Contents

• White sugar and honey – what to choose?
• Coffee with honey – a natural and valuable sweetener
• Coffee with honey and milk – recipe

There are many ways to enjoy coffee. Among the most popular additives are various types of sweeteners. However, instead of regular sugar, various substitutes such as stevia, xylitol, or natural honey are increasingly being chosen. It has long been known to be a product rich in valuable nutrients and minerals that are hard to find in white sugar. So, is sweetening coffee with honey a good solution?

White sugar and honey – what to choose?

Excessive sugar consumption in our daily diet is bad for our health. White sugar is found primarily in sweets, baked goods, beverages, yogurts, and various types of jams. However, this is just the beginning; it's worth remembering that sugars (such as fructose) are also naturally found in fruits, juices, and dried fruits. When compiling your menu, it's worth avoiding highly sweetened products, which further increase the sugar content in our diet.

Based on this assumption, sweetening coffee with honey instead of sugar seems to be a more beneficial solution for the body. Various types of honey have been used in cooking for thousands of years as a natural spice, sweetener, and preservative. Honey naturally contains:

• Amino acids and proteins,
• Flavonoids and phenolic acids,
• saccharides
• essential oils,
• Minerals and vitamins.

Due to the ingredients contained in honey, honey is used as a natural remedy to support the immune system, heal wounds and relieve bad moods.

Coffee with honey – a natural and valuable sweetener

Honey is a sweetener that, like sugar, is very high in calories. However, it contains beneficial substances that are not found in white (purified) sugar. For those who love the sweetness of a "small black coffee," coffee with honey is a good option—but with a few conditions.

Honey's most valuable components are preserved when consumed raw, without heating. This means that when adding it to coffee (or tea), the temperature of the beverage must be considered. It's best to add honey to cooled coffee. Honey dissolves well at around 30-40°C. Coffee with honey should therefore be consumed well chilled or sweetened in this way with cold coffee.

Also, keep in mind that honey is sweeter than sugar. Half a teaspoon of honey is enough to sweeten a cup of coffee. You can experiment with the taste and add more if needed to ensure the coffee retains its aroma and characteristic flavor. As a result, a cup of coffee sweetened with honey provides us with slightly fewer calories (about 19 kcal) than if the drink contained two teaspoons of regular sugar (about 40 kcal).

Coffee with honey and milk – recipe

Here is a simple recipe for making aromatic coffee sweetened with honey.

• A serving of strong coffee should be prepared using your preferred method (in an espresso machine, Aeropress, or French press).
• The brewed beverage should be seasoned with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or cardamom. These perfectly enhance the aroma of coffee, complement the taste of honey, and stimulate the metabolism.
• Mix half a teaspoon of your favorite honey into the cooled coffee. Light honeys (such as linden or multifloral) work best. Honeys like honeydew can overpower the coffee flavor. Manuka honey is also a popular addition, although keep in mind that its flavor is quite specific.

If your favorite coffee is with honey and milk, you can dissolve a portion of honey in slightly warmed milk before adding it, which will give us a syrupy consistency.