Best coffee for cinnamon lovers: what to look for and our pick

The best coffee for cinnamon lovers from our ten is No. 5 Canela. It is a flavored medium roast with a cinnamon roll note, made with coffee and natural flavorings. If you want cinnamon in the cup without adding anything yourself, this is the one. If you prefer cinnamon as an accent on a plain coffee, read the trade-offs below before you choose.

What should you look for in a coffee for cinnamon lovers?

A word on process. A flavored coffee is not sold for its origin, and the label for Canela does not name one. We do not list a region, altitude or process for it, and we would not invent one. What you are buying is a flavor, in a medium roast.

Is Canela the right pick?

Here are the facts from the bag.

The honest trade-off: the cinnamon note is a flavoring, so it sits on top of the coffee, and it will not taste like a single-origin cup with a spice added. If that is what you want, you are better served by a plain coffee and a shake of ground cinnamon, and our other nine are all unflavored. If you want the cinnamon roll taste with no extra step, Canela is built for that.

How should you brew it?

The label says drip or a moka pot, with a grind a little coarser than usual. It is good with milk, and better than it sounds black. We find that a cold morning or the end of a meal is when a cup like this makes the most sense, and the label says the same.

For a plain recipe, start at 60 g per litre, which is the ratio we use across the coffees. Our post on the best coffee for a drip coffee maker covers drip in more detail, and how much coffee for a 4 cup coffee maker and for a 5 cup maker give you the measures in grams, scoops and tablespoons.

How does cinnamon coffee work with milk and food?

The label says Canela is good with milk, and that is where a cinnamon roll note makes sense: a splash of milk rounds it out and the flavor reads as something closer to a pastry than a spice. It is also named for the end of a meal, so it fits where you would otherwise reach for dessert. We do not make claims about pairings beyond that, since taste is personal and the label is what we know.

If you are moving over from a flavored creamer, our post on switching from flavored creamer to whole bean single origin covers what to buy first. Canela is the nearest step if you want to keep a sweet, spiced cup, and the single origins are the next step when you are ready for them.

Should you buy it whole bean or ground?

Both come at the same price, $28 for 12 oz. Whole bean lets you set the grind for your brewer, which matters here because the label asks for a grind a little coarser than usual for drip or a moka pot. If you do not own a grinder, order it ground and tell yourself that is a fine place to start. Either way, keep the bag sealed between cups and brew it within a few weeks, as you would with any coffee.

What if you do not want flavored coffee?

Then Canela is not for you, and that is fine. Our other coffees are single origins and none of them is flavored. For sweet and gentle flavors without any flavoring, No. 6 Hegemony (Brazil, medium roast, notes of cocoa and smooth) is the closest in spirit. Our post on who No. 6 Hegemony is for explains who should buy it and who should skip it.

Every coffee is $28 for 12 oz, whole bean or ground. See all ten coffees, or read our FAQ about how we roast and ship. If you drink it every week, the subscription is 11% off, with skip or cancel in one click.

If cinnamon roll is the flavor you want, Canela is the bag.