The combination of pumpkin spice (which is a mix of different spices used for pumpkin pie and does notcontain any pumpkin at all) and coffee has brought back to life the practice of using spices in our coffee.

 

This practice, however, dates back to the first era of coffee. This was in the Middle East, before the drink even made it to Europe. Here, coffee was usually had black, with a little bit of sugar… and a lotof spices.

 

Some of the spices that were used (and still are) are clove, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cayenne pepper, anise, and even ginger.

 

And the fact of the matter is that spiced coffee is undoubtedly delicious. Fragrant spices add layers of complexity to coffee’s already fragrant aroma, while others turn plain, bitter coffee into a revitalizing combination of sweet, earthy, and spicy flavors.

 

So we’re going to share with you a few spiced coffee recipes. These are ordered from least to most spicy (in terms of spices used), so that you have a few to try before going full spiced.

 

#1 Cinnamon coffee

The simplest and most obvious one, as cinnamon naturally goes great with coffee. However, simply sprinkling cinnamon on top of your coffee doesn’t quite achieve the best possible results.

 

Which is why, to make the best cinnamon-spiced coffee, we should mix the cinnamon with our ground coffee before brewing. That way, the coffee will still be infused with cinnamon but we’d be getting rid of the texture of cinnamon floating around in our coffee.

 

Ingredients:

• 15 grams ground coffee
• ¼ -½ teaspoon ground coffee

 

 

Instructions:

1. Mix cinnamon and coffee together.
2. Brew as you normally would.
3. Sweeten and enjoy!

 

#2 Cardamom Coffee

This one’s a little riskier. Cardamom isn’t a particularly popular spice in the US, but it’s an absolute bomb when combined with coffee. It’s very popular in India, for example, for curry and so on.

 

Ingredients:

• 15 grams ground coffee
• 4 cardamom pods

 

Instructions:

1. Gently open the pods to reveal the seeds inside.
2. Crush the seeds to unleash their full aromatic power.
3. Mix them with the ground coffee, and brew.
4. Sweeten and enjoy!

 

#3 Thrice-spiced coffee

The holy trinity of coffee spices: cinnamon, cardamom, and clove.

 

Ingredients:

• 15 grams ground coffee
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3-4 crushed cardamom seeds
• A dash of ground clove

 

Instructions:

1. Mix spices together with ground coffee.
2. Brew as you normally would.
3. Sweeten and enjoy!

 

#4 Moroccan-style spiced coffee

 

Now we’re up to four spices. The latest addition? Nutmeg. This one goes particularly well with espresso.

 

Ingredients:

• 15 grams ground coffee
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 cardamom seeds, crushed
• A dash of ground cloves

 

Instructions:

1. Mix everything together.
2. Brew as you usually would.
3. Sweeten and enjoy!

 

And now, for the final one, let’s add one more spice to the mix, shall we?

#5 Spiced coffee

While amounts vary a lot depending on the country, the traditional and most classic of all spiced coffees always has five spices: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. It is a heavenly combination that synergizes fantastically with coffee. So let’s give it a try!

 

Ingredients:

• 15 grams ground coffee
• A dash of cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 cardamom seeds, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

 

Instructions:

1. Mix everything together except for the cinnamon.
2. Brew as you usually would, then serve.
3. Add a pinch of cinnamon, sweeten, and enjoy!