Honey in Coffee: The Ultimate Guide
Coffee lovers are always looking for something fun and fresh to add to spice up their coffee life. For those that love something sweet in their coffee, honey in coffee may be the next biggest trend to hop on board. Not only is this a yummy treat, but it is a natural sweetener that is much healthier to creams, syrups, and plain sugar.
So is coffee with honey the next big thing? Lucky for you, we have a full guide showing pros and cons of adding this sweet tweet to coffee for the future. We have tried almost any sweetener you could think of, so we have high standards when it comes to the flavor test.
Pros and Cons
While most people are quite familiar with using honey as a sweetener, it doesn’t seem to stand a chance when compared to other sweetener methods’ popularity. We wondered why that is, so we made a quick pros and cons list of adding honey in coffee.
Pros
Raw honey has pollen, which can help combat common colds and sickness. If you are prone to feeling under the weather during cold season, consider adding honey to your coffee during that time. It also contains loads of vitamins and antioxidants that help you combat sickness and feel better overall.
Honey also is healthier. Although it technically does have more calories than sugar, the type of calories it has are easier to burn and overall better for you. So rather than trying sugar-free options loaded down with chemicals and other additives, give honey a try to ease your conscience while you try to make better health choices or complete that diet.
Cons
There are some downsides to honey. For one, honey is not as readily available at coffee shops as sugar is, so if you typically buy coffee rather than make your own, be wary of this. If you are a home coffee maker, be sure to check out our guide on how to add honey in coffee below to see if you want to add it to your morning routine.
Honey is also known for its bold flavor. While this can be a positive for some people, most people find it off-putting and harsh when paired with coffee. Sugar, on the other hand, is a familiar, lighter sweetener, hence its popularity worldwide.
Another large downside that some nutritionists and doctors agree with is that honey is not nearly as beneficial for you when it is heated up. So if you drink hot coffee, this can be a huge dealbreaker. Luckily, the temperature this happens at is extremely hot, so if you are keeping your coffee relatively hot, you should be fine. This is not an all-around agreed upon thought, but honey is widely accepted as more beneficial when kept cold.
How to Add Honey in Coffee
If you would like to try out honey in coffee, it is a bit different than adding sugar. Here is a quick guide on how to properly mix honey into your coffee:
1. Decide which type of honey to add.
There are two types of honey: raw and regular. Raw honey isn’t pasteurized and regular honey is pasteurized. This means that regular honey has added sugar and preservatives while raw honey comes straight from the hive. There are benefits from both, but raw honey is definitely more healthy.
After you decide on which type of honey to go with, there are loads of subtypes under each category. This is where terms like agave, fireweed, and chestnut honey come into play. Each of these and a lot more fall under one of the two categories, but have their own unique flavor and qualities, so if you don’t like a specific type of honey in your coffee, give another kind a try.
2. Scoop 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey.
Any more than 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey will be too much, not only in flavor but also in health. One or two is plenty to give you the kick of sweetener to help combat the bitter coffee flavor.
3. Mix through with the spoon.
Honey sticks to anything it touches, so mix the honey with the same spoon that you scoop with to prevent waste. It might take a minute to let the honey fully dissolve in the coffee, but the warmer the coffee the quicker. Just be sure to not have too hot of coffee to hit the point where the antioxidants and health benefits start to deteriorate as we discussed above.
Conclusion
There you have it. You have made coffee with honey! This is one of the oldest methods of sweetener, so don’t count it out before you give it a full try. There will always be some negatives and some positives when trying something new.
Be sure to experiment to find the perfect fit for you, and maybe you can even learn to use honey for other drinks as a sweetener, such as tea! There is a world of possibilities when it comes to honey, and we love trying out new ideas and having a new drink to latch onto. So grab your honey from the pantry and give it a shot!
