Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Total time: 10-15 minutes
Introduction
This sugar-free recipe is based on my french press coffee recipe, which has lots of extra tips and explanations on why certain steps are taken. For this cinnamon recipe, you’ll only need one extra ingredient, and that’s cinnamon. You can use pre-ground cinnamon, or you can grind up the bark yourself for extra freshness. I like to use Ceylon cinnamon, but any kind of cinnamon will do. The basic premise of this recipe is that we will make coffee with a french press, with cinnamon added in along with the coffee grounds. Scroll down to the recipe section to see amounts.
How does cinnamon french press coffee work?
The basic mechanism is that the flavor of cinnamon gets extracted along with the coffee beans. This is a great option for the rich warm flavor of cinnamon if you don’t want a sugary drink, whether that be for health reasons or because you just don’t like sugar very much. Not only is this cinnamon coffee recipe delicious, but it also has many potential health benefits, outlined below.
Why drink cinnamon coffee?
Along with its great taste, cinnamon also has potential health benefits. These include antioxidation effects, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-infection properties, protection against cold and flu, Alzheimer’s, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol, and it can improve gut health. Infusing it into your morning coffee every day may offer these benefits, giving your system a boost to protect itself and move through the world the way you’re meant to.
Recipe for 8 oz (236 mL)
Equipment
- French press: This hot immersion method will be enough to extract the rich flavor of cinnamon without taking compounds out of the coffee that we’d rather not taste.
- Kettle
- Coffee Grinder if your coffee is not pre-ground: I recommend a mortar and pestle.
- Herb grinder if you’re using a dedicated coffee grinder and want to keep them separate. Again, a mortar and pestle is a great choice for this (and can be used for both).
- Timer: You can use a dedicated timer or you can just use the one on your phone.
Ingredients
- 2.5 tbsp of ground coffee (or 12.5 grams)
- 8 oz of water (or 236 mL, also 236 grams)
- 1/3 to 1 tsp of cinnamon (or 0.92-2.7 grams)
Instructions
- Grind the cinnamon bark if it is not pre-ground. If you are using a mortar and pestle, it can be difficult to grind it past the fibrous stage, so you can use a little more, up to a tsp, or about 2.7 grams. A little pinch off the bark should do just fine. Personally, I prefer this because I don’t want the actual tiny particles of cinnamon making it into my drink. However, some people feel differently about this and would love for some ground cinnamon to be in their cup of coffee. It’s up to you and your preferences!
- Put the ground cinnamon in the carafe.
- Measure 8 oz of water into your kettle. I like to do this by filling my mug with water, then emptying it into the carafe.
- Set your water to heat up to 197 F (91-92 C). *
- Grind your coffee coarse.
- Put the ground coffee in the carafe with the cinnamon.
- Set your timer for 4:30, but don’t start it yet.
- When the water is at the correct temperature, pour it into the carafe, getting all the grounds wet in the process. Do not stir.
- Begin your timer for four and a half minutes, and put the lid on, leaving the plunger up (the long stick part should be standing up out of the lid).
- When your timer alerts you, remove the lid and stir the brew with a wooden utensil.
- Put the lid back on and plunge all the way down, slowly. Your cinnamon coffee is now ready!
Now that you know how to make sugar-free cinnamon coffee with a french press, you can enjoy this delicious healthy drink every day if you want to. The complex, earthy flavor of cinnamon is a great way to start your morning or keep you going throughout your time of work or leisure. It is especially good in autumn, when the color of the leaves matches the color of cinnamon bark. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe and the others I have on this site!