Never thought of herbs with coffee. Mint with tea, but coffee...I guess it would be a matter of taste, but I don't think it would be very good. Cinnamon, yes. But I think that falls into the spice category more than herb. Some may argue. And I'm sure they will.

Chickory is added to coffee, as is vanilla

cinnamon and/or cardamom. Delicious.

Hey Bob, I was quoting your "Crocus, Daffs, fruit trees blooming, Lilac & Iris in bloom - OK, go crazy in the garden . . ." Spring schedule the other day.

I've ground up and toasted both chickory and dandelion roots. What I found was that they just s t r e t c h e d the coffee, not really flavoring it. Really, the exact opposite of adding flavor - the coffee itself continued to shine thru.

Steve
Rocky Mtn Gardener

I don't drink coffee, so to me anything plus coffee would taste awful! However, I know a few people who add things like cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, chicory essence, hazelnut essence, rum, brandy.

Following is a list of herbs from which you can make a coffee substitute. There could well be more, but my research is ongoing:

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), Barley (Hordeum vulgare),
Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Carrot (Caucus carota), Chestnut (Castanea sativa, C.crenata, C.x sativa), Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Corn (Zea mays), Curly Dock (Rumex crispus), Dandelion (Taraxum officinale), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Flax (Linum usitatissimum), Goosegrass (Galium aparine), Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha, C monogyna), Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), Juniper (Juniperus communis), Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), LadyÂs Bedstraw (Galium verum), Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Oak (Quercus spp), Oats (Avena sativa), Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), Peanut (Arachis hypogaea), Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana, D. kaki), Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Rose (Rosa canina), Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa),
Soya Bean (Glycine max), Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Thanks for the replies!
And Digit, my Lilacs are just finishing up their bloom, so I'm about to "go crazy in the garden" hehe. No leaves on my desert trees yet, so not everything can go out just yet.

I tried the chocolate mint and cinnimon the other day, pretty good, but the mint was a bit too over powering. I still liked it, but probably only need a leaf or two instead of a whole sprig. I may try fresh tarragon, hoping it's licorice flavor might come through(?). I'll let y'all know how it goes...

At my local coffee house, they have powdered cinnamon and nutmeg to sprinkle in your coffee or cappuccino.

Herbs for coffe - Well, we're really talking spice aren't we..

Try a couple of the following in the water used for boiling the coffee.

Cardmon pods
Cloves
Star Anize (my favourite)

Of course they make magnificent ingredients for chai tea if you just boil them up in milk and then throw in your tea-bag.. hmmmmmmmmmmm!

Some mints that are supposed to be "Chocolate Mint" really are not. I was lucky and got some real Chocolate Mint and of course now it is every where. LOL Chocolate mint should smell and taste like a York Peppermint Pattie. I got mine from Richters. Each spring I dig most of it up to keep it under control and I always have plenty to use through the season.

I don't add it to coffee while I brew but I love the aroma of rosemary or lavender when you take a sprig and rub it arround the lip of the warm cup. It leaves a few bits of oil that you will taste and smell as you drink your coffee. I got the idea watching someone rub lemon peel arround a cup of espresso.

I tried coffee with a sprig of tarragon & a cinnimon stick the other day, it wasn't bad. Dunno that I'd say it made it better, just different. I like the idea of rubbing the rim with lavendar or rosemary, I'll have to try that! So far the Choc. Mint one wins in the flavor dept. It's like melting an Andes mint in your coffee.

Any nut flavored herbs would probably work too, but I don't know of any.

Thanks for all the interesting ideas. Rosemary/lavender coffee is something I never considered. Anyway, I am new to indoor herb gardening so now I will have to start looking into herb/coffee combos.

The problem I see is that many of the things that would go well with coffee are pretty fragile. Certain coffees like big south American coffees pair well with lemon, orange, lime zest...usually after brewing in the cup, so lemon grass might be an option. I've even been known to squeeze OJ into mine.

I would imagine that rose or other flower oils would accentuate the floral notes in Ethiopian coffees. The trick would be to maybe make espresso and then add rose scented water for an "Americano" style drink. Again I don't know if just putting rose petal in the brewer would do anything. In the realm of spices I add black pepper to the grounds when brewing coffee for my fiancée and I. The acid in drip/pressed coffee upsets her stomach and a 1/2 tsp of ground pepper for an 8 cup pot seems to help. Keep the ideas coming!!!

I put rosemary in my pot today. Just a small sprig, and I like it. I put chocolate mint in yesterday, which was very good. I didn't have that after coffee taste in my mouth either!

I roast my own beans so that would be a no no in my book. But If I were to put any herb in my coffee I would try 1-2 chocolate mint leaves to give it just a hint of flavor maybe in a cup of espresso or latte from my machine.

I've found vanilla and rosemary to be great additions to coffee, neither is soft enough for the coffee to drown out the flavor and yet neither is too harsh to overwhelm your taste buds. A friend of mine (who also has her own herb garden) puts cloves in her coffee and says she refuses to drink a cup without it. Try experimenting and see what works!