Flavoring can make your coffee taste better. Knowing the right flavor makes it easier to match your coffee with the right meal, special event, or even the right time of the day.
But what are the most popular flavors to try?
The most popular coffee flavors include French vanilla, hazelnut, peppermint, pumpkin, caramel, and mocha, among others.
These are by far the go-to choice for many coffee drinkers and are usually available throughout the year.
Whether you’re just getting into the coffee scene or looking to shake things up a bit, you’ll find some of the most popular coffee flavors on this list.
Read on to learn more about the various coffee tastes and what makes them special and popular.
The World’s Most Popular Coffee Flavors
#1 French Vanilla
French Vanilla is, by far, the most popular coffee flavor available.
You simply can’t go wrong with vanilla’s sweet aroma and rich taste when it comes to flavoring just about anything.
Vanilla is subtle and almost comforting. That’s why it can easily overwhelm most bold tastes. These qualities make vanilla a brilliant complement to coffee’s typical stronger and robust flavor.
For best results, consider using vanilla with medium or light roast coffee beans.
You want to add French vanilla to your coffee, though, and not just plain vanilla. That’s because the former is more caramelized and has a deeper flavor than the latter owing to its production process.
Thanks to the popularity of French vanilla, you can easily find the flavor in a wide variety of products, such as creamers, k-cups, instant coffees.
Regardless of how you like your coffee – standard black, lattes, cappuccino, or macchiato – a few drops of French vanilla will enhance the flavor.
And if you want something incredibly tasty, try adding vanilla to your coffee beans the night before.
Brew your coffee the next morning and enjoy the best-tasting vanilla-flavored cup of coffee you’ve ever had!
#2 Peppermint
A peppermint-flavored coffee might come as a surprise but it is actually an interesting flavor. It has a menthol aroma with a cool and green profile.
Don’t like menthol? No worries.
You’ll probably enjoy its fantastic taste in hot coffee, especially during the December holiday season.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait until winter to add peppermint flavor to lattes.
The seasonal blend is a nice addition to cold brew coffee during the warmer months. The cool profile makes for a refreshing summer treat.
Here’s something to keep in mind if you want to try this flavor.
Peppermint is a rather strong flavor! That means you need to use it sparingly or else it can easily become overwhelming.
With peppermint, a small amount of grounds packs a lot of punch!
#3 Hazelnut
That nutty aroma wafting out of the coffee shop down the block is probably hazelnut. It is one of the most popular coffee flavors all over the world.
Hazelnut has a sweet, buttery taste with a distinctive nutty and enticing aroma that you simply can’t ignore.
It blends nicely with vanilla and chocolate, so you’ll likely find it commonly paired with these in drinks.
The nutty taste of coffee beans works so well with hazelnut. And while the flavor is strong and enticing, it provides a rather mild and smooth drinking experience.
You’ll find hazelnut in plenty of different options due to the popularity of the blend. So, regardless of your taste preference, you’re sure to find something that suits your palates.
#4 Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin spice is another brilliant seasonal blend.
It is the go-to choice for many coffee drinkers, especially during the chilly fall evenings.
Typically, it’s a fine blend of autumn spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Pumpkin spice is highly irresistible when added to good-quality coffee.
You can wait until the leaves start to change color before heading to coffee shops and grappling with the price tag of a pumpkin spice latte.
Or, you can choose to celebrate fall by preparing your own homemade pumpkin-flavored coffee using natural ingredients.
Ultimately, it’s your call.
But we’ll suggest you skip the calories and make your pumpkin spice latte yourself.
#5 Mocha
Mocha is light on caffeine, making it a great flavor for those who’ve just recently started drinking coffee.
Teenagers will find mocha an excellent way to ease their way into the world of coffee drinking.
Why’s that?
It is a combination of chocolate, milk, and coffee – something most teenagers love!
Plus, the rich and semi-sweet flavor of the chocolate blends nicely with the strong, bitter notes of coffee.
Usually, mocha won’t overpower your coffee.
Instead, you’ll get a brilliant blend of sweetness and chocolaty flavor.
Buy an iced cafe mocha or mochaccino from a coffee shop if iced coffee is your thing. Or add milk and a small amount of dark chocolate syrup to your cup of coffee.
Both choices are popular, and whatever you go with, you’re sure to have a great-tasting cup of coffee.
#6 Butterscotch
When you mix brown sugar with melted butter, you get butterscotch – an incredibly addictive and heady concoction.
Considering the delicious, caramel-like taste with a slight tinge of molasses, it’s not hard to see why butterscotch is a favorite pick for many coffee fans.
Don’t like the acidity of strong coffee? Butterscotch will help tone that down.
But if your coffee still comes off too strong for your liking, you might want to use butterscotch with light roast coffee beans.
For an amazing taste, add butterscotch syrup to fresh black espresso.
Want an entirely new twist to your caramel macchiato? Simply add butterscotch!
#7 Caramel
A list of the most popular coffee flavors without caramel is rather incomplete.
The flavor is a go-to choice for many coffee drinkers and it is not difficult to see why. Its luscious richness is simply delicious!
Caramel has a strong, robust, and smooth taste profile. Yet, it is sweet and quite agreeable.
All of these combine to provide a rich and satisfying experience when added to coffee.
The buttery sweetness of caramel is hard to resist, making it a great way to spice up your coffee!
In fact, you can drink your coffee with or without milk as long as you add caramel.
That’s because the flavor works so well with coffee, there’s usually no need to add milk.
The toasted hints of the beans complement caramel’s syrupy sweetness to make a great tasting homemade caramel macchiato.
#8 Amaretto
No, not the Italian liquor famed for its sweet almond flavor.
But yes, the Amaretto coffee flavor has its roots in the well-known Italian liquor.
However, we’re referring to the sweet, toasted almond that has made its way into nearly everything from desserts to cocktails.
And although Amaretto sweetener should be toasty and sweet, expect a trace of bitterness in the flavor.
As you probably would have guessed, it works best when splashed in your coffee as a crème. And here’s the best part. You can make the flavor quite easily.
Simply combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and Amaretto liquor in equal amounts.
Next, cook the mixture until reduced.
Lastly, store the mixture in your refrigerator until you are ready to add it to your coffee.
#9 Birthday Cake
Want a coffee flavor that’s like vanilla but tastes very sweet? You’ll want to try the birthday cake-flavored coffee.
You’ll likely find these coffee beans available in a combo of sweet vanilla sponge, strawberry jam, and cream filling.
No doubt, it is tough beating birthday cake-flavored anything – coffee included. That makes the birthday cake coffee flavor the go-to choice for special occasions.
It’s also one of the most popular coffee flavors for dessert.
Heck, it doesn’t have to be your birthday or even a special occasion to enjoy a good-tasting cup of birthday cake-flavored cup of coffee, right?
#10 Highlander Grogg
If you prefer light roast coffee beans, you might want to try the Highlander Grogg flavor.
Typically, this is a sweet, syrupy coffee flavor that brings to mind the delectable taste of pancakes.
Highlander Grogg is a buttery and sweet coffee flavor with a hint of Caribbean rum and vanilla.
Even those who don’t consider themselves coffee drinkers will easily fall head over heels for the rich aroma of this flavor.
If you’re looking to give up sugar and cream for some health reasons, but coffee black isn’t your thing, perhaps Highlander Grogg can make the transition easier for you.
Its mild and “approachable” flavor can get you drinking your coffee black in no time.
#11 Kona
Lastly, we’ve included Kona on this list, even though it is technically not a coffee flavor.
So, what is Kona and why is it on our list of the most popular coffee flavors?
Kona is simply a coffee beans variety with an amazingly rich flavor. It is one of the most prized and rarest varieties in the world.
As to why it’s featured on our list, you need to have the “Kona” experience to fully appreciate its uniqueness.
The Hawaiian beans brew into a less acidic and incredibly smoother coffee than most other types of coffees.
As you probably have guessed, you’ll have to pay top dollar to get Kona coffee, considering its uniqueness, rareness, and meticulous growing process.
But it is worth every single cent and it is not exclusively reserved for coffee aficionados only.
You’ll love Kona coffee if you like to enjoy a good cup of Joe in the morning.
Natural and Artificial Coffee Flavors: How Are They Made?
Flavored coffees are either natural or artificial. Let’s take a quick look at how they are made.
Natural Flavor
Generally, making naturally flavored coffee will involve the use of nuts, cinnamon, chocolate, berries, and vanilla.
Typically, roasters flavor the coffee beans using the right flavor profile to make naturally flavored coffee. After this, the finest quality syrup is poured into the coffee beans.
Next, the coffee beans are placed into a mixer where they thoroughly mix with the syrup for about 15 minutes at the very least.
Thanks to the highly absorbent nature of coffee beans, the syrup is soaked up. The result is coffee beans infused with the flavor.
Keep in mind that the taste and aroma of naturally flavored coffee will depend on the roast level. In most cases, flavors like peppermint and fruit tend to react better with light roast coffee.
On the other hand, dark roast coffee is your best bet for caramel flavor. It also works great for flavors with a heavy aroma like chocolate and nuts.
Artificial Flavor
If you order coffee from a coffee shop or restaurant, you are likely drinking artificially flavored coffee. Usually, these use flavors like peppermint.
To make artificially flavored coffee, coffee beans are soaked in flavored chemicals. They are left to absorb the flavored chemicals, after which they are ready for use.
If you must choose, go with naturally flavored coffee.
Besides offering natural tastes and nutrients, the flavor from a high-quality syrup is something you don’t want to miss.
Here’s the thing, though.
Artificially flavored coffee drinks are not harmful. They are quite popular all over the world.
So, go ahead and order any artificial flavor you prefer – if that is what you want. You can be sure they are safe for consumption.
Also Read: 14 Biggest Instant Coffee Brands in the World
Final Thoughts
There you have it – the most popular coffee flavors around the world! Go ahead and give them a try, especially if you have found a flavor that is completely new to you.
Whichever addition you choose, they are all great for coffee and will suit different palates. But you’ll never know unless you try them out, right.
Worried about your health? No problem. Most of these coffee flavors are available in find sugar-free versions.
And if you’ll like to do things a bit differently, check out some of the weirdest coffees around the world. Who knows what might you might?
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Last Updated on October 5, 2022 by Ashok Parmar
