Do you like to sweeten your cup of coffee? We all know that cutting our sugar intake is a good thing, but if you can’t face drinking your favourite cup without it consider raw honey.
Riath, Balqees founder, enjoys exploring how coffee and honey taste together. Start with coffee you already like, add a little honey and stir well. Taste before adding more.
Why use raw honey in your coffee?
At Balqees, we all use raw honey in our coffee for sweetness, and this is why:
1. Sweetness you can adjust
Honey adds sugar as well as flavour. It is not a calorie-free sweetener, and its trace nutrients do not make generous portions necessary. Start with a small amount and adjust to the coffee.
2Great tasting flavour combination
Try White Mountain honey from Kyrgyzstan for a floral, creamy style, or Yemeni Sidr Do’ani for its distinctive caramel and butterscotch notes. Those notes refer to Do’ani specifically. Compare small amounts in the same coffee to find your preferred pairing.
3. Hot or cold
Honey dissolves more easily in warm coffee. For cold brew, mix it first with a small splash of warm water or coffee, then stir it into the drink.
4. A small tasting experiment
Keep the coffee, brewing method and serving size the same while changing the honey. Notice how sweetness, aroma and finish change. Adding honey does not cancel caffeine’s effects or guarantee sustained energy.
5. An easy cold-brew option
The recipe below is for enjoyment, not weight loss or cough treatment. Choose decaffeinated coffee if that suits you better, and account for the honey in your sugar intake.
So if you don’t already use raw honey in your coffee, let us know if you try it.
Riath's raw honey cold brew coffee
Have you discovered cold brew coffee? It’s not like iced coffee which is cooled after heating but it’s made from cold and takes away any bitterness. Riath, Balqees founder, thinks it gives a luxurious taste. It's simple to make at home.
Ingredients
- very coarsely ground Arabica coffee
- water
- raw honey
- vanilla (seeds from a pod or vanilla extract)
Instructions
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Mix very coarsely ground single origin Arabica coffee beans and water in a large bowl, jug or mason jar with a 1:8 coffee to water ratio. Place the covered container in the fridge for 16-24 hours. Give it an occasional stir and, once steeped, strain through a fine-mesh sieve or similar to get rid of the grounds.
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Add honey and vanilla to taste and stir well. Keep the cold brew refrigerated in a clean, covered container. Optional turmeric changes the flavour; it is not a performance supplement.
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Serve at room temperature, poured over ice or even warm if you like. The perfect drink, especially during the summer months, to remain refreshed, revitalised and ready for action.
