Cinnamon Coffee
Cinnamon on top of a coffee mostly sits there. Cinnamon brewed with the coffee, or steeped into the milk, gets into the drink itself — and the two kinds of cinnamon on the shelf do not taste the same.
Which cinnamon
- Ceylon (true cinnamon): delicate, floral, faintly citrusy. Better in milk.
- Cassia: the darker, cheaper, sharper one most jars contain. Stronger and more familiar, and it stands up to espresso.
Use sticks rather than ground where you can. Ground cinnamon does not dissolve; it floats and then silts.
What you need
- A double shot of espresso — 18 g of coffee in, 36 g in the cup
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ teaspoon ground
- 180 ml of full-fat milk
- 10 ml of simple syrup or honey
- A 300 ml cup
How to make it
- Warm the milk gently with the cinnamon stick, just to a simmer, then take it off the heat.
- Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Longer for a stronger drink — up to 30 minutes is fine.
- Fish out the stick. Reheat and steam the milk as usual.
- Pull the double shot into the cup, add the syrup, stir.
- Pour the cinnamon milk in.
The espresso-side alternative
Add ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon directly to the coffee in the portafilter before tamping. It brews with the shot and comes through as a spiced espresso. It does clog a basket slightly, so brush it out afterwards.
Iced version
Make the cinnamon milk in advance and keep it cold. Build over ice as you would an iced latte.
Pairs well with
Cardamom. Add two lightly crushed green pods to the milk with the cinnamon and you are close to a South Indian spiced coffee.
Which coffee to use
Anything on our shelf works, but milk drinks reward a coffee with body and sweetness over one built for delicate florals — the milk will bury the top notes either way. Check the tasting notes and the process on each product page; a natural or a honey-processed lot usually cuts through milk better than a light washed one.