Why You Should Add Honey In Your Coffee Instead Of Sugar

Have you noticed how the honey is more and more popular as a substitution for sugar in coffee, teas, and other drinks, and you’ve been thinking to try it?

Or maybe you are looking for different ways to sweeten your morning coffee without all the added sugar that comes from the white sugar and other artificial sweeteners?

Cutting back processed sugar is always a good idea, and removing it from your coffee is just a start.

But for those who still like their coffee on the sweet side, the honey is a perfect substitution and here I’ll go through some facts and misconceptions about adding honey in the coffee, the pros and cons, and other tips and tricks so you can improve your cup of joy in the best way possible.

Little History About Honey In Coffee

Many cultures have used honey for thousands of years, and not just to make their food and drinks sweeter. Honey has been known as an effective disinfectant, and anti-inflammatory and has also been used as a beauty aid.

When people first added honey to coffee is impossible to determine. However, we know that the Egyptians were likely the first to try sweetening their coffee, sometime in the early 17th century. They also created the brewing method in which ground coffee, sugar, and water are brought  to a boil, yielding a sweet and syrupy brew.

Benefits Of Drinking Coffee With Honey

Many people that considered switching the sugar in the coffee with honey have done so because of the health benefits. Or at least to cut down on sugar or calories, in which case the healthiest way to consume coffee is black and zero sweeteners.

1. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you need less of it

Now, you might have heard that honey has more calories than sugar (what?), which makes it sound impossible that honey is better option than sugar, but that’s not the only side of the whole picture.

What is less known is that the honey is sweeter than the sugar, so you will need much less honey, for the same sweetness of the sugar. The sweet molecules in honey are processed faster in the body, so they are less likely to be stored as fats. Honey also has a lower glycemic index than sugar, so it won’t impact the blood sugar as much as the white sugar would.

2. Honey adds nutrients to your coffee

For me, one of the most important reasons to consider honey coffee for your health are its added nutrients. Honey is naturally antibacterial, rich in antioxidants, and contains numerous minerals and vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, riboflavin and many others. And like all natural products, it conveys benefits we don’t even understand as a result of complex interactions between these healthful nutrients.

Of course, honey itself is not a substitute for a well-rounded, healthy diet. Still, trace vitamins are still better than no vitamins at all. Especially if you’re talking about sweeteners.

3. Honey has antimicrobial properties

Did you know that honey was once used as a medicinal component for thousands of years? In fact, many ancient cultures have applied honey to various wounds, burns or ulcers and it has been found to help them heal much quicker than normal.

By adding honey to your coffee, you get to enjoy these benefits as well. For example, honey can act as a natural cough suppressant. So, if you have a cough and would rather not take an over the counter treatment for it, honey can be a good alternative. It’s also a good and natural way to soothe a sore throat.

4. Honey is rich in antioxidants

By adding honey to your daily cup of coffee, you are ensuring that your body is protected from the effects of free radicals. This means lower risks of developing certain cancers, less chance of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, and even slowing down the ageing process.

5. Honey has anti-inflammatory properties

This makes honey a useful substance at not only managing chronic inflammation, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, but also helps prevent them in people who are prone to develop them. This is in stark contrast to regular sugar, which is known to actually make inflammatory reactions much worse.

But, Is Honey Good In Coffee?

As a coffee lover, who haven’t tried honey in coffee before, you are probably wondering: How does the coffee taste with honey?

I had the exact same question, until I tried it. Even though I like my coffee without any sweeteners, I was simply curious. And I was positively surprised. Maybe because I like honey, too.

At the end it all comes down to the personal taste. But according to coffee researcher and author Isabelle Mani SanMax, it also has the potential to blend harmoniously with the flavor of your coffee, maybe even bringing out pleasant notes you didn’t expect. And, of course, we would love that!

There are plenty of varieties of honey and coffee beans as well, so don’t give up if you didn’t like the taste the first time.

And here are some interesting coffee drinks that include honey, and some extra flavours, like cinnamon, lavender, nutmeg, and more.

Honey Cinnamon Latte

Honey Coffee Recipe by Taste Of Home

Amazing coffee drink to try at home with honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Go to the recipe HERE

Final Thoughts On Coffee With Honey

Even though I like the coffee without any sweeteners, I was curious to taste this combination, and I like it. For me, the honey adds more than sweetness, it adds flavor that I like, and it makes the coffee drink another, different experience.

Now, anytime I like something sweet, I just pull one espresso shot with a dollop of honey, and it makes me happy.

Have you tried coffee with honey? What are your thoughts on that?

And if you haven’t, now that you know the benefits of it, are you even little curious to try it?

Tell me in the comments, I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy Your Coffee!