A Guide to Coffee Syrups and Flavours
If you have been to a coffee shop at any point in the last five years, you must have come across coffee syrups. You might have been asked if you wanted some in your drink or you might have simply seen the most absurd collection of them at your local coffee shop. If you are reading this, you probably want to learn more about what the fuss is about. Well you’ll be happy to know that these flavouring syrups are very popular for a good reason, they are lovely!
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about coffee syrups so you can take your coffee to the next level!
What are Coffee Syrups?
Coffee syrups are flavouring syrups, often sugar based, used to give flavour to hot drinks and coffee. Think of lattes, cappuccinos, frappuccinos, cold brew or iced coffee. They come in a variety for tastes but the most common are vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon, coconut, caramel and pumpkin spice. They are also a fantastic substitute for sugar, with some sugar-free versions being made available as well. Additionally, coffee syrups are incredibly adaptable and can be used to enhance the flavour of a variety of other hot beverages, smoothies, and even cocktails.
Do I need to be a skilled barista to use syrups?
Coffee syrups are quite simple to use. In fact, some coffee lovers prefer to use syrup rather than sugar because it brings another flavour dimension to drinks. Others prefer to use syrup as a substitute for creamer when they want to add unique flavours to their drinks.
The best part about coffee syrups is that they are extremely simple to use, just add a few pumps to your drink and you are done! There are no rules, you can use them however you want.
What is lovely with these syrups is that you can mix and match them to create your own perfect combination. You can take the more traditional route by mixing hazelnut and chocolate syrup. Or you can be a bit bolder and mixing vanilla with lavender. No matter what your preferences are, you can let your creativity run free with syrups!
How much syrup should I put in my drink ?
If you have never used coffee syrups before, we would advise you start with about 2 teaspoons ( about 4 pumps ) of syrup for a regular-flavoured drink. This will give you a good idea of the flavour power of your syrup and allow you to decided wether you need more or less.
The amount of syrup you add to your coffee is heavily influenced by how sweet you prefer your coffee to be in the first place. Just like cooking, baking or making cocktails, it is all about trial and error.
To make it even easier for yourself, we would advise you get portion pumps on your syrup bottles. Each pump generally dispenses 1/2 teaspoons of syrup. Using a pump will allow you to control your portions very easily and will avoid using multiple spoons and making a mess.
What are the best syrups?
There are a plethora of flavouring syrups available on the market but a few brands seem to be favoured by baristas and coffee aficionados.The most loved syrups are the Monin syrups. They offer 120 different flavours, including popular coffee flavouring syrups such as caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut, among other flavours. They also offer a range of sugar free syrup for those who do not want to include too much sugar in their diet. But other brands are also quite popular such as Torani, Ghirardelli, DaVinci Gourmet, Sweetbird or Rio Coffee.
All the brand cited above will make your coffee and drinks delicious, but do not hesitate to try other brands as there are many on the market and they might bring good surprises.