Three Coffee Trends
Have you heard of pumpkin spiced latte, iced mocha or dalgona coffee? Step out of your comfort zone and sip on these coffee variations.
Coffee seems to have taken the 21st century by storm, everyone it seems stops for a coffee, whether whilst at work or on holiday; there are coffee bars on every street corner, in book shops and garden centres. Very photogenic, it is a popular topic on social media, so new drinks and ideas spread fast – an impressive example was the hype around Dalgona coffee from Asia last year.
Flowers in coffee
Flowers in coffee are currently in vogue adding colour and texture to your morning latte. Elderflower, rose petals, hibiscus and lavender: all are edible and all can be sprinkled on top of freshly foamed milk. For the more adventurous, you can make your own floral syrups by simply dissolving your sweetner of choice (honey works well with flowers) in water and infusing the dried flower petals for 30 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of the syrup to your coffee and top with frothed milk and a few more dried petals. Blooming delicious!
Espresso Martini
Attentive bar-goers may have already noticed it, but it's worth telling everyone else: the Espresso Martini is back. Actually a drink from the 1990s, the mixture of an espresso, vodka, coffee liqueur and sugar syrup is celebrating a strong resurgence. The New York Times noted that the drink was made for the post-pandemic reawakening – that's right.
Cold brew with tonic or juice
The success of cold brew shows that coffee does not necessarily have to be infused with hot water. The cold brew craze began in the US a while ago; coarsely ground coffee is steeped in cold water overnight then strained several times until clear.
The result is similarly aromatic but less acidic than classic hot coffee, it also tends to be less bitter and a touch smoother than hot brewed. Brew it strong and you can mix it with hot water for a delicious coffee without the grinds.
The new trend is that other ingredients are now added to the cold brew, such as the addition of orange or grapefuit juice, tonic water, ginger beer or even coconut milk. A great way to make a non-alcoholic, but spirit lifting 'mocktail'.