Coffee consumption has been studied extensively by universities, as well as other health-orientated organisations. It is not surprising that there are some significant and proven health benefits to drinking coffee. The bit that may be surprising is the amount of coffee required to get maximum benefits is up to 6 cups per day! It does not appear to make a difference if it is instant, espresso, or decaffeinated in many cases. John Hopkins University School of Medicine nutritionists suggest that drinking coffee can reduce incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, colon cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. They also found that coffee has a protective function on the liver and DNA. While this seems like coffee is the answer we’ve all been looking for, the fact is 1-2 cups a day is not going to have a massive impact.
Adding spices such as cinnamon, turmeric and matcha to coffee can increase the benefits. A chai spice mix takes your coffee to the next level, because it contains cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, pepper, clove, and nutmeg. These add to the benefits of heart protection, improvement in digestion and anti-inflammatory properties.
Drinking coffee for the joy it brings you is probably the better way to go, with any other benefits being a bonus. Ice cream adds extra joy to coffee, as do flavoured syrups and cream. While I was on the experimental bandwagon again, making syrups for ice cream, the idea of coffee syrups sprung to mind.
To make a chocolate or vanilla syrup, take ¾ cup sugar, ¾ cup water, and a pinch of salt. Boil together with ½ cup cocoa, and/or 1 split vanilla bean for 5-10 minutes until thickened slightly, mixing the whole time.
Strain out the vanilla bean (if added) and bottle in a sterile bottle. Store in the fridge for a up to two weeks. Don’t discard the vanilla bean, it can be dried and added to the sugar bowl to flavour the sugar or ground to use in other recipes.
Fruit syrup for ice cream can be made by adding 1 cup chopped fruit in place of the cocoa and boiling the mix for 10-20 minutes until the fruit is mushy. Cool slightly and run through a sieve. It will keep for a week or two in the fridge. I haven’t perfected the caramel syrup, yet, that might be something for next month.
In the meantime try making this Vanilla Macchiato at home:
Pour 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup into glass, froth ½-1 cup milk and pour over the vanilla. Prepare 2 shots of coffee and pour though the frothed milk to get the layered effect. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
