Is Adding Sugar to Coffee Really Frowned Upon? Is Coffee with Syrup Considered Specialty Coffee?

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"Let's go for coffee at a coffee shop! A nice specialty coffee shop opened nearby, and their coffee is excellent!"

"Great! What do you recommend?"

"I think their Coconut Pineapple Americano and Camellia Berry Latte are both delicious! They're sweet! I've been there several times, and I always order these two drinks~"

This Spring Festival, when I returned home, the biggest change I noticed was that many specialty coffee shops had opened in town. Most of them had excellent reputations and were doing very good business. Out of curiosity, my friends and I tried several of them and observed customers ordering. I noticed that most people chose coffee products with sweet flavors.

Feeling sociable, I randomly asked several customers at neighboring tables who had ordered sweet coffee: "What do you consider when choosing coffee products?" Over 60% answered that they prefer sweet options, especially wanting to try new flavors; 20% said: "Of course, we should drink something sweet during the New Year"; and another 20% mentioned: "We usually drink too much pour-over, Americano, or latte, which can be somewhat bland, so we want to try new flavors occasionally."

Afterward, I also asked some friends working in the coffee industry: "Is coffee with syrup still considered specialty coffee?" Over 90% answered affirmatively but also noted that not all coffee with syrup can be considered specialty coffee, because some combinations simply don't work well together or are overwhelmingly sweet.

The Role of Syrup in Coffee Culture

Adding syrup to coffee is nothing new, and it has become one of the essential ingredients in coffee shops. However, in recent years, coffee enthusiasts have had mixed reviews about coffee syrups.

Some believe that adding syrup affects the flavor expression of a freshly brewed specialty coffee, even thinking that adding sugar to coffee is不如 drinking milk tea, wasting the specialty coffee. But others argue that without syrup, specialty coffee cannot be remembered and become part of daily life for the general public, because not everyone can accept the acidity and bitterness in coffee.

Industry Perspectives

From the perspective of coffee professionals, the specialty coffee industry is constantly evolving. Coffee syrup provides more creative space for practitioners, allowing them to better meet customer needs and enrich coffee flavors.

"The addition of syrup is to balance the flavor of coffee. If you use high-quality coffee beans, have proper extraction, and add an appropriate amount of flavored syrup that can blend with the coffee's natural taste, it can truly make the overall coffee more complex, and consumers will be more willing to accept and try it," shared one industry professional.

Consumer Perspectives

From the consumer's perspective, adding milk and sugar to coffee can improve palatability. At the same time, coffee has gradually become part of many people's daily lives - it can be used for refreshment, to appreciate the flavor of high-quality coffee itself, and can also offer more innovation and become a way to socialize.

"Most people like sweet things, as long as they're not overwhelmingly sweet, and you can still taste the coffee within the sweetness, it will make people want to purchase again," shared one general consumer.

The Creative Power of Syrup

From the friend's recommendation dialogue at the beginning of the article and the subsequent random "interviews," we can see that syrup gives coffee beverages and coffee brands an opportunity to enhance consumer impression and innovate. It not only balances unpleasant flavors in coffee but when added in appropriate amounts, can also make the syrup and coffee flavors complement each other.

In many world-class coffee competitions, the use of syrup is also very common. If we want specialty coffee to be presented in more diverse forms and leave a deep impression on the public, syrup can be said to be a significant contributor.

Today, consumers in various regions highly value innovation and novelty, so many beverages need to showcase unique flavors to be remembered by the public. This cannot be achieved relying solely on raw ingredients themselves.

Defining Specialty Coffee

Although coffee beans themselves have distinct and pleasant flavor characteristics, not everyone can taste or appreciate them. Specialty coffee is no exception~ Everyone's definition of specialty coffee is different, but the only commonality is the consumer's own recognition of coffee.

For those who love the original flavor of coffee, the flavor expression of the coffee itself defines specialty coffee; for general coffee consumers, balanced and delicious coffee defines specialty coffee; for consumers new to coffee, unique sweet flavors with strong palatability define specialty coffee.

There is no right or wrong, only personal preference. The development of specialty coffee requires continuous innovation to create more products that the public can accept. Whether it's the continuous improvement of coffee bean quality itself or the creation and innovation of coffee beverages, the fundamental significance is to help more people get to know coffee and fall in love with coffee.

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