Spices to Add to Your Coffee

There’s barely anything better than a steaming cup of strong coffee on a cold winter afternoon. Well, that’s until you realize how many spices and add-ons are there to make your coffee more enjoyable. And chances are, you have most of these on your kitchen shelf.

With cinnamon lattes available everywhere, adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to your coffee might not surprise you. Most warm autumn spices are also suitable — but they are just the beginning. Find other simple ideas for such add-ons to change a regular cup of coffee into an extraordinary experience.

Types of Spices That Make Coffee Taste Even Better

The simplest way of adding most of these spices would be to sprinkle a pinch of their powder directly into a freshly brewed mug of coffee. But that’s not always the best way to get the most out of their flavors.

Here’s a table with recommendations for how much of each spice to add to a standard 12-cup pot of coffee, along with ways of combining multiple spices for your unique blends.

Spice	Flavor	Amount to Add for a Pot (12 Cups)	Add for the Best Flavor	Combines Well With
Cinnamon	Warm, sweet, and slightly spicy	1-2 cinnamon sticks or 1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Nutmeg, Cardamom
Nutmeg	Warm and nutty	1-2 teaspoons ground	To the whole coffee beans before grinding	Cinnamon, Cloves
Cardamom	Citrusy, floral, and slightly spicy	4-6 cardamom pods, crushed or 1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Ginger
Ginger	Spicy and slightly sweet	1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cardamom, Cloves
Vanilla	Sweet and aromatic	1-2 teaspoons extract or 1-2 vanilla beans (scraped)	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Cloves	Warm, sweet, and slightly pungent	4-6 whole cloves or 1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Nutmeg, Cardamom
Allspice	Warm and slightly peppery	1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Star Anise	Licorice-like and slightly sweet	2-3 whole star anise	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Cloves
Black Pepper	Spicy and mildly pungent	1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cardamom, Ginger
Cayenne Pepper	Spicy and adds a kick	1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Chocolate
Orange Zest	Citrusy and fresh	1 tablespoon zest (avoid the bitter white pith)	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Vanilla
Mint Leaves	Fresh and cooling	4-6 fresh leaves, crushed	To the coffee grounds or directly  in the pot	Chocolate, Vanilla
Cocoa Powder	Rich and chocolatey	1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Cinnamon, Peppermint
Lavender	Floral and aromatic	1-2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Vanilla, Mint
Pumpkin Spice Blend	Warm and reminiscent of autumn spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger)	1-2 tablespoons or to taste	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Vanilla, Nutmeg
Turmeric	Earthy and slightly bitter	1-2 teaspoons ground	To the coffee grounds before brewing	Ginger, Cinnamon
Saffron	Floral and slightly bitter	A pinch of saffron strands	Steep in hot water, add infused water to the pot	Cardamom, Vanilla
Rosemary	Woody and aromatic	1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed	Add fresh sprigs to the coffee grounds or in the pot	Orange Zest, Thyme

Spice blends like pumpkin spice, and apple pie spice also work well when added to freshly ground coffee beans before putting them into the coffee maker. 

Plenty of countries have traditionally prepared and drank spiced coffee years, with spices coffee from Turkey, Morocco, Ethiopia, India, and Middle Eastern countries being famous worldwide.

Other than spices, coconut and almond milk make delicious coffee add-ons. Another, more unusual thing to add to your coffee would be butter, which gained popularity when bulletproof coffee became famous.

One feel-good factor of adding spices to coffee is the unique benefits each spice offers. For example, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg add a punch of antioxidants to your daily coffee. They also help boost metabolism, which helps keep you healthy.

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