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THE HISTORY OF FLAVORED COFFEE
Kristina Eklund Ryan, Associate Art Director
During the first quarter we featured our very
popular Vanilla Cupcake, so we thought it’d be
fitting to kick off summer with a little reflection
on how this popular coffee variety came about.
Although flavoring coffee may seem like a
modern invention, the practice is actually
almost as old as coffee itself. Flavored coffee is
in fact closely connected with the spice trade
that took place in the coffee growing areas in
Africa. Some of the original spices used to
flavor coffee were cardamom, cinnamon, and
even pepper. Understandably, pepper didn’t stick
as a mainstream coffee flavor, but cinnamon
remains one of the most popular flavors to this day.
As coffee spread throughout the world, so did
the custom of flavoring it. In the 13th century, a
common way to flavor coffee in the Middle East
was to roast the green beans together with nuts and
spices, thus incorporating the flavor in the beans.
The first modern method of flavoring coffee
originated in Italy, and consisted of adding
flavored syrup to the finished brew. After significant
advances in the food science industries, a way to
directly flavor the beans was discovered, which
greatly improved the quality of flavored coffee.
Although some coffee drinkers will always
be flavor-shunning purists, the segment keeps
growing as more and more people discover the
wonders of flavored coffee. If you have any
questions about flavored coffee, you can contact
any of our customer service representatives
or visit www.gavina.com for more information.
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