3 Outside The Box Flavor Combinations To Upgrade Your Usual Brew

Key Takeaways

We’re all typically partial to our preferred methods of enjoying a tasty cup of coffee, these preferences often centering around specific brewing methods, flavors, additions, or lack thereof, each yielding a cup we rely on as our usual brew. However, as great as routines can be, sometimes we also like to switch things up, potentially even looking for something out of the ordinary. Why? No reason, just a simple desire to try something different. And, that’s what we’re delivering today, something different. Here you’ll find three tasty coffee recipes that incorporate unusual flavor combinations, sips for those days when you want to try something outside the box…just because. 

• Fig & Walnut On Main: Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee prepared with crumbled walnuts, fig syrup, and milk
  
• Dirty Matcha Chai: Twist on a dirty chai, here with the addition of matcha, using Lifeboost Vanilla Chai Coffee
  
• The Perfect Pear: blonde espresso latte with pear syrup 

Have you ever watched a movie or television series with a scene in a diner or restaurant where the waiter/waitress approaches a customer and instead of asking for the person’s order he/she simply asks something like “having your usual today,” or “I assume you want your usual?”

Perhaps I’m dating myself with recollections of such scenes, but I can even recall this having been played out in real life, specifically involving my dad and grandpa who frequented a restaurant in our small, rural, Indiana town.

Upon each, sometimes daily, visit, they’d sit in their usual spot and routinely answer the waitress’s inquiry with an agreeing nod as she’d ask, “the usual?”

For them, and for most sitting at what we’d all call “the talkers’ table,” the usual was nothing other than a cup of black coffee. 

As kids we’d often grin at this habit, or should I say set of habits - same table, same seat, same small ceramic cup, same order - a cup of coffee, black. 

What prompted these childhood grins or chuckles? I suppose it was the predictability of it all. 

I mean, even when we’d see similar movie scenes from time to time, these nods to routine echoed in one- or two-word orders - the usual - seemed oddly boring…uneventful. 

But let’s be honest, we’re not much different today. 

We know what we like, and we like what we know. 

And, that’s not a bad thing in any way, shape, or form. 

Routines can actually be really good things. 

But sometimes, it’s also great to switch it up a bit…for no reason at all…just because. 

So, we’re incorporating this idea of a break from the usual into our beloved cup of coffee, as we’re sharing three recipes with you today, each highlighting a different Lifeboost Coffee selection to use in some unusual - but tasty - flavor combinations. 

For when you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary…

When you feel a little stuck in your usual routine…

If you like to think outside the box (or mug) …

…each of these cups are perfect for those days when you’re looking for something different, something intriguing, something delightful!

Enjoy!

3 Outside The Box Flavor Combinations To Upgrade Your Usual Brew 

1- Fig & Walnut On Main

This one’s your main brew with a few twists to make for an unusual cup…an unusually delicious cup, that is! 

Figs bring a honey-like sweetness, while walnuts, both earthy and rich, provide that subtle hint of “hmmm, I’m detecting something different here, and I like it.”

This combination (1) of fruit and nut fits perfectly with a bold yet smooth dark roast, echoing the origins of your cup, which begins as a fruit, processed to leave only the seed, roasted, then ground just for you. 

Of course, in keeping with our theme today, highlighting those items somewhat out of your ordinary sipping routine, you’ll even get to add a slight modification to your typical brewing method, here incorporating the walnuts right into your grounds. 

And the figs, you’ll transform this fruit into a simple syrup (2) that can be added effortlessly to both hot and iced cups. 

Give it a try, and let us know what you think! 

**If you can find walnut milk at your local grocery store, you could consider omitting the walnuts during brewing, instead infusing these unique flavors through the addition of the milk alone. 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Lifeboost Dark Roast Coffee
  
• 2 tablespoons fig syrup (see recipe below)
  
• 2 walnut halves, crumbled
  
• 4 ounces milk

Instructions

• When brewing your coffee (the most suited methods here include drip brewer, pour over, french press), crumble two large walnut halves and add them to the coffee grounds prior to brewing, allowing these flavors to infuse into the coffee as it brews. 
  
• Add prepared coffee to a large mug, then stir in fig syrup. 
  
• Add milk to an electric frother and froth on the heated setting. 
  
• Top prepared coffee with frothed, heated milk, and enjoy!

*You don’t have to use an electric frother here. You could also simply warm the milk, then add to the coffee, without frothing, if you’d like. 

Homemade Fig Syrup

• 4 ounces dried figs
  
• ½ cup sugar
  
• ½ cup filtered water
  
• 1 cinnamon stick 

Roughly chop the dried figs, then add to a small saucepan with sugar, water, and one cinnamon stick. 

Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring to fully dissolve the sugar. 

Allow the mixture to simmer for ten minutes, then remove from the heat and cool for 20 minutes. 

Remove the figs and the cinnamon stick, then return the mixture to the heat for another 5-10 until it reaches a desired thickness. 

Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. 

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

2- Dirty Matcha Chai

How many of you have heard of a dirty chai? 

This is simply a chai tea latte with an added shot of espresso. 

Then, who’s tried a dirty matcha? 

Like a dirty chai, this is a matcha tea latte prepared with an espresso shot. 

See where we’re going with this? 

Today, we’re taking the basics behind each of these tasty creations and combining such concepts to concoct a union of spice, java, and earthy matcha, yielding a unique and yummy cup. 

But here (3), instead of using chai tea and espresso, we’re simplifying the process by incorporating the incredibly delicious flavors of our Vanilla Chai Latte Coffee - one coffee, loads of flavor, some earthy matcha, creamy milk, and violá, a truly satisfying sip! 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces very strongly brewed Lifeboost Vanilla Chai Latte Coffee
  
• 1 teaspoon matcha powder (ceremonial or culinary grade)
  
• 2-3 tablespoons hot water
  
• 2-3 teaspoons pure maple syrup 
  
• ¾ cup milk 
  
• Ice 

Instructions 

• Add matcha and hot water to a tall glass and incorporate using a whisk or handheld frother. 
  
• Once smooth and slightly foamy, add the maple syrup and froth again until fully combined. 
  
• Add ice to this mixture, enough to roughly fill the glass. 
  
• Pour milk over the ice and matcha mixture, then top with strong Vanilla Chai Latte Coffee. 
  
• Stir if you’d like, or leave the layers, and enjoy! 

3- The Perfect Pear

Flavored coffee selections that include fruit often center around berry and java combinations, but have you ever thought about a less tart addition…say something like a pear?

Pears bring a desired sweetness and fruity flavor without the added acidity and tartness often associated with berries or citrus fruits, and when you add this to java, it yields an exceptionally unique and delicious cup. 

One recommendation for this combo noted that pear flavors pair perfectly with both light roasts and deeply dark roasts, so we thought we’d highlight this recommendation (4) in a Lifeboost favorite which essentially brings you the best of both worlds, our Blonde Espresso. 

Combining the brightness of our Light Roast Coffee with the fuller flavor espresso-lovers crave, this brew essentially jumped ahead in line, eager to pair with pears! 

(Sorry, these pear/pair puns will be the only cheese you’ll get with this fruit infused latte.) 

Ingredients

• 2 shots Lifeboost Blonde Espresso 
  
• 2-3 teaspoons pear simple syrup (see recipe below) 
  
• 4 ounces milk 
  
• Ice 

Instructions 

• Add ice to a tall glass, then add pear syrup (5) and milk, stirring slightly to combine. 
  
• Top milk mixture with 2 shots of Blonde Espresso, stir gently, and enjoy! 

**If enjoying this one hot, omit the ice and feel free to steam the milk using the wand of your espresso machine to keep things hot and frothy. 

Homemade Pear Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 pears (any variety) washed, peeled, and sliced 

Add water, sugar, and pears to a medium saucepan over medium heat, then bring to a simmer. 

Once the sugar is fully dissolved, allow the mixture to simmer for one more minute, then remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. 

Allow the pears to steep in this mixture for approximately 30 minutes or until it has cooled to room temperature. 

Once cooled, strain through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight jar. 

Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.

FAQ

1- I don’t have an espresso machine; can I brew the Blonde Espresso using a traditional brewer? 

We do have some customers who enjoy sipping this selection exactly like this…skipping the espresso machine for a traditional brewer or pour over. 

So, feel free to experiment and see which method you like best as this one’s got that classic brightness often associated with our light roast while also bringing a noticeable sweetness and full-bodied flavor typical of an espresso. 

If you’re preparing this traditionally for use in the recipe above, I’d recommend using 4-6 ounces of prepared coffee as opposed to the 2 pulled espresso shots.

Disclaimer: Coffee contains caffeine and you should consult with a health care professional with any concerns you might have on the effects of coffee on your health and well being. Additionally, the way coffee is grown, low acid coffee, decaf coffee, as well as different roast types (light, medium, dark, etc.) can alter caffeine levels. If you have questions about the caffeine levels or pH levels of our coffee, please reach out to our support team for clarification. If you have any concerns with how our coffee, or any product will affect you or your health, consult with a health professional directly.

https://www.elegancebrew.com/blogs/news/12-unique-coffee-flavor-combinations-that-will-transform-your-morning-brew? (opens in new tab)

https://www.cookingandcats.com/recipe-card/cinnamon-fig-latte#early-grey (opens in new tab)

https://thebuttertable.com/dirty-matcha-latte/#recipe (opens in new tab)

https://www.tastingtable.com/2065496/unique-ingredients-homemade-lattes/ (opens in new tab)

https://www.keepingitsimpleblog.com/food/pear-simple-syrup/ (opens in new tab)

References for the article to confirm data and information.