The History of coffee is as colorful as that of the human civilization, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It is shrouded by legends and story that dates back up to a thousand years. What is certain though is that coffee was originally found in Ethiopia and Yemen. At that time only the leaves and flowers were brewed into a tisane and drank by the natives.
1000 years ago, with coffee trees growing in southwest Arabia the Arabs, came up with the idea of roasting the beans found inside the sweet tasting coffee cherries. It was then that the coffee bean drink was born.
How Flavored Coffee Beans Came to be
Most people think that flavored coffee beans are a modern discovery. In reality however, the tradition of flavoring one's coffee is as old as time immemorial. Some hundred years back coffee in the middle east was not just black or white. The Middle Eastern would flavor their coffee with nuts and spices to give its flavor an added boost.
Companies have capitalized on the modern world's clamor and dependence on coffee. Brilliant marketers preyed upon the consumer's craving for every single flavor that nature can offer. Before, coffee was spiced up by adding different flavored syrup imaginable. The usual syrup flavors are strawberry, dulce de leche, hazelnut, amaretto, Irish crme, almond, French vanilla and a whole lot more.
Today, with all the technological advances flavored coffee beans are made by coating the coffee with the desired flavor during the roasting process. Because it is coated, the flavors actually extend the bean's shelf life. As pointed out, flavoring ones coffee is not a new trend, but the boom in gourmet coffee has increased the popularity and hungry for the most exotic flavored coffee beans.
The Perfect Bean
To make a great tasting flavored coffee bean, the right kind of bean used is crucial. A single bean is flavored by compounds such as aromatic oils, sugars, organic acids, mineral salts, carbohydrates, and other chemicals that include caffeine. Those mentioned are just a few of the 800 diverse compounds which lend coffee beans its intoxicating taste and aroma.
The essence of the bean's taste is an evidence of the region it was grown in and the roasting process it underwent. Generally Arabica coffee beans are used to make flavored coffee beans due to its bitterness and low levels of acidity.
Incidentally the Arabica is also considered as the best coffee variety that ever existed. The Arabica is highly prized and the earliest type of coffee that was cultivated by man. The Arabica is used and not the Robusta bean because Robusta is harsher, not as mild, not as aromatic, and not as enticingly tasty. There are some coffee manufacturers who aim for a more interesting mix; they combine different kinds of beans from different regions to create a highly individualized blend.
