What No. 5 Canela tastes like, cup by cup

No. 5 Canela tastes like a cinnamon roll in a cup of coffee. The label says medium roast, notes of cinnamon roll, and the ingredients are coffee and natural flavorings. That means the cinnamon note is flavoring added to the coffee, and it is not a bean from a single farm. It is sweet, warm and easy to drink, and it works best as a drip or moka pot cup, with or without milk.

What is on the label?

Here is everything the roaster, Temecula Coffee Roasters in Temecula, California, tells us about this bag.

The label gives no origin, altitude or process for this one, so we do not say anything about them. It is our flavored coffee, and the other nine are single origin. If you want the bean story, look at all ten coffees. If you want dessert in the morning, this is the one.

How does it taste in drip?

Drip is where we would start. Use the standard 60 g per litre and grind a little coarser than usual, as the roaster suggests for this bag. The cinnamon roll note leads, with a sweet, warm smell as it brews. It is a gentle cup and not a punchy one. If you need a ratio refresher, see coffee to water ratio for drip machines.

How does it taste in a moka pot?

A moka pot makes a stronger, smaller cup, so the flavoring shows up more. Again grind a little coarser than you normally would, fill the basket level and do not tamp it. You get a short, concentrated cup that is good after dinner. If you are choosing between a moka pot and an espresso machine, we compare them in moka pot vs espresso machine.

How does it taste with milk?

Better than it sounds black, according to the roaster, and we agree with that description. Milk rounds the cinnamon roll note into something close to a latte with a dessert on the side. It is a good choice for a cold morning or to finish a meal.

What is it not?

• It is not a single origin, and we will not describe a farm or a region for it.
• It is not a light, fruity coffee. The label notes say cinnamon roll, and that is what to expect.
• It is not a cupping-score coffee. We have no score to share and will not make one up.
• It is not the only cinnamon option in the journal. Our post on the best coffee for cinnamon lovers compares the choices.

If you enjoy a sweet cup but want something unflavored, No. 1 Common Sense (cocoa, red apple, brown sugar) is a different way to get there, and our drip coffee maker pick explains why it suits a daily machine.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it?

Buy it if you drink coffee with milk, if you like a sweet cup after dinner, or if you want a coffee that smells like a bakery while it brews. It is also an easy gift for someone who likes flavored coffee and has never tried a roaster they can name. Skip it if you want to taste a place, a process or a varietal. For that, a single origin such as No. 2 Good Sense or No. 9 Optimism is the better fit, and the why page explains how we choose what we sell.

One practical note. Flavored coffee leaves its smell in a grinder and in a brewer. If you grind at home and also drink an unflavored coffee, rinse the grinder and brewer between bags, or keep one brewer just for Canela. We list the roaster's brewing note as the label gives it: drip or a moka pot, a little coarser than usual. Past that, taste and adjust, because we do not have cupping data to hand you and we will not pretend to.

For ordering questions, the FAQ page has the rest. If you want it to arrive on repeat, the subscription is 11% off, and you can skip or cancel in one click. Brew a pot on a cold morning and see if the cinnamon roll is what you were after.