Coffee with cinnamon – a recipe for an aromatic drink

A warm, spicy aroma rising from the cup and a hint of sweetness without any sugar – that is what coffee with cinnamon tastes like. It is one of the simplest combinations you can make in your own kitchen: all you need is freshly brewed coffee and a pinch of good spice. Cinnamon highlights the chocolatey and nutty notes of the beans, goes beautifully with milk and cocoa, and never masks the taste of the coffee itself. If you are looking for a way to make your everyday cup taste a little different, this recipe is a good place to start.

The secret of a successful coffee with cinnamon lies in three things: the right amount of spice, the way you add it and the coffee itself. Cinnamon loves beans with a sweet, chocolatey, caramel or nutty profile – the kind you will find among our offerings in the coffee beans category. Freshly roasted beans have a full aroma that the spice can enhance rather than replace.

In this article, we will show you which cinnamon to choose and how much to add, how to make coffee with cinnamon step by step without lumps, which coffee to pick for it and how to make two versions: black coffee, the simplest one, and a dessert-style coffee with cocoa and cinnamon. At the end, we will answer the question of whether coffee with cinnamon is healthy.

Table of contents:

1. Why should you try coffee with cinnamon?
2. Which cinnamon goes best with coffee?
3. How do you make coffee with cinnamon?
4. Black coffee with cinnamon – a simple recipe
5. Coffee with cocoa and cinnamon – a dessert-style combination
6. Is coffee with cinnamon healthy?

Why should you try coffee with cinnamon?

Coffee with cinnamon is a combination that seems obvious from the very first sip. Cinnamon has a warm, spicy and slightly sweet aroma, while coffee has a natural bitterness, roasted notes and often a chocolatey character. Together they make a drink that smells like fresh baking and tastes fuller and gentler than plain black coffee. No wonder cinnamon coffee has appeared on café menus for years, especially in the colder months.

The spice's characteristic scent comes mainly from cinnamaldehyde – an aromatic compound found in the bark of the cinnamon tree. It is why even a pinch changes the character of the whole cup. Cinnamon in coffee works a bit like an amplifier: it brings out the sweeter notes of the beans, softens the impression of bitterness and adds a depth that sugar alone cannot achieve.

Here are a few reasons why this combination works so well:

• ✔️ sweetness without sugar – cinnamon is associated with sweet baking, so many people find coffee with it sweeter, even though not a single teaspoon of sugar goes into the cup,
• ✔️ goes with milk and cocoa – in a cappuccino, a latte or a coffee with cocoa, cinnamon complements the creaminess and the chocolatey notes,
• ✔️ simplicity – you need no syrups or special equipment; the spice from your kitchen cupboard is enough,
• ✔️ easy to adjust – a pinch gives a subtle accent, and a little more gives a distinctly spicy character.

Cinnamon is also versatile: it goes with espresso, moka pot coffee, French press and pour-over. It works best with medium-roast coffees, but even in lighter beans it can play interestingly with fruity notes. Before you reach for the spice, though, it is worth knowing that not all cinnamon is the same – in shops you will find two main types, which differ in more than just taste.

Which cinnamon goes best with coffee?

You can use almost any ground cinnamon to make coffee with cinnamon, but the result in the cup will not always be the same. The two types of this spice we mentioned come from different species of tree and differ in taste, appearance and composition. That is why choosing a good cinnamon for coffee is not only a matter of taste, but also of how often you reach for it.

• 👉 Cassia cinnamon – the most popular and the cheapest. It has a strong, pronounced, slightly sharp taste and a darker, reddish-brown colour. Its sticks are thick, hard and rolled in a single layer. In coffee, it gives an intense, "gingerbread" accent.
• 👉 Ceylon cinnamon – more expensive and more delicate. It is lighter, and its sticks are made of many thin, brittle layers of bark. It tastes milder, sweeter and more complex – besides cinnamaldehyde, the oil from its bark also contains eugenol, known for the scent of cloves. In coffee, it highlights the notes rather than dominating them.

If you like a bold, spicy character, cassia will give you that even in a small amount. If you would rather let the coffee take centre stage, with the spice just accompanying it, reach for Ceylon cinnamon. The difference is especially noticeable in black coffee, where nothing softens the taste of the spice.

The second choice concerns the form of the spice. Ground cinnamon works quickly and intensely: the aroma appears straight away, and the taste is easy to adjust. You do need to mix it in well, though, because the particles of bark do not dissolve and some of them will sink to the bottom. A cinnamon stick releases its aroma slowly and subtly – it is a good choice when you brew coffee in a jug, warm milk with it or want a gentle note with no sediment in the cup. In the recipes in this article, we use ground cinnamon, because it gives the most predictable result in a single serving.

Cinnamon is just one of the spices that go well with coffee. If you would also like to get to know cardamom, sprinkles or spice blends, take a look at our guide to coffee additives. And if cinnamon in your kitchen most often appears alongside ginger, nutmeg or cloves, try a ready-made blend in which it plays the leading role.

How do you make coffee with cinnamon?

Making coffee with cinnamon takes only a moment longer than brewing an ordinary cup. Two things matter most: the right amount of spice and the way you add it. Ground cinnamon does not dissolve in water, so if you tip it straight into a full cup, it tends to clump and float on the surface. A simple trick, though, will help it spread evenly and carry its aroma through the whole drink.

The coffee with cinnamon recipe below is the basic version for one cup. You can make it with coffee brewed in any way: in a French press, a moka pot, a filter coffee machine or a dripper, or with espresso topped up with hot water. Once you know how to make coffee with cinnamon in its basic form, it is easy to adapt it to your taste – with milk, a plant-based drink or a touch of sweetness.

Ingredients for coffee with cinnamon

The base is just two ingredients: freshly brewed coffee and ground cinnamon. The rest are optional and let you tailor the drink to your taste. The amounts are given per serving – treat them as a starting point, not a strict rule.

For this recipe, choose a coffee that is sweet and balanced in itself. One that is too acidic or very lightly roasted can taste sharp combined with the spice, and one that is too dark can taste flat and bitter. We write more about how much cinnamon to add to coffee with different brewing methods and which beans to choose in the following parts of this article.

How do you prepare coffee with cinnamon?

The whole process, including brewing the coffee, will take you about 5-10 minutes, depending on the brewing method. The key is step three: you first combine the cinnamon with a small amount of hot coffee and only then pour in the rest. This way the spice does not form lumps, and your coffee with cinnamon has an even, full flavour from the first sip to the last.

If you brew your coffee in a French press, a filter coffee machine or a dripper, you can also mix the cinnamon with the ground coffee before pouring water over it. The aroma of the spice then passes into the brew, while most of the particles stay in the filter – the drink will be milder, with less sediment (in a French press, some of the particles will still pass through the mesh). This method works well for larger amounts of coffee, for example when you brew a jug for several people.

Once you have mastered the basic version, you can start experimenting with proportions. However, the simplest variation of this drink will tell you the most about the spice itself – black coffee with cinnamon, with no milk or sweetening.

Black coffee with cinnamon – a simple recipe

Black coffee with cinnamon is the simplest and most "pure" version of this drink. There is no milk to soften the taste and no sweetness to round it off – just the beans and the spice. That is why this is the version in which you will best feel how cinnamon works with the notes of your coffee, and the easiest way to find the amount that suits you.

The black coffee with cinnamon recipe is very simple – it is the basic version from the previous chapter, without milk or sweetening. For the black version, it is worth choosing freshly roasted coffee beans with a sweet, balanced profile, because without milk every note is clearly noticeable.

The amount of spice is best matched to the brewing method, because each produces a brew of a different intensity:

• 👉 espresso (30-40 ml) – a small pinch is enough; the concentrated brew quickly "takes on" the aroma of the spice,
• 👉 moka pot or French press (a cup of approx. 200 ml) – 1/4 teaspoon; the full body of these brews copes well with a more distinct, spicy accent,
• 👉 pour-over, dripper, Chemex (approx. 200 ml) – from a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon; a light, clear brew is easily dominated, so start sparingly,
• 👉 jug of approx. 500 ml – 1/2 teaspoon mixed with the ground coffee before brewing; the aroma will spread evenly across several cups.

Always start with a smaller amount – cinnamon is easy to add, but impossible to take out. If you like spicy combinations, cardamom also works well in black coffee, and we described it in our recipe for coffee with cardamom. A pinch of both spices at once gives an even more aromatic brew.

Which coffee goes best with cinnamon?

Cinnamon is a spice with a warm, sweetish character, so it combines best with coffees that have a similar feel. Look for beans with chocolatey, nutty, caramel or spicy notes – the spice will highlight and round them off. Coffees with low or medium acidity and a fuller body also work well for coffee with cinnamon, because they keep their character even with additions.

The roast level matters too. Coffees with a medium or slightly darker roast have more sweetness and caramelised notes, which naturally go together with cinnamon. Very lightly roasted beans with a distinct, fruity acidity can also be interesting, but the result is then more experimental – the spice clashes with citrus or berry notes. A very dark roast, on the other hand, easily gives a bitterness that a pinch of cinnamon will no longer soften.

Crema Rumba works especially well when you brew coffee in an espresso machine or a moka pot and like to combine it with milk – the thick crema and creamy body cope well with additions. If you prefer 100% arabica coffees, choose beans with a chocolatey-nutty profile – medium-roasted or, if you like a touch of freshness, slightly lighter. Here are a few of our suggestions that also go well with cinnamon.

Coffee with cocoa and cinnamon – a dessert-style combination

Coffee with cocoa and cinnamon is a suggestion for everyone who likes a cup of coffee to taste a little like dessert. Cocoa brings a deep, slightly bitter chocolatey flavour, and cinnamon adds warmth and spicy sweetness. It is a combination familiar from baking and hot chocolate, and it works surprisingly well in coffee – especially with a splash of milk, which rounds everything off. Compared with the basic version of coffee with cinnamon, this drink is fuller and more filling.

For this recipe, use natural unsweetened cocoa rather than a sweetened cocoa drink powder – that way you decide how much sweetness goes into the mug. The technique is the same as in the basic version.

You can vary the finished drink in several ways. Instead of cow's milk, reach for oat drink, which has a naturally sweetish taste, or coconut drink, which will add a tropical note to the dessert. You can replace the honey with maple syrup and, for special occasions, top the mug with whipped cream. If you prefer a version with real chocolate instead of cocoa, take a look at our recipe for mocha coffee – cinnamon goes with it just as well.

Coffees that have notes of cocoa and chocolate in their own profile are particularly good for coffee with cocoa and cinnamon – such as our blends of arabica and robusta. Robusta gives them a fuller body and a thick crema, and in coffee with milk and spices its more pronounced character does not get lost. You can read more about these coffees in the article Arabica and robusta in three versions.

Is coffee with cinnamon healthy?

The question of whether coffee with cinnamon is healthy comes up very often – and it deserves a calm answer, without exaggeration in either direction. For most healthy adults, coffee with cinnamon drunk in moderation can be an enjoyable part of a varied diet. It is not, however, a drink with medicinal properties, and it will not replace a balanced diet or treatment prescribed by a doctor.

The most important ingredient to bear in mind is still caffeine – cinnamon does not change how much of it is in the cup. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day from all sources, and a single dose of up to 200 mg raises no concerns. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, this limit is 200 mg per day. You can check how much caffeine different coffee drinks provide in our article how much caffeine is in coffee.

Moderation applies to the spice itself, too. As we mentioned when discussing the choice of cinnamon, cassia contains quite a lot of coumarin, so if you drink it every day, it is better to choose Ceylon cinnamon or limit yourself to a pinch. Bear in mind, too, that honey, maple syrup and sweetened additions are still sugars – it is worth adding them sparingly. If you have health problems, take medication, are pregnant or caffeine does not agree with you, ask your doctor or dietitian how much coffee is right for you.

What does cinnamon coffee bring to the cup?

Coffee with cinnamon owes its character mainly to the natural plant compounds present in both ingredients. Coffee contains, among other things, chlorogenic acids from the polyphenol group, trigonelline and caffeine, and during roasting volatile aroma compounds and melanoidins are formed, which are responsible for its taste and colour. In cinnamon, the most important are the essential oils, including cinnamaldehyde, and the bark oil of Ceylon cinnamon also contains eugenol.

Online, you can find many claims about cinnamon, for example that it lowers blood sugar or helps you lose weight. Most research into its effects, however, was carried out in laboratories or on animals, and a review of studies involving people with diabetes did not confirm any benefit. That is why we treat coffee with cinnamon not as a route to good health, but as a tasty drink.

The most practical advantage of this combination is culinary: the distinct, sweetish aroma of cinnamon means that many people add less sugar to their coffee or give it up altogether. If you usually sweeten your coffee, try replacing a teaspoon of sugar with a pinch of cinnamon and see whether you like that version.

Coffee with cinnamon is proof that you do not need complicated ingredients to make a special drink. A black version for a quick morning, a milder one with milk for the afternoon or a dessert-style one with cocoa for the weekend – you can make any of them in a few minutes with what you have in your kitchen. All you need to do is match the amount of spice to your own taste and brewing method.

The final character of the cup, however, depends on the beans, so it is worth reaching for freshly roasted coffee whose profile suits warm, spicy additions. In our shop, you will find both 100% arabica coffees and blends of arabica and robusta – any of them can become the base of your favourite coffee with cinnamon.

Freshly roasted coffee and a pinch of cinnamon – that is all it takes to give your everyday cup a completely new character.

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Sources of information:

1. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, EFSA Journal, 2015.
2. I. A. Ludwig et al., Coffee: biochemistry and potential impact on health, Food & Function, 2014.
3. P. Ranasinghe et al., Medicinal properties of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.
4. Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR): FAQ on coumarin in cinnamon and other foods, 2012.
5. J. Blahová, Z. Svobodová, Assessment of Coumarin Levels in Ground Cinnamon Available in the Czech Retail Market, The Scientific World Journal, 2012.
6. M. J. Leach, S. Kumar, Cinnamon for diabetes mellitus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012.