You Should Flavor Your Coffee With Extracts, Not Syrups

Half the fun of buying a small drink at Starbucks is in the customization options. Their seemingly endless supply of flavored syrups allows you to create a personalized treat, and pampering is important. But self-medication can also be expensive, especially if you’re doing it at Starbucks, so it’s worth considering that you don’t need an army of dispenser bottles to make a vanilla, cinnamon, almond, or even coconut latte at home. You just need extracts.

Extracts are most commonly used in baking, but unless you’re obsessed with avoiding even the smallest amount of alcohol, there’s no reason why you can’t add them to your coffee to create flavored drinks on a whim. This allows you to enjoy a wide variety of flavors without having to buy or make (and store) a wide variety of syrups.

While you’ll still need some sugar, artificial sweetener, or plain simple syrup to make iced drinks, using extracts allows you to enhance the flavor without adding more sugar than you’d like because each ingredient is added separately. If you find pump bottle syrups cloying, you’ll love the slightly subtle, more natural taste the extracts bring to your drink. And, unlike bulky dispenser bottles, extracts take up very little space in your closet and can also be used to flavor baked goods and ice cream.

I do not recommend adding an extract without simple syrup, sugar, or other sweetener. The extracts are quite unpleasant on their own, but mixing them with a sweetener rounds out and enhances their flavor, making the vanilla extract taste more like vanilla (or at least what you think vanilla should taste like, i.e. sweet).

As for the brand, I like Watkins for their wide range of flavors, but feel free to use whichever brand you like. Vanilla is the most obvious choice, and you probably already have it in your pantry, but I encourage you to try almond , coconut , caramel , cinnamon , or something a little more serious like root beer or a fruity flavor like cherry . If you’re a big fan of holiday latte, grab a bottle of pumpkin spice or mint extract and make your own PSL or mint mocha, respectively. (Don’t accidentally use peppermint essential oil if you don’t like the burning taste.) I’m also a big fan of Cook’s vanilla powder , which can be used as a one-for-one liquid extract replacement for iced coffee and ice cream.

Extracts can be made with natural or artificial flavors (these are your “imitation” extracts), and some contain both, but I don’t mind lab-synthesized flavors. (If yes, stick to the natural ones, there are plenty of them.)

A capful of extract per eight ounce drink is usually sufficient, although this may vary depending on the quality and strength of your extract. Start by sweetening your coffee as usual by adding cream (if any) and then adding some extract. Mix and try. Add more until you are satisfied with the taste, keeping in mind that you can add more than one extract if you like. I am currently sipping vanilla and almond iced coffee and am very pleased with myself.