October 9, 2015

Coffee Talk II: The Best-kept Secret in the Coffee Industry

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by Chef Brittany Williams

Ever wonder how your favorite coffee shop gets your vanilla or hazelnut coffee to taste so delicious, even when you order your flavored coffee black?

Brace yourself, this is the best-kept secret in the coffee world! And the best part is, the secret lies in just two ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. The secret to that taste is: Simple Syrup.

Simple syrup, like the coffee creamer we spoke about in the last blog post, can take on practically any flavor.

What is Simple Syrup?

It’s one part sugar that has been dissolved in one part water, by combining the two and bringing to a boil. You can use any sugar you like, from raw sugar to regular table sugar. It is truly that…simple. This little trick has many advantages. First off, your sugar is now dissolved into a liquid, therefore you never have to worry about sugar crystals settling to the bottom of your coffee cup ever again. This is an especially big deal in iced coffee! Simple Syrup is also shelf stable, so no need to take up valuable refrigerator space. Simple Syrup will last up to two weeks at room temperature and up to two months in your refrigerator.

You can keep the Simple Syrup as is or add your favorite flavor.

Try one of these varieties below…

Almond Sweetener:

  • 1 cup Simple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Hazelnut Sweetener:

  • 1 cup Simple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract

Vanilla Sweetener:

  • 1 cup Simple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Speaking of Vanilla…

This trick isn’t new but always a great reminder. If you use vanilla beans often, don’t throw away the left over pod! Stick it into a container of granulated sugar. Over time the vanilla essence will penetrate the sugar and voila, Vanilla Sugar! How fancy are you!?

Now that you know the best-kept secret in the coffee world, you’ll want to use the best coffee system in the world. Stop by Clarke, New England’s Official Sub-Zero & Wolf Showrooms and Test Kitchens, to Test Drive the Wolf Coffee System. You definitely want to try one of these on for size. Click here to find out how.