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Honey – raw and unprocessed can be one of the healthiest foods and can go a long way in ensuring good health and well being for us.
Instead of sugar, one may choose to add a tablespoon of honey to coffee or tea and enjoy the many health benefits it offers.
Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world. With over 400 billion cups of coffee controlled annually, people cannot seem to get enough of this stuff. And in this modern world, you can have coffee in the cake you eat or in the beer you drink.
Some people like it black, some like it with milk, and some add sweetener. However, did you know some people are using honey to sweeten their morning cup of joe?
Not only does it make your coffee taste delicious, but it also offers a variety of health benefits. So, let us dig a little deeper into adding honey in coffee.
Honey In Coffee: Who Started The Trend?
Honey has been a part of our lives for a thousand years ago. The first person to use honey in coffee, however, is unknown.
The trend of adding honey in coffee is most likely derived from the culture of coffee enthusiasts who love to experiment with a variety of flavors.
So, you should not be surprised if people are adding cinnamon, salt, and even nitrogen to their cup of joe.
Another reason that adding honey in coffee is not a huge shock anymore is that honey is known to be a much healthier alternative to sugar and other artificial sweeteners available. Read Here: Top 10 Best Dunkin Donuts Coffees
So, most people are you using honey to give their coffee that sweet taste.
But should you?
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Honey vs. Sugar: What’s the difference?
There is a lot to think about in terms of comparing honey to the most traditional sweetener, sugar. Here are the key differences between honey and sugar.
Nutrition
First, we will compare the nutritional value of honey and sugar.
Honey contains more calories per serving than the traditional sugar does. A teaspoon of honey usually contains 21 calories. Whereas a teaspoon of white sugar only has 16 calories.
Take note, however, the calories are not everything. What is more important is what these substances are actually made up and the methods used to process them.
Honey is primarily made of fructose and glucose. These are simple sugars that are easy for the body to breakdown and use. Thus, are far easier to burn.
Meanwhile, white sugar is primarily made up of disaccharides. These are complex sugars that take longer for the body to breakdown and use. Although this disaccharide will be broken down into fructose and glucose overtime, the extra step makes the process longer.
This increases the likelihood of sugar components to be stored as fat. So, although honey has more calories per serving than white sugar, it is actually much easier to burn off the calories from honey than white sugar.
Honey also contains a lot of nutritional benefits that sugar doesn’t. These include vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and antibacterial properties.
So, in terms of pure nutritional value, traditional white sugar does not stand a chance.
Taste
The traditional white sugar does game a bit of edge with its flavor or taste.
While honey has a distinct flavor to it, sugar is essentially pure sweetness which can blend into anything. Also, sugar is so present in most food products that we are used to it, and sometimes we barely detect its presence.
The versatility and adaptability of sugar make it perfect for sweetening beverages, particularly drinks they have a very strong flavor of their own such as coffee.
Thus, there’s rarely a complaint when sugar is the sweetener used with coffee.
Although honey is usually thought to have a nice flavor on its phone, most people feel that it has a strong flavor in order to seamlessly blend with the distinct flavor of their coffee. Read Here: Top 10 Best Cuban Coffees
However, this is solely up to a person’s discretion. Most people love the combination of honey in coffee once they have given it a chance.
So, why don’t you try it with an open mind, and you might give yourself a surprise.
Strength
In terms of strength of sweetness, honey outpaces white sugar. Thus, a little bit of honey can sweeten your coffee more than using a greater portion of the traditional white sugar.
Essentially, this evens out the calorie discrepancy.
Sugar or honey?
So, with this big coffee sweetener debate, which wins out?
Well, sugar offers fewer calories per serving. Also, it’s natural sweetness seamlessly blends with coffee. However, it is also more difficult for your body to break sugar down, restarting two more of it being stored fat.
Eventually, this will lead to weight gain and the risk of other health problems.
Meanwhile, honey makes up for its extra calories since it is far easier to process by the body. Not only that, but honey also offers a lot of nutrients and potential health benefits.
It is also far superior in terms of flavor strength, meaning you can use less honey to make up for calorie discrepancy and still give you a sweet cup of coffee.
Although it has a very strong flavor that can compete with the distinct flavors of coffee, numerous people are still pleased with this non-traditional pairing.
So, there is really no competition here. The choice between sugar and honey can be a personal preference. However, the pros of honey in coffee far outweigh the cons, making it superior to the traditional white sugar.
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The Health Benefits Of Honey In Coffee
So, you know now that honey has more calories than traditional like sugar. However, when talking about health benefits, you simply cannot only look at the calories alone.
You need to look at the bigger picture in order to see why honey it’s a far better alternative when you need to add a bit of sweetness to your morning cup of coffee.
Enriched With Antioxidants
Both coffee and honey are high in antioxidants which help reduce the number of sick cells in your body. Too much of these sick cells can cause negative effects on the body for the long term. Yes, adding honey in your cup of coffee can go a really long way.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Honey has highly effective anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it useful for managing chronic inflammation such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and heart disease.
Not only that, but it also helps prevent them in individuals who are highly prone to developing them. This is in contrast with regular sugar which is notorious to actually make the inflammatory reactions worse.
Antibacterial Properties
Fact:
Honey contains pollen.
And this pollen can help you find symptoms of seasonal allergies such as runny nose, headaches, or sore throat.
How?
One of the many theories behind is that pollen helps people suffering from allergies desensitize themselves to their allergic reactions by simply exposing their bodies to them repeatedly.
Furthermore, because of the anti-inflammatory properties of honey, most people who suffer from allergies tend to suffer less severe symptoms. This means that they do not have to take as many medications as they used to.
Easier To Digest
For those with a sensitive stomach, using honey in coffee can do wonders for you. As mentioned before, honey does not need to be broken down as much as refined sugars during digestion.
This is mainly because honey has already been broken down by bees while it is being processed from the nectar. In addition, honey also features special enzymes that have partially broken down the sugar long before it has been ingested.
Thus, honey is far easier to process and is not as tough on your digestive system.
Tons Of Minerals And Vitamins
It is very rare that something so sweet contains so much good stuff for your body. Honey is rich in vitamins and minerals including iron, sodium, magnesium, calcium, chlorine, phosphate, potassium, sulphur, vitamins B6, B5, B3, B2, B1,and C.
How to make coffee with honey?
By now you should have a basic background of adding honey in coffee, and why you might want to give it a try. So, how do you make coffee with honey? Well, it starts with understanding the various kinds of honey available.
There are various ways you can add honey on a cup of coffee. This will depend on your taste and preference. We provided some examples that offer the best taste and flavor.
Adding Raw Honey In Coffee
There are two main types of honey:
- Regular honey or the pasteurized honey
- Raw honey or the unpasteurized honey
The raw, unpasteurized honey comes directly from the beehive. This contains more nutrients than regular honey and is by far healthier.
So, if you want to avoid the preservatives and processed sugars, then you should go with raw honey. Fortunately, the honeybees have already done the heavy lifting in order to make this sweet delicious treat.
You only need to add 1 – 2 teaspoons of raw honey to your cup of coffee, stir can you are good to go.
Take note:
If your coffee is piping hot, it can reduce the nutritional value of honey. So, it is best that you let your coffee cool down first before adding the honey.
Read More:
- Best Lipton Iced Teas
- Best Decaf Coffee: All You Need to Know About Decaf Coffee
- 10 Best Low Acid Coffee Brands Review
- Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System Review
- Best Brazilian Coffee
Choosing A Character
There’s a chance that you might not like the flavor and taste of your coffee after the first time you add honey. But do not let this bad experience discourage you from trying again.
Sometimes, it is not the combination of coffee and honey that tastes bad, but it is the variety of honey that you’re using.
Here are the main types of honey varieties available in the market today:
- Alfalfa: This is the variety that promotes intestinal bacteria and can most likely make your coffee sweeter.
- Acacia: This variety is by far the sweetest available on the market, suitable for your morning coffee.
- Avocado: Nope, this is not the avocado fruit, but the pollen that is collected from the avocado flowers, packing a very sweet and buttery taste to the honey.
- Buckwheat: This is basically the most potent and richest variety of honey available on the market today. And while it is not
- recommended to add in coffee, it is great if you’re brewing your own beer.
- Bluegum: The blue gum variety of honey has a far denser texture. So, it is probably better on toast than coffee.
- Fireweed: This is one of the most popular varieties of honey in us. It features a smooth and buttery texture in addition to its sweet and complex texture, making it a great combination for coffee.
- Chestnut: This variety comes straight from the nectars of chestnut trees and is a popular choice in Italy. However, the broad variety of chestnut honey usually leans more on the bitter side. So, these honey variety would not be my first choice in my cup of coffee, however, it can work well for those who are suffering from diabetes.
There is a lot more honey variety out there. However, the above variety is the most popular one available. Personally, we recommend adding the acacia variety to your coffee, thanks to its balanced texture and sweetness.
Still, everybody has a different taste. So, go and find the right variety for your taste.
Final Thoughts
For those who cannot stand the bitterness of coffee, there are numerous ways in order to upgrade your coffee experience.
And while adding sugar, particularly white sugar, can bring the much-needed sweetness to your bitter coffee, it can lead to significant health problems over time.
Fortunately, honey can BE your hero. Although loaded in calories, honey offers numerous nutrients and health benefits than the traditional white sugar cannot provide.
We hope that you now have a better understanding of how this yellowish, sticky substance can add nutrients, flavor, joy, and sweetness to your morning routine.
Do you have any honey in coffee recipe you’d like to share with the community? Feel free to share it through the comment section below!
Have a sweet day!
