Newbie question #1: Syrup vs. flavored bean

[upnorthcoffee]

Huh! That's interesting... I wonder if unsweetened syrups are available?

Torani sugar free syrups are made with Splenda. The sweetener that's supposed to taste like sugar because its derived from sugar (chemically). Monin makes an O'free line of syrups. Not sure what they use though.

 

[Hooligan]

If you can tell me that the flavorings you use for your coffee beans don't have chemicals
:roll:

This may be a small point, but it is one that annoys me (pet peeve against the marketing machines out there). Everything we eat or drink is chemicals, even if it is H2O or NaCl or CH3COOH. I assume you mean something along the lines of man-made chemicals or harmful chemicals.

I do feel that most flavored coffees are just inferior beans sprayed with perfumes.

 

[Turner]

Funny you should say that Hooligan, because I always maintain that -everything- is natural.

For example, a digital camera is just as natural as a squirrel poop. One might say that natural means that something occurs "in nature" without intervention, but look, man is here, in nature, and you can't discount that.

Either way, I'd prefer completely unsweetened flavor, and I'll most likely go with a good roast and experiment a little with adding flavors before/after brew.

Andrew

 

[Hooligan]

I wonder what the result of adding a small amount of extract to a pot would be? I am sure there are some high quality, unsweetened extracts out there (think of the vanilla or almond you use in cakes). They are generally in an alcohol base though, so if that is a problem then sorry. I think the challenge would be not adding too much since that stuff is powerful. Maybe a ¼ teaspoon to a 12 cup pot. Anyhow let me know what you figure out, though I suspect I will stick to adding Frangelico .

Regarding the natural comment, I like it. People often tout something as being "All Natural" implying that that is a good thing, so I comment that cancer and anthrax are natural too. I have no beef with people trying to eat/live healthy, I just hate when our language is slaughtered like that (like the fatted calf to the gods of merchandizing).

 

[Turner]

"...so I comment that cancer and anthrax are natural too."

lol! That's good. Yeah, those manmade hurricanes are bad for you as well.

I've tried adding both vanilla and almond extract to the grind, the pot, and the cup, and have not had what I'd think of as an overwhelming success and at best thought the outcome was "interesting"; however, at the same time I don't know how much the quality of the extract matters (at least while experimenting) because the result was not flavorless, and it didn't taste of alcohol, but was more simply "present" than "discernable". Could it be that the heat of the coffee cooked out the extract?

I may try the same in iced coffee just out of curiosity.

Andrew

 

[Hooligan]

Part of the problem may be that many baking extracts are designed to taste good in baked goods (makes sense right). So their flavor is intended to be added to a creamy, buttery, sugary confection. A person who takes cream and sugar may have more success with the baking extracts, but then they wouldn't have minded the sweetness of the syrups anyhow.