This one’s for the coffee lovers who want something different when everyone seems to be craving the usual October favourites like pumpkin spice or gingerbread latte.
Take a look at these 7 coffee drinks that go beyond seasonal flavours and instead explore different textures and coffee preparation styles.
We’ve got a mix of hot, cold, black, spiced, and milk-based coffee drinks, so you’ll certainly find one that catches your eye.
Espresso Tonic
What’s special about espresso tonic isn’t how quick it is to put together, but how well the flavour combinations of its two main ingredients work together.
The tonic water brings a tart sweetness while the espresso adds its signature bitter, roasted notes. Together, it creates a coffee drink that comes alive in the cup.
If you love fruit-forward coffee with a bright acidity and citrus notes, you should definitely try making an espresso tonic at home.
It’s interesting how carbonation changes the perception of coffee acidity and bitterness.
Caffè Shakerato
Simple to make and yet incredibly delicious, caffè shakerato is an Italian iced espresso drink that became popular in the 90s.
All you’ll need to make this are a double shot of espresso, ice, and sugar.
Use a cocktail shaker to blend the three ingredients and vigorously shake the brew. Strain it into a chilled glass, and you’ll notice how a thin line of foam settles on top.
Caffè shakerato is perfect for you if you love espresso drinks but want something refreshing.
With this, you can bring home a touch of the Italian espresso bar culture.
Bicerin
Do you prefer milk-based coffee? Bicerin is a drink that just might become your next favourite.
Originating from the Caffè Al Bicerin establishment in Turin, this recipe dates back to 1763. It is made with coffee, chocolate, milk and syrup.
The difference between this and a classic mocha is that while all the ingredients are blended together in a mocha, a Bicerin is traditionally meant to be enjoyed without stirring and mixing the different layers.
This texturally distinct characteristic is what draws people to the drink.
The base layer is made up of dense hot chocolate, the middle layer is freshly brewed espresso, and the top layer is frothed milk or whipped cream. The flavours, textures, and temperatures of each layer come through to create a unique coffee experience.
Mazagran
We have previously mentioned mazagran in our blog post about cold coffee.
It’s a great choice for coffee drinkers who want an elevated iced coffee that has structure and is the perfect October coffee drink.
For this recipe, you’ll need a strong coffee brew or espresso, ice, lemon juice, and a sweetener of your choice.
Once you have mixed the lemon juice and sweetener, pour the mixture over ice in a glass and then add the coffee. You can also top it off with cold water or sparkling water, and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices.
Café de Olla
Café de Olla is a traditional Mexican coffee that is brewed with ingredients like cinnamon, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), cloves, orange peel, star anise and other spices.
You don’t need to include all of these spices. Use coarsely ground dark roast coffee, cinnamon stick, and cane sugar for the classic version.
Unlike flavoured lattes where the syrups and spice powders are added to the drink after brewing, café de olla brews all the ingredients together to infuse the flavours into the coffee.
The authentic way of preparing this coffee drink is in a clay pot called olla, but you can also make it in a saucepan.
Café Touba
This beverage gets its name from the city of Touba in Senegal, and is associated with religious gatherings where it was prepared to help members stay awake. Eventually, the drink became a part of Senegal’s coffee culture.
The key ingredients in café touba are grains of Selim or Guinea pepper (Xylopia aethiopica), an African spice that is smoky, and cloves.
The coffee and spices are roasted together first, ground into fine powder, and then brewed using a drip filter. This gives the coffee a peppery flavour profile, far stronger than the spices used to create indulgent October coffee drinks.
Café touba is not for everyone. If you love experimenting with coffee flavours, you should definitely give it a try.
Cascara Infusion
The last coffee drink in this blog post is one in which you aren’t actually using ground coffee but an infusion made from cascara, the dried outer skin and pulp of the coffee cherry.
You’ll experience notes like that of raisin, tamarind, and hibiscus in the cup.
This isn’t a new recipe. The coffee fruit has long since been consumed in many regions where it is steeped in hot water with spices to create an infusion.
The reason it has become more popular in the modern coffee landscape is because of a growing interest in the coffee fruit as a whole and the belief that the remaining parts of the fruit apart from the seed can also be useful.
These 7 coffee recipes demonstrate how a change in textures, temperatures, and use of other ingredients can shape coffee.
This October, try a new coffee recipe and let us know what you think.