Flavoured Organic Coffee is something human civilization should be proud of. It is a real treat. Although there are many who may differ from this opinion of mine, since they like coffee in its own original form; but believe me, it is one of the tastiest beverages in the world. Flavoured Organic Coffee is also sometimes known by the names of Organic Gourmet Flavoured Coffee or Organic Gourmet Coffee etc. By now, you must be well aware of what Organic Coffee is. Now, it is your turn to know something about Flavoured Organic Coffee.

Flavoured Organic Coffee: Flavoured Organic Coffee simply means an Organic Coffee that is added with some desired flavour. This flavour can be anything from highly popular vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon to others like roasted almond, nutmeg, cardamom, hazelnut, pumpkin spice, butter scotch, amaretto, blueberry, butter rum, rum, cherry, cherry cobbler, marshmallow, mint, orange, mango, raspberry etc. or a combination or blend of the above flavours. You can well imagine how these things will taste with your favourite coffee in the morning, evening or anytime you like. You may also pick different flavours for different time, season, weather and mood. This is perhaps the best thing about Flavoured Organic Coffee. The second best thing is that it is better for health than your regular flavoured coffee which, in most cases, is flavoured with synthetic chemical flavours sprayed on the beans. You will hate to know that sometimes these beans are even soaked in chemical compounds to get the desired flavours in them. So, whenever you want to do flavoured coffee, do it the organic way. Always buy Flavoured Organic Coffee.

Technical Know How: You always wondered how your favourite flavours get into your coffee. Even a few years ago, I always thought genetic engineering had something to do with it. But now I know that things are neither that complex nor that scientific. There are two basic ways of adding organic flavours to organic coffee beans.

• Industrial Technique – Flavouring the Beans: Although this can also be done at home, but since it is more followed industrially, I named it that way. What they do is simply spray some organic flavours (oils and essences extracted from flowers, fruits, fruit peels, nuts, spices etc. which are grown organically and extracted organically) or soak the beans in them. In other cases, like in case of Organic Chocolate Flavoured Coffee, they simply roll the beans over molten organic chocolate so that they get smeared in it. Later, they are dried well and ground to give the coffee with your desired flavour.
• Domestic Technique 1 – Flavouring Ground Coffee: This is simply adding the desired organic flavours such as cinnamon powder or chocolate powder or flavouring oils in the ground coffee just before brewing it. This gives a very good and uniform result as the flavours come out very well when these ingredients are mixed with hot water. This technique is ideal for espresso and cappuccino.
• Domestic Technique 2 – Flavouring the Brew: This technique is for those quick goers who either do not have the time for the first two techniques or they simply do not want to get into the hassle. This is as simple as adding cinnamon powder or chocolate or any other flavour directly into your coffee which is already brewed. Just put it into your cup, sprinkle it on top or stir it well and drink it. But, to be very frank, the results from this are not as good and uniform as those obtained from the above two methods. But once again, taste is completely a personal matter and I should not interfere in it.

Choosing the Right Coffee: Not all coffee varietals go well with all flavours. Different varietals of coffee beans have different characteristics. Some are very strong flavoured but are not that tasty, some equally flavoured and tasty while some are mildly flavoured and remarkably tasty. Then there is roasting factor. Different extents of roasting go well with different classes of flavours. While flavours of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg etc. match well with dark roasted varietals; citrus and mild flavours go well with light roasted ones. Still, you may also like it otherwise, it is totally personal. But anything you do, you should choose a good variety like Blue Mountain, Kona, Columbia Supremo, Pea Berry, Sidamo, Tarrazu etc. That will give you a good taste as well as good flavour. Make sure that it is organic.

Buying your Flavour: Although there cannot be anything better than home flavoured organic coffee, but it may not always be possible flavouring it at home. Time and situation may not permit it. In that case, you need to buy Flavoured Organic Coffee from market. Anyway you do it, just make sure that whatever you are buying is absolutely organic. Be it the flavour, such as cinnamon sticks, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla beans, oranges, chocolate, nuts and whatever you can think of; or be it ready made flavoured coffee. Just make sure that it is aptly certified as “Organic” from a recognized certifying authority. This is very important because nobody can distinguish a non organic product from an organic one unless it is certified there. Organic products are better for your health and your environment than their non organic counterparts.

Best Brew: Choosing the right coffee, roasting it right and adding the right flavour to it is just not enough. There remains one more very important step. That is, brewing. If, after all your efforts, it is not brewed correctly, then everything may go in vein. For a good brewing, following things are necessary;

• The utensils, coffee pots, cups and even the machine used, if any, should be thoroughly cleaned to keep off any unwanted stains, residues and smell of coffee last brewed.
• The water used should not contain any unwanted smell or colour.
• It will give best results if the beans are ground and flavours are added just prior to brewing. Flavours added and/or ground coffee kept for a while tends to loose its flavour and taste.
• Brew just the quantity you need each time. Try not to keep already prepared coffee for future consumption. A fresh brew tastes the best.

Availability: Prepare it at home or buy it ready made; availability of organic flavours and organic coffee really matters when it comes to Flavoured Organic Coffee. It is true that organic flavours and organic coffee beans are not that readily available at all places, and more so, together, as their non organic counterparts. You need not worry if you are living in Americas or Europe, particularly in South American countries, but things are bit different when you are in the Indian Subcontinent and many Asian and African countries (although many African nations are big producers of coffee, but not necessarily organic coffee). Anyway, you can always buy it from an online store. It is easy and you have plenty of choices to pick from and you can also read in details regarding the product and certifications. You order it and they will deliver it to your home.

Market Share: As far as organic coffee is concerned, Flavoured Organic Coffee has a very good market share (although it may be very less when compared to total market of non organic coffee). Still, it is rising steadily and in few years, it may be available in your local grocery store too.

Finally: Just one thing, even if you are a true coffee lover and hard core fan of that original taste of coffee, unflavoured, crude; then too, you must taste Flavoured Organic Coffee once. It is a real delicacy.

This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee