Whiskey and Barrel aged coffee is becoming a new trend in the specialty coffee world. At first glance, they might all look the same. You might say, "it's all coffee that taste like whiskey or bourbon. However, there can be a big taste difference between coffee that was aged in a bourbon barrel, and a coffee that was infused with whiskey. In this article we will talk about the differences between the two methods.

Whiskey Infused Coffee

Coffee beans that are infused with coffee is a popular method used to get the whiskey flavor in the coffee bean because it doesn't take as much time to infuse. 

The process starts with the green coffee beans (raw coffee). The green coffee is usually put in a bucket or stainless holding tank and then whiskey or bourbon is poured inside. The coffee is then stirred and left to sit for 24-72 hours. 

The infused coffee after roasting will have a great sweet aroma. The aroma can vary depending on the alcohol used to infuse. The infused coffee will have the whiskey and bourbon flavors with after mouth feel of finishing a old fashion drink. Some people think the infused coffee can have a to intense or artificial side taste to it. If you are not looking for a everyday coffee I think the taste is good and fun to switch up your coffee routine. 

I have not heard that much about infusing the roasted coffee beans before. I believe a lot of roasters don't infuse the roasted coffee due to shelf life and the beans becoming moist and molding. I did find an article though that talks about infusing the roasted coffee beans. the article by coolcatscoffee.com says, "What you need to do is pour the whisky into a container and add the coffee beans. You need to make sure that the container can be shut airtight. Once you have done this, the mix will need to be left for about 24 hours. If you want to achieve a stronger flavor, you can leave it for some extra time, up to an additional 8 hours. (coolcatscoffee.com)"

Barrel Aged Coffee

Barrel aged coffee is my preferred method to drink whiskey/bourbon flavored coffee. I am not just saying that because it's how we do it at Whiskey Morning Coffee. I believe it gives you the most authentic flavor and provides the natural oak tones and flavor from the coffee bean to show up. 

Barrel aging coffee is similar to the infused method but different. When you barrel age coffee beans you are taking the green coffee and letting them age in the whiskey/bourbon barrel for 3-8 months. The longer you age, the more intense the flavors will be. Here at Whiskey Morning Coffee, we like to age our coffee beans in bourbon barrels for 2-3 months. We believe that 2-3 months allow the best flavors to come through in the coffee beans. The first thing you will notice is the smell will be sweet bourbon. The initial taste will have to oak barrel tones and finish with the bourbon tones. 

When aging coffee beans, you need to turn the barrels daily to ensure an even aging process. You will also want to check you beans on a weekly basis to make sure they have not aged to long. We have found that if the coffee beans age in the barrels to long they will become soft, and you can break them with your fingers. When the beans age to long and become soft we have noticed there be off-putting flavors in the coffee.

Whiskey Morning Coffee

• Aged in Bourbon Barrels 2-3 Months
• Whole/Ground/Pods Options
• Medium Roast
• Bourbon aroma, sweet oak flavor
• Order Here