What to add to your coffee

September 11, 2018

By Jeff Lund, Instagram: @alaskalund

I tell people that I drink coffee with coffee in it. That is, I don’t add things to it.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t, it just means I usually roll with just the PR blend in my travel mug and call it good. I don’t mind the taste of coffee, so I don’t usually cut it with sugar, cream or anything else. I wouldn’t call what I have tried a “coffee hack” but there are ways to change, enhance, cover, or otherwise alter the taste of coffee. So, while adding to coffee is totally a thing, some of the suggestions are just sneaking in tons of extra calories to your coffee.

Simply adding sugar to coffee greatly adds to nutrient weak, caloric intake.

For some, coffee has morphed into a meal, because it’s no longer coffee with stuff in it, it’s a coffee drink that’s primarily sugar that makes people feel full. That’s for a different post. Here are some ways to enhance your coffee, some of which I’ve even tried.

1. Use butter (etc.) instead of milk

I didn’t mind the butter substitute, but since I don’t usually have milk with my coffee, I wasn’t really in need of a replacement. However, most things are better with butter and quality butter in coffee works. I am not sure that I’d add ice cream to my coffee like the article suggests because that just seems a little aggressive, but if you are in need of a sugary cream, I suppose it would work.

2. Vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg

Sure. Why not, right? I don’t think I’ve ever been upset or refused coffee because I didn’t have my cinnamon, but a splash or dash of these is nice.

3. Cardamom

Tired of cinnamon or nutmeg? Try cardamom. I have no idea what this is. It sounds like the type of thing that people use just to say they use it. Apparently it costs around $30 per pound or goes for up to $10 per ounce when ground. “Investing in some delectable ground cardamom might not be such a bad idea.” Anyone know anything about the return on this investment? Let me know. For what it’s worth, I discovered that if you combine equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg, you have a cardamom substitute.

4. Egg

Being that I am of Scandinavian descent, I feel that I owe it to my ancestors to try this one. “The idea is that the egg clarifies the coffee, creating a perfect separation between the grounds and the water used to extract them.” Was this the reason grandma Agnes was so good at Bridge?

5. Oatmeal?

There are plenty of expected additives that could be stirred in that might cream up the texture, but adding oatmeal would completely change it. Since we’re talking about a food and a drink, I think this would be more of a coffee-flavored oatmeal, so it might not apply in the same manner, but it is interesting.