Brew us a flavour

17 October 2002 by
Brew us a flavour

Adding flavourings to coffee is nothing new. Several hundred years ago the first coffee drinkers roasted their beans with cinnamon sticks or vanilla pods - but the modern flavoured coffee syrup is a relatively new and increasingly popular trend in the UK.

In the quest to give the consumer more choice and to add value, coffee bars can now offer a wealth of coffee flavourings, from hazelnut and Irish cream to caramel, amaretto and chocolate. But, as our panel of experts points out, syrups and flavourings need to be used with caution. Most are sugar-based and can quickly over-sweeten the coffee in large doses.

Preparing the coffee is important - add the syrup to the cup or glass first, following the bottle's instructions, because adding it on top of the milk can alter or lose the flavour. If syrups are to become a serious feature on your coffee menu, it's worth getting to know each flavour and how it performs with your brand of coffee and different coffee drinks. Most go best with milk-based coffees such as latte and cappuccino, advised the panel, though some - nutty flavours especially - can work well with espresso. Look at details such as the packaging, too. If the bottle will be visible to the customer, an eye-catching design can increase sales.

The panel opted to taste all the syrups in both an espresso and a latte. Although it was commonly agreed that most syrups taste best in milk-based coffee drinks, our panel felt that flavours such as amaretto might benefit from an espresso tasting, too.

The tasters Richard Rodgers is executive chef with contract caterer Just Deli, which specialises in white-collar food service and feeds about 8,000 people per day. Rodgers is responsible for training and development across the group. Average customer spend is about £4 per head, with £1.20 spent on coffee.

Ivan Pantovich is a travelling barista with coffee wholesaler and retailer Costa Coffee. He is currently working as a quality controller and trainer for the company's wholesale department, responsible for the quality of coffee served at all Costa outlets. Pantovich is currently Brasilia UK Barista of the Year and will be seeking to defend the title in the 2003 competition.

Ian Jenner is food and beverage manager at the five-star Landmark hotel, London. The 299-bedroom hotel has the 90-seat Winter Garden restaurant and 85-seat Cellars bar, as well as room service and banqueting facilities. In busy periods it serves up to 1,000 covers per day. Average spend on lunch and dinner varies from £15 to £40, depending on the venue, with customers spending £2.25-£4.75 on coffee.

Lanfranco Lepri is sales manager for coffee roaster and distributor Caffe Torelli. As well as selling coffee to bars, pubs, restaurants and contract caterers, the company offers support and training from an INEI-certified (Instituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano) team and is working towards training other establishments to obtain the certification in the future.

And there's more…

Rowse claims its Café Duo syrups can be used to add a twist to espressos, cappuccinos, lattes and instant or filter coffee without the sweetness often associated with syrups. Managing director Stuart Bailey says they can even be used in iced coffee and hot and cold milk drinks. "We find that a good way for customers to encourage sales is to feature flavoured lattes on the menu, rather than just offering the syrups as an optional extra - that way you get people to experiment with different flavours."

Seven varieties are packaged in 600g glass bottles and they come with a pump dispenser to deliver the perfect dose for a standard cup of coffee. Café Duo is available in Irish Cream, Chocolate, Caramel, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Vanilla and Amaretto (01491 827400).

Darril Ling, Monin brand manager for the UK, says vanilla is still the clear favourite when it comes to coffee flavouring, with caramel a close number two. But people are increasingly experimenting with combinations such as vanilla and caramel latte and macadamia and coconut. Monin has 65 syrups in its range, of which it recommends 16 for coffee. It recently launched chestnut as a seasonal choice for Christmas. "The target market for coffee syrups is still very much women aged 25-35," Ling says, "but in the USA men are becoming much more adventurous - and it will happen here, too."

Monin syrups are available through King UK (01442 229400) and Metropolitan Coffee (020 8743 8959).

Coffee syrups taste test - the results

The products were rated according to our star system:

Outstanding
* Recommended

Lyle's Coffee Syrup Caramel

Wholesale price: about £5 per 750ml bottle
Positive comments: good caramel colour; nice aroma, almost butterscotch; very good in espresso; well-balanced, good lingering flavour; good in latte, too; lovely, soft, very pleasant to drink.
Less favourable: none.

*

Lyle's Coffee Syrup Vanilla

Wholesale price: about £5 per 750ml bottle
Positive comments: clear, familiar branding on bottle; rich, natural aroma; appealing dark golden colour; works with both espresso and latte, but best in the latte; retains aroma in the milk-based coffee without being sickly.
Less favourable: quite sugary; plastic bottle could prove problematic for pouring.

*

Lyle's Coffee Syrup Hazelnut

Wholesale price: about £5 per 750ml bottle
Positive comments: very nice aroma; doesn't frighten the palate - hazelnut can be a drying flavour; works best in latte, where it retains gentle hazelnut favour.
Less favourable: overpowering in espresso.

*

Routin 1883 Roasted Hazelnut

Wholesale price: £6 per 700ml bottle. Packs available: 6 x 700ml, 6 x 250ml
Positive comments: clear labelling works well on trendy square bottle; good aroma of real hazelnut; nice in espresso and works perfectly with latte; well balanced with right level of sugar and flavour.
Less favourable: quite "short on flavour" for one taster.

Da Vinci Gourmet Vanilla

Wholesale price: £2.90 per 375ml bottle, £5 for 750ml. Cases of 12 bottles, including mixed flavours, available
Positive comments: smart, appealing bottle.
Less favourable: rather synthetic aroma; vanilla flavour lost in latte; too much like a sugar syrup.

Routin 1883 Amaretto

Wholesale price: £6 per 700ml bottle. Packs available: 6 x 700ml, 6 x 250ml
Positive comments: good-looking bottle; nice almond aroma; smells almost identical to amaretto liqueur.
Less favourable: labelling could be clearer; promising aroma not followed through; a little too sweet in the espresso and flavour lost in the latte.

Da Vinci Gourmet Amaretto

Wholesale price: £2.90 per 375ml bottle, £5 for 750ml. Cases of 12 bottles, including mixed flavours, available
Positive comments: same appealing bottle as vanilla.
Less favourable: marzipan aroma; very sugary and lacking in amaretto flavour.

Da Vinci Hazelnut

Wholesale price: £2.90 per 375ml bottle, £5 for 750ml. Cases of 12 bottles, including mixed flavours, available
Positive comments: good initial taste; works best in latte.
Less favourable: very sweet.

Routin 1883 Chocolate

Wholesale price: £7.50 per 700ml bottle. Packs available: 6 x 700ml, 6 x 250ml
Positive comments: very rich, dark appearance; looks great.
Less favourable: synthetic aroma; has a bitter aftertaste in espresso; tastes weak in latte.

Lyle's Coffee Syrup Chocolate

Wholesale price: about £5 per 750ml bottle
Positive comments: smells of chocolate; good colour in latte.
Less favourable: synthetic taste; bitter aftertaste in espresso; unfavourable aroma in latte.

Contacts

Routin (United Coffee Distributors) 01233 840296

Tate & Lyle
020 8682 1633

Davinci Fine Foods 020 8449 6699

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