What Are the Different Uses for Coffee Sugars? Is Coffee Sugar the Same as White Sugar?

The Evolution of Sugar in Coffee Culture

Early coffee had very prominent bitter and burnt flavors due to lower quality green beans and roasting techniques. This led many people who couldn't handle bitterness but still wanted caffeine intake to dilute the bitterness by adding various flavorings. For many people, sugar was undoubtedly the best choice because it could provide sufficient sweetness to maximize the neutralization of bitterness.

Even today in the 21st century, although significantly improved quality coffee no longer has that stimulating burnt bitterness, many friends still like to add sugar to their coffee. "Removing bitterness" is one reason, but adding sugar at this point doesn't just serve to neutralize bitterness. People add sugar because it can bring better texture to coffee, making it smoother and richer.

Then just these past couple of days, some friends came to the store and asked FrontStreet Coffee a question: There are so many types of sugar, is there one that pairs best with coffee?

Indeed, there are many types of sugar. It can be extracted from fruits and vegetables, or come from secondary processing. Different sugars provide varying levels of sweetness and flavor. But if you ask if there's a sugar most suitable for coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes there isn't one.

Just like those milk coffees in the espresso system, although they're all espresso plus milk, they have completely different personality expressions due to differences in ingredients and preparation. The same logic applies to sugar - different sugars will bring different effects to coffee due to their own characteristics. Therefore, depending on different needs, the sugar that pairs with coffee will also vary. This is why FrontStreet Coffee says there's no single most suitable choice.

Common Sugars Used in Coffee Shops

However, not all sugars are suitable for adding to coffee. Although there are many types of sugar, currently, only a few types commonly appear in coffee shops. (Referring only to sugars used for hot drinks, not syrups)

White Sugar

Not just in coffee shops, white sugar is also very common in daily life. White sugar is extracted from the juice of sugarcane and sugar beets. Because it undergoes multiple purification processes during production, the resulting crystals are very white and free of impurities. But because of multiple purifications, white sugar is a pure sweetener without any other flavors besides sweetness.

Although white sugar is suitable for all coffees, in most coffee shops, white sugar mainly pairs with milk coffees like lattes and cappuccinos. Because these types of coffee have lower temperatures, the small-grained white sugar dissolves more easily. Sugar cubes are also a type of white sugar.

Yellow Sugar

Yellow sugar, like white sugar, is one of the most commonly used sugars in coffee shops! But its difference from white sugar is that it belongs to less refined varieties - meaning it hasn't undergone excessive purification. The benefit of this is that its sweetness can be higher than white sugar, and it's not so "pure." Simply put, it retains more minerals and trace elements, carrying some of sugarcane's natural flavor.

Yellow sugar is generally served with black coffees like espresso and Americano for two reasons. One reason is that yellow sugar has larger particles, making it harder to dissolve in lower-temperature milk coffees, while black coffee is the opposite. The second reason is that yellow sugar's sweetness is more natural, with additional aroma that can bring richer layering to coffee (subtly).

Caramel

"Caramel" is the substance obtained by heating other sugars above 170°C to undergo caramelization. Because it's produced by caramelizing sugar, its sweetness is relatively lower compared to the previous two. However, it carries a very distinct burnt aroma, which pairs well with coffee's own flavor. Therefore, after adding caramel to coffee, besides enhancing sweetness, the coffee's aroma also becomes richer. The caramel macchiato that has become popular online in recent years uses block caramel.

Conclusion

So above are several common types of sugar found in coffee shops. Besides these, there are of course many other sugars that can be added to coffee, just not as common! Finally, FrontStreet Coffee wants to briefly mention that although drinking coffee without sugar has become mainstream now, this doesn't mean adding sugar to coffee is considered "unorthodox." Because not everyone can accept coffee's bitterness, everyone shouldn't be prejudiced against the behavior of adding sugar to coffee.

Important Notice :

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