Whether you prefer it hot, cold, black or sweet, Coffee is one of the most versatile drinks on the planet. Coffee drink options are truly endless with more drink types then you can count!
This variety doesn’t stop with just coffee, it also extends to the ingredients used to sweeten your cup of joe.
Sugar is still king when it comes to the most popular sweetener used in coffee, but is not the only option available. One natural sweetener that is often overlooked when it comes to coffee, is honey.
Honey is a very popular choice for tea drinkers, especially those seeking a healthier option than sugar. But did you know that honey can also be delicious in coffee?
Yes, you read that right honey in coffee is a thing!
Not only does honey taste good but is also known for its many health benefits. Read on to learn more about putting an extra “buzz” in your cup.
Contents
How is Honey Made?
Honey is a sweet substance made by the honey bee. Bees make honey primarily from the sugary secretions of floral nectar and then store it in a wax structure referred to as a honeycomb.
Sweetening the Deal: Why Honey is a Healthy Choice
Did you know that honey was the first and most widespread sweetener used by man? Given its popularity for centuries, it is actually surprising honey in coffee has not been trending for much longer!
Due to its many negative health effects, sugar has long been on the decline as a preferred sweetener for many coffee drinks.
While white sugar is an effective sweetener, it is very difficult for the body to process and is very often stored as fat. This can result in unwanted side effects such as weight gain.
There are also a huge variety of artificial sweeteners available on the market today.
Although many artificial sweeteners have little to no calories, they also are not always made from healthy or natural ingredients.
Honey comes from a natural source, which means there is not anything artificial about it!
Like any sweetener option, honey does have some pros and cons.
Honey vs Sugar In Your Coffee
Calories
The fact of the matter is that honey does have slightly more calories than sugar. A teaspoon of honey is 21 calories whereas a teaspoon of sugar is about 16 calories.
However, it is important to know that not all calories are created equal.
A big consideration in determining the benefits of a food is not just examining the calorie content but also what it does for your body once you eat it.
Honey is made up of glucose and fructose, which are simple sugars easy for the body to break down and put to good use.
On the other hand, white sugar is made mostly of disaccharides. Disaccharides are complex sugars that take a while to break down once in your body.
Over time, the disaccharide will break down into glucose and fructose but because this extra step takes a while the white sugar component is much more likely to be stored as fat.
In the end, this means that while honey does have more calories than white sugar it is easier to burn off once you eat it!
Nutritional Value of Honey
Honey has a lot of nutritional benefits that white sugar simply doesn’t. It contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamins as well as antibacterial properties. Due to the pollen in honey, it also aids in fighting off seasonal allergies such as a sore throat and headaches due to the pollen contained in honey.
Antioxidants in Honey
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals within your body. The higher free radical compounds you have in your body the more likely you are to be sick.
In fact, free radicals are linked to illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Antioxidants in foods such as honey, boosts your body’s own antioxidant defenses in order to keep free radicals, or “sick” cells, in check. This is yet another benefit of choosing honey over sugar.
Honey Contains Multiple C’s
Honey is chock full of vitamins and minerals, including Calcium and Vitamin C, two components that are critical in maintaining good health.
Calcium is an essential in that it builds bones and keeps them healthy. It is also important in that it helps our blood clot, muscles to contract as well as our heart to beat. Did you know that 99% of our body’s calcium can be found in our teeth and bones?
Vitamin C is a nutrient that acts as an antioxidant which helps to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. It also boosts your immune system!
Adding honey to your coffee provides you with a healthy serving of nutrient rich vitamins and minerals your body needs. This is yet another reason why honey in your coffee is worth a try!
Two Main Types of Honey
Regular Honey
Regular honey, while still a decent choice, will typically have less nutrients than raw honey. It is often put through a variety of processing which can remove some of the beneficial nutrients that naturally occur in honey.
Raw Honey
In raw honey the natural benefits of honey are maintained. This means all the good stuff, including vitamins and antioxidants, found in honey stays in it!
It is important to remember that honey that is not labeled as “raw” often means that the honey has been processed or pasteurized.
Processed Honey is honey that has been heated to a high temperature in order to make the honey smoother and easier on the bottling process. This results in a highly filtered honey stripped of all the important health boosting components raw honey comes with.
With that said, Cozy recommends that you opt for raw honey so you can take full advantage of all of the health benefits honey can provide.
Kinds of Honey
- Acacia Honey – This is the sweetest honey of the bunch and our favorite for coffee.
- Alfalfa Honey – Is a sweeter honey known for aiding in keeping your gut healthy.
- Avocado Honey – This is honey that is made from bees who collect pollen from the avocado flower. It has a buttery, sweet taste.
- Blue Gum Honey – Is smooth but dense with a refreshing mild eucalyptus flavor. This is a great choice for english muffins or toast, but due to its density is not the best option for your coffee cup.
- Buckwheat Honey – Is highly nutritious and is collected from buckwheat flowers.
- Clover Honey – Is floral and sweet, with a bit of a sour aftertaste.
- Orange Blossom Honey – Is light and mild with a fruity aroma.
How To Make Coffee With Honey
Using honey in your coffee can be as simple as adding 1-2 teaspoons of this sticky, sweet goodness to your coffee and stirring to blend well.
There are also many delicious ways to make a coffee shop quality drink at home, using honey.
Today, we share our favorite and easy honey coffee recipe that we recommend you try. Your body and taste buds will be sure to thank you!
Raw Honey Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups strong hot coffee
- ½ cup whole milk or preferred dairy free option
- ¼ a cup of raw honey
- ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Tools
To make this warm and comforting drink you will need a coffee maker, small saucepan and your favorite coffee mug!
Follow These Simple Steps
Once you have all your tools available, do the following:
1. Brew your favorite coffee. Don’t have a favorite? Take a look at our top picks for best Arabica coffee beans.
2. Using a small saucepan, combine the milk, coffee, honey and cinnamon.
3. Cook on medium low heat until heated through. Be sure not to boil.
4. Remove the saucepan from the head and stir in the vanilla.
5. Pour into your favorite cups and serve!
Cozy’s Conclusion
Honey in coffee is trending and with good reason. This golden, sticky substance has many health benefits that are good for you! Just be sure to take full advantage of the health benefits by opting for raw honey.
If you are in the market for a quality coffee maker to make honey coffee or any other coffee shop quality drink we recommend you take some time to visit our reviews on best Keurig coffee makers as well as best grind and brew coffee makers.
Wishing you a day as sweet as honey! Cheers!