drink “Eiskaffee” which is a blended drink made with coffee and ice cream.
How to use: Add a scoop of your favourite flavour of ice cream on top of your cup of iced coffee, blend lightly using a spoon or a straw, and enjoy!
A lot of us like to decorate our coffee and enrichen its taste with a bit of whipped cream on top. However, this is not exactly the healthiest thing to do despite how delicious it is. Fortunately, there is an equally delicious healthy alternative to regular whipped cream and it is whipped coconut cream. It is easy to whip up, tastes quite delicious, and gives your coffee a rich and creamy taste as well as texture.
How to use: Using a hand blender or an electric whisk, whip the coconut cream, then top your cup of iced coffee with about 2 scoops of the whipped coconut cream.
Granted, adding a raw egg to your coffee grounds may seem a bit strange. However, like a lot of other add-ins on the list, it has very strong potential of surprising you. In addition to being packed with a lot of different nutrients, eggs work as excellent emulsifiers, they clarify the coffee, leaving a perfectly coloured drink with a silky smooth finish.
How to use: Mix a raw egg in with your coffee grounds before brewing, then enjoy a more nutritious cup of coffee.
If there is one thing that you can take away from this list is that nothing is set in stone. Coffee is a leisure drink that most of us enjoy sipping on whether in the morning to start the day, or in the afternoon to relax and re-energise. Therefore, when it comes to spicing up your cup of coffee, you can do just about anything you feel like doing, including mixing and matching between all the add-ins listed above to create the perfect blend to your taste. The only thing to look out for is to make sure all the ingredients you use are pure so you don’t put any harmful additives into your body.
Now that you know what we put into our coffee, don’t forget to let us know which coffee add-in you will be trying from our list. Also, if you have a different coffee secret, please do share it with us so we can try it next…
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