Coffee Companion: Types and Usage of Sugar

For many people, sugar has always been the preferred choice for seasoning because it provides sufficient sweetness to maximally neutralize bitterness. Even in the 21st century today, although coffee quality has significantly improved and no longer has that stimulating burnt bitterness, quite a few friends still like to add sugar to their coffee. "Removing bitterness" is one reason, but adding sugar at this point serves more than just neutralizing bitterness. People add sugar because it can bring a better texture to coffee, making it smoother and richer.

Then just these past couple of days, a friend visited the shop 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 refined from fruits and vegetables, or come from secondary processing. Different sugars provide varying levels of sweetness and flavors. But if you ask if there's a sugar most suitable for coffee, frankly speaking, FrontStreet Coffee believes there isn't one. Just like those milk-based coffees in the espresso system—although they're all espresso plus milk, they have completely different characteristics due to differences in materials and preparation. The same logic applies to sugar; different sugars will have different effects on coffee due to their unique characteristics. Therefore, depending on different needs, the sugar paired with coffee will also vary. This is why FrontStreet Coffee says there's no "most suitable" option.

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

White Sugar

White sugar is not just common in coffee shops but also in daily life. White sugar is refined from the juice of sugarcane and sugar beets. Because it undergoes multiple purification steps during production, the resulting crystals are very pure and free of impurities. However, due to this multiple purification process, white sugar is a pure sweetener that doesn't carry any flavors other than sweetness.

Although white sugar is suitable for all coffees, in most coffee shops, white sugar is mainly paired with milk-based coffees like lattes and cappuccinos. Because these coffees have lower temperatures, the small-crystal white sugar dissolves more easily. Sugar cubes also belong to the white sugar category.

Yellow Sugar

Like white sugar, yellow sugar is one of the most commonly used sugars in coffee shops! But what makes it different from white sugar is that it belongs to less refined varieties—meaning it hasn't undergone excessive purification. The advantage of this approach is that its sweetness is not only higher than white sugar's, but it's also less "pure." Simply put, it retains more minerals and trace elements and carries some of sugarcane's natural flavor.

Yellow sugar is typically served with black coffees like espresso and americano for two reasons. First, because yellow sugar has larger crystals, it's harder to dissolve in lower-temperature milk coffees, while black coffees are the opposite. Second, yellow sugar's sweetness is more natural and carries additional aromas, giving coffee richer layered expressions (albeit subtle).

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 types. However, it carries a very distinct roasted aroma, which pairs well with coffee's natural flavors. Therefore, after adding caramel to coffee, besides increasing sweetness, the coffee's aroma also becomes richer. The caramellatte that has become popular on the internet in recent years precisely uses block caramel.

So the above are several relatively common sugars found in coffee shops. Besides these, there are of course many other sugars that can be added to coffee, just less common ones! 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 "unorthodox." Because not everyone can accept coffee's bitterness, we shouldn't be prejudiced against the act of adding sugar to coffee.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473