What's Your Take On Flavored Coffee?
Before fancy coffee drinks really took off, there were flavored coffee beans.
Maybe I'm dating myself a little bit, but I remember the days when coffee was just coffee. I don't mean that in a "remember the good old days?" sort of way. I mean, I remember when people didn't really give a shit about fancy coffee beverages like they do now.
If I remember correctly (please let me know if I'm wrong), I think the TV show Friends had a lot to do with it. My college days were at the turn of the millennium, and back then, going to coffeehouses in our university town was considered sort of a fringe activity. I admit it. I went to a few poetry slams, before I came to the realization that I hated poetry slams. But back then, people used to think if you ordered stuff like lattes and cappuccinos, you had a sophisticated sense of taste.
Now, fancy coffee drinks are one thing, but, my question is this: does anybody give a shit about flavored coffee anymore? I'm not talking about brewed coffees flavored with pumps of syrup, or the myriad of flavored coffee creamers that exist in the dairy aisle now. I'm talking about the actual grinds; the beans that come pre-flavored. Back in the day, brewing a cup of hazelnut-flavored coffee made me the goddamn king.
But now that I think about it, I haven't reached for that stuff in years. Did it just die off? I know flavored coffee beans and grinds still exist on shelves, because I've seen them. Stuff like French vanilla, toasted southern pecan, chocolate cherry. (Can you tell I just searched on Amazon to see what's out there now?) But does anyone still regularly buy it? What's your take on flavored coffee beans, and do you have a favorite? Shit, now I want to go grab some pre-ground hazelnut-flavored beans.