Cinnamon flavor is one of the most recognizable ones, and it goes well with the bitter flavor profile of coffee. But cinnamon powder or grounds don’t go well with coffee drinks because they don’t dissolve in water, making one wonder how they can get cinnamon into their coffee.
To dissolve cinnamon in coffee, you need to get cinnamon essence in liquid form instead of powder (which is insoluble). Adding diluted cinnamon essence to your coffee can bring you the same health and flavor benefits of putting cinnamon in your coffee but without messing up your cup’s texture.
In this article, you will learn three different methods of adding cinnamon to your coffee alongside the pros and cons of each one. You will also discover which method is best for which type of coffee. But before we get to any of that, we must look at the key benefits of adding the spice.
Benefits of Cinnamon in Coffee
If you’re looking up how to dissolve cinnamon in coffee, the chances are that you know about a few benefits of cinnamon. It comes with flavor, health, and other general advantages, which make it worth the effort required to dissolve cinnamon in your coffee.
It Is Antibacterial and Antiviral
Cinnamon has been used as an herbal medicine in the Chinese medical tradition and is thought to have antiviral and antibacterial properties. This is backed by a paper in the Nutrients Journal that makes a good argument as to why your coffee should have a dash of cinnamon.
It Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties
If you experience flare-ups, a puffy morning face, and raised bags under your eyes, a little bit of cinnamon can help. That said, direct application is probably a more straightforward solution but ingesting cinnamon with your coffee comes with flavor and taste (which is the real reason most people want Cinnamon in their coffee in the first place).
It Reduces Blood Pressure
High blood pressure has become a big problem in recent times because of the increased stress of modern life and the abundance of unhealthy food. Cinnamon might not offset the ill effects of a bad diet, but it can decrease your blood pressure.
It Improves Digestion
Coffee is often associated with bowel movements because of the effect it has on the gut. It only makes sense for cinnamon, which reduces digestive discomfort to go hand in hand with coffee. Cinnamon improves digestion while coffee helps bowel movement, collectively resulting in a cleaner gut.
It Lowers Sugar Levels in One’s Blood
This is yet another critical advantage of consuming cinnamon. Lower blood sugar is crucial to avoiding sugar crashes caused by insulin spikes. When you have coffee, you risk experiencing a caffeine crash.
A sugar crash and a caffeine crash getting activated simultaneously can take a toll on your productivity. Fortunately, adding some cinnamon to your coffee can reign in the insulin spike and keep you from experiencing a sugar crash.
It Has a Unique Flavor
The ones listed above are only the health benefits of cinnamon, but everyone knows that the greatest perk of cinnamon is its flavor. It is a spice for a reason. However, unlike sugar, cinnamon is quite stubborn and refuses to dissolve in water. And attempts at mixing cinnamon with water get you the same result: a sludge of yellow cinnamon amalgamation floating like algae on water.
So how can one mix cinnamon with coffee? The answer depends on the kind of coffee you’re having. There are straight spoon-stirring methods and ones that involve over ten steps. The kind of route you take to get cinnamon in your coffee is determined by the drink you want and what you are willing to do to get it.
Cinnamon in Cream: The Cream Coffee Method
This way of “dissolving” cinnamon in your coffee relies on the thickness of your coffee cream because cinnamon doesn’t really dissolve; it simply hides in the cream’s fluff. As long as you use only a pinch of cinnamon powder, it will be barely detectable in texture yet remain significantly noticeable in flavor.
- Step one – Pour two tablespoons of Organic Heavy Coconut Cream into a small ice cream bowl or a similar-sized container.
- Step two – add half a pinch of cinnamon powder to the cream. Make sure you err on the side of less.
- Step three – Stir with a coffee stirrer or the back of a teaspoon. Using a thin stirring tool is crucial at this stage.
- Step four – Scoop the cream with a spoon and mix it with your coffee.
The Pros of the Cream Solution Method
- Straightforward – This method involves the straightest path to getting cinnamon into your coffee without having to encounter undissolved granules.
- It doesn’t involve eccentric purchases – You do not need to get products you’re unfamiliar with. Everything required in this method is available at your local corner store.
The Cons of the Cream Solution Method
- High calorie – Many people choose coffee as their go-to beverage because it boosts their metabolism and helps them lose weight. This is neutralized with heavy cream, which leaves you vulnerable to weight gain.
- It changes the texture of your coffee – While you will not get the granular texture of cinnamon or the sludgy texture of the spice mixed in water, you will still get a thick blob of cream lightening your coffee. If you prefer to drink your coffee black, you’ll not be the greatest fan of this method.
Add Cinnamon Powder to Coffee Grounds – The Filter Out Method
Coffee and cinnamon both seem to have the following in common: they don’t dissolve in water. But what’s even better is that they both also infuse water with their essence. Bringing these two aspects together, we come to the filter-out method.
- Step 1 – Add a portion of coffee grounds, sufficient for four cups of coffee, to a small bowl.
- Step 2 – Add a pinch of cinnamon powder to the grounds and stir with a toothpick or coffee stirrer.
- Step 3 – Use the grounds in a french press or other paper filter systems to brew yourself a cup of cinnamon coffee.
The Pros of the Filtration method
- Not time-consuming. Adding cinnamon this way, especially if you are already accustomed to filter coffee or French-pressed drinks, is only a small added step
- Minimal changes to texture and taste. Unlike the cream method, this way of adding cinnamon changes the taste and texture to the right extent without overpowering what you like about your current cup of joe.
- Easy measurements. You don’t break down a pinch of cinnamon into halves or quarters, making it easy to get just the right amount every time.
The cons of the filtration method
Doesn’t work with single-serve coffee machines
Cinnamon expands when it is exposed to hot water. Coffee grounds, too, increase in volume when they get wet. If coffee grounds expanded more than cinnamon, there would be no problem mixing them with cinnamon powder. However, cinnamon expands much more and creates a barrier that prevents coffee-infused water from passing through many coffee machine filters.
Doesn’t work with coffee pods
If you have a coffee pod machine and replaceable pods like Reusable K Cups, you might have a way of adding cinnamon (covered below), but using cinnamon powder won’t work because of the difference in expansion covered above.
Add cinnamon extract: the liquid blend method
The best way to solve a problem is to figure out where it arises. With the highest resolution look at the cinnamon dissolving issue, the actual problem is that cinnamon isn’t soluble. And as long as what you want in your coffee is the essence of cinnamon, the best way to have it is to opt for a soluble cinnamon extract. Blending liquids with liquids is much easier, and you can even carry the extract with you to cinnamon-spike any caffeinated beverage you order.
- Step one – Get retail grade cinnamon extract like Cook’s, Pure Cinnamon Extract
- Step two – Take half a teaspoon of the extract and add it to a full glass of room-temperature water.
- Step three – Taste the water to see if the extract is too powerful for your preference or too mild. Add water or extract until the essence is at the right concentration.
- Step four – Pour the water into the kettle and brew your coffee.
Alternative method
Not everyone brews coffee by boiling water. Some coffee machines have a direct water supply. Here’s an alternative method to get cinnamon essence in your coffee without refilling the water supply.
- Step one – Prepare your coffee as you usually do
- Step two – Get a dropper like EZY DOSE Flents Dropper Bottle
- Step three – Get the tiniest amount of cinnamon essence into the dropper
- Step four – Add it to your finished coffee beverage. Adjust ratios according to taste.
Pros of cinnamon essence method
- Portable – You can carry cinnamon essence with you to most places. Many tiny containers come with droppers like PrettyCare Tincture Bottle, so you don’t even need to carry two different items.
- Mess-free – The greatest perk of using cinnamon oil as opposed to powder is that there’s no mess. You don’t need to clean up the remaining powder, filter any sludge, or even prepare your own coffee!
Cons of cinnamon essence method
- The necessary taste adjustment – For many people, there’s no drawback as strong as having to taste cinnamon water. Unfortunately, you’ll need to taste a few times before the right ratios become second nature to you.
- Easy to overdo – Cinnamon essence is so strong that it’s almost impossible not to add too much of it to your coffee. For perspective, remember that only a few drops of the essence are used for large cakes. Using a container like Pink Coated Glass Dropper Bottles and adding three parts water and one part cinnamon essence can help offset this drawback.
Final Thoughts
Cinnamon can be a charming addition to your coffee’s flavor profile, but its insolubility can adversely affect your cup’s texture. Using cinnamon grounds pre-filtering and having them served out is one of the best ways to get the spice’s essence into your coffee. Alternatively, you can purchase pre-extracted essence and dilute it and drop it into your coffee for great flavor.
