Coffee with cinnamon: benefits and harm to the body, recipe

There are many people in the world who prefer to start their morning with a cup of strong, invigorating coffee. However, over time, even your favorite drink becomes ordinary, losing its former appeal. But the classic coffee drink can be easily transformed into something new by simply adding a new ingredient. Many people ask questions about how to properly prepare coffee with cinnamon, whether it is harmful or beneficial, how much it can be drunk without harm to the body. And it is right. After all, the taste and medicinal properties of this drink deserve close attention.

Story

It is still unclear who is the author of this recipe. However, it is known that many years ago people began to use cinnamon as the first spice in combination with coffee. We are talking about the bark of trees called cinnamon trees. It is processed and dried in a certain way. The tree itself is a laurel tree, and its native countries are India and some areas of China. Cinnamon can also be found on the island of Sri Lanka. It is from the trees growing on this island that the highest quality and delicate seasoning is obtained, which has great value in the culinary environment.

Coffee with cinnamon: what is it?

Cinnamon is very popular among spice lovers. It was originally grown in the tropics, Sri Lanka, China and India. It is produced in large quantities on the island of Madagascar, Seychelles and Brazil.

The spice itself is the bark of a cinnamon tree, processed in a special way. It comes in Ceylon, Chinese, Malabar and spicy varieties. Ceylon has the best qualities.

What beneficial properties exist

Like many other seasonings, cinnamon is enriched with essential oils. It also contains:

cellulose;
microelements;
macroelements.

All these components help improve appetite and strengthen the gastric walls. They also normalize digestive processes in the body. Cinnamon is useful for reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels. This is a good preventative against diseases of the stomach and intestines, as well as acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections. It can be used for joint pain, as it relieves pain. Coffee with cinnamon improves brain function, eliminates bad breath and destroys pathogenic microflora living in the oral cavity.

Harm

Coffee with cinnamon is a healthy drink, but it can also be harmful in some cases:

Taking a warming drink can only worsen the situation if you drink it during illness at a high body temperature.
Spiced coffee should not be drunk during pregnancy. It negatively affects the cardiovascular system of the fetus. Cinnamon itself can lead to unwanted contractions of the uterine walls.
You should not drink the drink if you are prone to allergic reactions to spices.
The norm for cinnamon consumption per day is no more than one teaspoon . As the dose increases, health problems may occur.
If the product is abused, problems with the liver, kidneys, and the development of hepatitis may occur.

How to cook

Making cinnamon coffee at home is very easy. For this you will need:

one and a half teaspoons of freshly ground coffee;
half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder;
one and a half teaspoons of granulated sugar;
200-250 ml of clean water;
70-80 ml milk.

Pour boiling water over the coffee, then add granulated sugar and milk, mix everything. Finally, add cinnamon to the drink and let it sit for a few minutes. A tasty and aromatic drink is ready to drink.

How to choose the right cinnamon for coffee

The principle of choosing cinnamon for preparing an aromatic drink does not differ from a similar procedure that housewives perform when choosing a spice for other culinary purposes. But I would like to immediately draw your attention to the fact that on the shelves of our stores in bags labeled “Cinnamon” a substance is sold that is very vaguely reminiscent of the famous spice. Therefore, it is better to purchase such a product on the market.

The highest quality, as mentioned earlier, is Ceylon cinnamon. True, sellers of spicy goods often try to sell cassia under its guise, which is produced from the bark of cinnamon tree species growing in Indonesia or China. Although cassia can replace high-grade cinnamon, its content of coumarin, which is dangerous to health, is 100 times higher than in the Ceylon product. In some countries, coumarin is used as a poisonous component to control rodents. This important point must be taken into account when choosing, otherwise a coffee drink with a spicy additive will turn into a life-threatening poison.

And now a few criteria that will help you choose high-quality cinnamon:

Product appearance. It is best to buy the spice in the form of tubes, since in the ground state sellers most often sell low-quality cassia.
Manufacturer. It is worth asking about the place where the product was produced. Today you can find spices brought from Israel, the USA and even Germany. But the cinnamon tree does not grow in these countries, so the production of the spice simply cannot be established there.
Cost is the most important indicator. Ceylon cinnamon is not cheap, but cassia can be purchased at an affordable price.
The aroma of true cinnamon is soft and warm, with sweet notes. Cassia is very sweet, and its smell is not as pronounced as the original spice.
Color. High grade cinnamon sticks are uniformly light brown in color. They are slightly curled at the ends, so they resemble horns. Cassia is much coarser, and its color is not the same outside and inside. Ceylon cinnamon is paper thin, which cannot be said about cassia.

Helpful tip: To confirm the quality of cinnamon, you can do a simple test: apply a drop of iodine to a spice tube or a handful of cinnamon powder. Cassia under such influence will immediately take on a dark blue tint, while real cinnamon will only turn slightly blue.

The shelf life of cinnamon sticks is 1 year, and the ground spice will retain its amazing aroma and beneficial qualities only for six months.

Is it possible to drink while losing weight?

Using coffee with cinnamon added as a means of weight loss will not bring the desired results. Weight loss should be comprehensive, and this drink can be consumed as an additional remedy. It helps reduce the feeling of “brutal appetite” and severe hunger, while simultaneously accelerating metabolic processes in the body. To lose weight, you must follow basic dietary rules and introduce moderate physical activity into your daily diet. As for this drink, it will always help cope with the feeling of hunger if it is uncontrollable and occurs frequently.

Why does cinnamon turn into sediment in drinks?

Adding cinnamon to coffee and other drinks is an easy way to add it to your diet. But sprinkling cinnamon on a cup of black coffee usually isn't very effective.

The cinnamon may clump and float around on the top of your drink or stick to the sides of your cup, leaving you with little benefit other than the smell. Even worse, the cinnamon can also turn into an unappetizing black residue that sits at the bottom of your cup.

Cinnamon turns into a sticky residue because cinnamon contains small shavings of tree bark, and this fiber does not dissolve well in water.

Coffee components

The composition of natural coffee includes (per 100 g):

proteins - 0.2 g;
fats - 0.6 g;
carbohydrates - 0.1 g;
essential amino acids;
organic acids (including chlorogenic acid) - 9.2 g;
saturated fatty acids - 5.7 g;
vitamins: A, D, E, B2, B3 (PP);
minerals: iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium.
alkaloid trigonelline;
theophylline, caffeine and theobromine;

Energy drink Adrenaline Rush also contains tonic substances. Find out a little more about this drink to decide whether to drink it or not.

Pleasure with benefit

Cinnamon is the bark of the Cinnamon plant, which grows in Asia, Ceylon, Egypt, and the Seychelles. Initially, local residents used cinnamon as an antibacterial agent for wounds and diarrhea syndrome, but later other features of this plant were discovered:

tonic effect on the body;
decreased blood sugar levels;
slowing down the aging process in the body's cells.

Cinnamon not only smells good, but also helps maintain health and youth.

That is why cinnamon is so popular in the diet menu of people who have reduced secretion of bile or gastric juice, are overweight, fatigued, and have low blood pressure. Among other things, coffee and cinnamon are an ideal culinary tandem, combining a tonic effect with a bright exotic taste.

How to Use Cinnamon Sticks, Ground Cinnamon, and Essential Oil

You can buy cinnamon in the store in the form of sticks and ground. And the pharmacy sells cinnamon tree essential oil. All these products can be used to make coffee. Cinnamon powder is usually simply added to the finished drink, sprinkling it over coffee or milk foam on a cappuccino. You can brew coffee directly with it, mixing it with ground beans. Cinnamon sticks are first boiled in water or milk so that they release their aroma, and then taken out or left in a cup for beauty.

Finally, essential oil is used most rarely for drinks, and it is completely in vain: in small quantities it will not cause harm, only benefit

Of course, allergy sufferers should use this product with caution, but cinnamon oil is even believed to help relieve itchy skin if used wisely. The aroma of cinnamon oil is somewhat different from the smell of cinnamon; it is more persistent and bright. One drop is enough for one or two cups of coffee.

Cinnamon Ingredients

Cinnamon contains:

carotenoid pigment lycopene - 15 mcg;
vitamins: A, B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, PP;
macro- and microelements: calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, selenium, zinc;
essential amino acids (AA): arginine, leucine, isoleucine, histidine, valine, phenylalanine, tryptophan;
saturated fatty acids: lauric, capric, palmitic, stearic;
polyunsaturated fatty acids: omega-3, omega-6.

Composition and calorie content

The aromatic drink contains alkaloids, vitamins, minerals, and valuable organic acids.

Calorie content - 40 kcal per 100 g.

Coffee drinks contain different amounts of calories depending on the ingredients.

Name	Calorie content, kcal	Portion volume, ml
Espresso	7	30–35
Latte Macchiato	29	100
Americano	18	150
Cappuccino	105	150
Moccaccino	289	180
Moccaccino	289	180
Latte	112	150
Flat White	50	180
Irish coffee	113	150
Green Eye	40	180
Cold brew	5	180

Contraindications and side effects

The drink is contraindicated in the following cases:

first trimester of pregnancy;
bleeding (external and internal);
low blood clotting;
high temperature (above 38 degrees);
individual intolerance to cinnamon.

But even in the absence of contraindications, if a person abuses the coffee drink, unpleasant side effects may occur:

headaches (because cinnamon contains coumarin);
deterioration of liver function;
increased nervous excitability;
allergic reactions.

A selection of recipes

With ice

Mix cooled coffee from the refrigerator (150 ml) with milk/sugar and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Add 8-10 ice cubes to the finished drink. Ice will help you cheer up and cool down faster in hot weather.

With milk

Heat whole milk and pour into a cup, add cold coffee.
Whip the milk until foamy (with a whisk or coffee machine steamer).
Add cinnamon, bring to a boil and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

On a note. By analogy, you can make coffee with condensed milk. Condensed milk is added as an additional ingredient (whole milk whipped into foam is also present in the recipe).

Milk improves the taste of the drink, making it softer, and partially neutralizes the harm of the main component for hypertensive patients.

With salt

Pour 2 tsp into the Turk. ground coffee, add 200 ml of water and place over medium heat. When the drink starts to boil, add 1 tsp. sugar, half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder and a small pinch of salt (a few grains).

Lovers of salty coffee claim that the drink has a special, incomparable taste. Diabetics can use this recipe.

With pepper

Mix the coffee prepared in the Turk with sugar and cinnamon. Then add 1-3 peas of black or allspice (you can use a pinch of ground black) and let it brew for 5 minutes.

A glass of “spicy” coffee improves appetite and gives a rich range of flavors.

Coffee with pepper for health and weight loss.

With ginger

Add cinnamon and ground ginger (about half a teaspoon each) to freshly prepared coffee. To improve the taste of the drink, you can use sugar or honey.

Ginger has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes fat and cholesterol metabolism in the body, and is therefore recommended for weight loss.

With honey

Bring water (300 ml) to a boil.
Remove from heat, add 2 tsp. ground coffee, stir.
Put it on the fire again and wait for the foam to rise (3 times).
Cool the drink, add 2 tsp. honey and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.
Pour into glass glasses and garnish with whipped cream (1 tsp).

Honey has a general strengthening effect and helps increase immunity, normalizes the functioning of the digestive tract and helps cope with insomnia.

With orange zest

Place 4 tsp on the bottom of the Turk. ground coffee, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. orange zest (fresh or dried).
Pour the mixture with cold water and place on low heat. Make sure the coffee doesn't boil!
As soon as the foam rises, remove the Turk from the heat for a few minutes.
Then place the container on the stove again.
Repeat this procedure 3 times.

Orange zest improves appetite, eliminates nausea and fights heartburn.

Photo: pixabay.com. Author: Bezzemelna_ksu.

With cloves

Pour ground coffee beans (2 tsp) into the Turk, mix with 2 tsp. sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and 2-3 grains of cloves.
Pour in 250 ml of mineral water, stir and place on the stove.
As soon as the foam rises, remove the container from the heat.
After a few seconds, put it there again.
Repeat the procedure three times.

Cloves give the drink a slightly pungent, spicy taste. The spice has an analgesic and bactericidal effect.

With vanilla

Cut the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod into small pieces.
In a coffee grinder, grind cinnamon, vanilla and 1 tsp. ground coffee.
Pour the resulting mixture into a pot and add 100 ml of water.
Place the Turk on the fire and wait until foam forms.
Remove the liquid from the stove, let it sit for 3-5 minutes and strain.
Pour the drink into a cup and add sugar/milk to taste.

Advice. To speed up the cooking process, you can use cinnamon powder and vanilla sugar.

Natural vanilla has a calming, relaxing and anti-stress effect.

With nutmeg

Place 2 tsp in a Turk. ground coffee, add sugar to taste and a pinch of cinnamon.
Fill the resulting mixture with water (250–300 l) and place the container on the stove.
After 5 minutes of cooking, add 0.5 tsp. ground nutmeg.
Let the finished drink brew for a couple of minutes.
Top with grated chocolate or whipped cream.

Nutmeg has a stimulating, tonic and immunomodulatory effect.

With cardamom

Pour 1 tbsp into the Turk. l. ground coffee and add 2-3 cardamom seeds.
Pour in 120 ml of water and place on the stove without bringing to a boil.
5 minutes after the start of cooking, add 1 tsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.
After the foam appears, remove the Turk from the stove and strain the drink.

Coffee with cardamom has a tonic and restorative effect.

With mint

Pour coffee powder (2 tsp) into a pot, add 300 ml of hot water, chopped mint leaves (3 pcs.) and a pinch of cinnamon. Bring the coffee to a boil, strain and pour into cups. Add sugar if desired.

Mint has a calming, analgesic and anti-edematous effect.

With cognac

Place ground coffee (1 tsp) in a Turk, add 200 ml of cold water and place on the stove.
Wait three times for the foam to appear.
Pour the finished drink into a cup, add 1-2 tsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tbsp. l. cognac

Cognac helps strengthen the nervous system, relieves tension and eliminates insomnia.

With wine

First, brew strong espresso, cool the drink and add 1.5 tbsp. l. sugar, 1/2 tsp. orange zest, a pinch of cinnamon and 30–50 g of dark yellow port.

A coffee and wine drink gives vigor and improves vitality.