Who No. 5 Canela (cinnamon roll flavored coffee) is for

No. 5 Canela is for people who want a coffee that smells and tastes like a cinnamon roll, mostly on cold mornings and at the end of a meal. Skip it if you want to taste a region, a process or a variety. The label lists a medium roast, the note "cinnamon roll", and two ingredients: coffee and natural flavorings.

What do we know about Canela from the label?

Less than for our other coffees, and that is the honest part. Canela is a flavored coffee, so the roaster does not declare a region, altitude, process or varietal for it. We will not make any up. What is on the label is this:

Our post on what No. 5 Canela tastes like goes through the cup in more detail, so we will not repeat it here.

Who is Canela for?

It suits a few kinds of drinker.

• You like a flavored cup and want the flavor to come from the bag, so you do not need syrup or creamer.
• You want something to drink after dinner, or on a cold morning, when a plain coffee feels like not enough.
• You take milk. The roaster says Canela is good with milk.
• You are moving away from flavored creamer and want a gentler first step. Our post on switching from flavored creamer to whole bean covers that path.

Who should skip Canela?

Skip it if you buy coffee to taste where it grew. A flavored coffee puts the flavoring first, and the label gives no origin to taste. Skip it if you share a grinder with an unflavored coffee, since flavored beans can leave their aroma behind in the burrs. Also skip it if you want to drink it in large quantities of black coffee and find a strong sweet aroma tiring. For that cup, we would send you to a different bag.

Which of our coffees is the better pick for an everyday cup?

If you read the list above and decided Canela is not for you, No. 1 Common Sense is the closest thing we have to an all-purpose bag. It is a medium roast with cocoa, red apple and brown sugar notes, and it takes milk without falling apart.

And if Canela is the right one, here it is.

See all ten coffees. If you want to try Canela alongside a plain bag, a subscription lets you switch, and it is 11% off with skip or cancel in one click. The question of changing coffees is answered in can you switch coffees in a subscription.

How does Canela compare with Common Sense, side by side?

Both are medium roasts and both take milk. The difference is whether you want the flavor in the bag or in the origin. Pick Canela for dessert in a cup, and Common Sense when you want coffee that tastes like coffee.

How do you brew Canela?

The roaster suggests drip or a moka pot, a little coarser than usual. Here are two ways to start. Weights are in grams because they are easier to repeat.

Drip machine

1. Use 60 g of coffee per litre of water, or about 1:16. For a 4 cup maker that is roughly 50 g for 20 ounces of water.
2. Grind one step coarser than your usual drip setting.
3. Brew, stir the pot once, and pour.

Moka pot

1. Fill the basket to the rim without tamping.
2. Grind a little coarser than you would for espresso.
3. Use hot water in the base, keep the heat medium, and take the pot off the stove when it begins to sputter.

If the cup tastes harsh, go coarser or use less coffee. If it tastes thin, go slightly finer. Our bitter coffee fixes work for a flavored bag too.

How do you serve it?

Try it with a splash of milk after dinner. Because the roaster says it is good with milk, you do not need to add syrup. On a cold morning, make a full pot and keep the rest warm in a thermal carafe.