How Much Cinnamon in Coffee: Adding It the Best Way

Adding a dash of cinnamon to coffee might sound like a flash-in-the-pan social media trend, but it can be a simple and delicious way to enhance your brew.

Cinnamon packs a punch in both flavor and potential health benefits, but how much should you add to your coffee to get the balance right? 

In this article, we break down the ideal amount of cinnamon to balance the flavors and benefits of your brew. We also offer some tips to pick the best coffee beans to combine with this aromatic spice.

Finding the Perfect Cinnamon-to-Coffee Ratio

As with any recipe, using the right amount of spice can make or break the flavor experience. Cinnamon has quite a potent flavor as does coffee — balancing these strong flavors can be tricky.

In truth, there’s no hard and fast rule for the ideal amount of cinnamon to add to your coffee. While recipes vary, a common suggestion is adding one teaspoon of cinnamon per mug of coffee. Of course, you can change the ratio based on your taste, the type of cinnamon, and the type of coffee you use. 

Adjusting the Amount of Cinnamon to Suit Your Taste

Everyone enjoys their coffee differently — while some prefer it black, others prefer cream and sugar. When adding cinnamon, your personal preference reigns supreme.

If you’re looking to add cinnamon so its natural flavor complements the coffee's complex flavors, be sparing with the spice. We suggest adding between ¼ and ½ teaspoons per cup to start with and increase the amount from there. 

If you’re looking to create a coffee with a potent cinnamon flavor, add in a whole teaspoon. However, be cautious about adding too much — the cinnamon powder can clump up in the brew and create a bitter flavor.

Types of Cinnamon

As with coffee, there are several different types of cinnamon. Like coffee’s robusta and arabica beans, there are two main cinnamon species produced commercially. These are cassia cinnamon (also known as Chinese cinnamon and sweet cinnamon) and Ceylon cinnamon (also known as Sri Lankan cinnamon or true cinnamon).

Here’s how they differ:

Cassia Cinnamon

Cassia is the most popular cinnamon in the US, bringing a straightforward cinnamon flavor to any dish or beverage. The bark of the cassia tree is quite thick compared to other species because it comes in several layers. Though this makes it a bit tougher to grind, it’s prized in baking because the flavors can withstand heat well without breaking down.

Adding cassia cinnamon to your coffee will create a generally sweet and smooth note. It adds a straightforward flavor, and it will withstand the heat of hot coffee well to maintain flavor as you sip.

Ceylon Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon, by comparison, only makes use of the thin inner bark of the tree. This means the rolls are thinner and have a more delicate, complex flavor. It also means they’re less tough and easier to grind. For this reason, it’s sometimes considered the “true” cinnamon since historically, it was easier to use and more commonplace — even when spices were exclusively ground by hand.

Using Ceylon cinnamon in your coffee has benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, it's more crumbly so it will disperse through your coffee more easily. On the other hand, it’s known to lose some of its delicate flavor when heated during cooking. If you add the cinnamon to your grounds before brewing, the freshly boiled water may reduce the overall flavor. Ceylon cinnamon is best added after brewing.

How Cinnamon Interacts with Different Coffee Beans

Two main species of coffee beans are beloved among coffee enthusiasts — arabica and robusta. These two species have different flavors because their internal chemistry differs slightly. This flavor difference means the cinnamon will interact with these two beans in different ways. 

Robusta beans have an intensely rich, earthy flavor. They’re typically roasted dark to bring their flavors to life, leading to a powerful final cup. This intense flavor is potent and needs something similarly intense in the cup so that the addition doesn’t get overpowered. 

For that reason, 100% robusta beans mix best with cassia cinnamon. The intense and straightforward flavor of that spice complements the coffee, creating a balanced duet.

On the other hand, arabica beans have a more complex, subtle flavor. They contain more fat and sugar than robusta beans, which gives them a smooth, sweet, delicate flavor. 

For arabica beans, we'd suggest using Ceylon cinnamon. This option has a more delicate flavor, which will mix well with the complex bouquet that well-brewed arabica coffee boasts. Ceylon cinnamon is known to lose flavor when heated, so you may need to experiment a little with how much you add. With some experimentation, you’ll be able to achieve a delicate cup with a complex flavor profile.

How Cinnamon Interacts with Different Roasts

Of course, coffee doesn’t have just one flavor. If you were to compare a dark roast robusta coffee with a light roast arabica, there’d be a clear difference in taste. Cinnamon will interact with the flavors of these coffees differently.

For a darker roast coffee, we suggest opting for cassia cinnamon. When brewed delicately, dark roast coffees can have a natural sweetness and richness that the addition of the sweeter cinnamon may enhance. Adding half a teaspoon to the grounds before brewing is an excellent starting point.

For a lighter roast, we suggest opting for Ceylon cinnamon and a brewing method that uses a long contact time between the water and the coffee. Using a coffee maker such as a Phin filter, pour-over, or French press allows you to brew at a slightly lower temperature but for a longer time. The natural phytochemicals from the beans will come through as citrus and nut notes, which will pair well with the sweet, complex, and floral flavor of Ceylon cinnamon.

Why Add Cinnamon to Your Coffee?

As with so many spices, cinnamon has some tricks hidden up its sleeve — it can do a lot to boost your health and improve the flavor of your food.

1. Potential Health Benefits

Cinnamon has been used in traditional medicine around the world for centuries. Our ancestors were onto something — modern science has confirmed several of the “ancient health claims.” 

Cinnamon has been shown to work as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer supplement, as well as many other uses [3]. However, it’s important to note that cinnamon is best considered as a dietary supplement to support general bodily function rather than a medication to cure certain ailments.

Researchers have also discovered that cinnamon may improve blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in diabetics [2]. 

It’s undeniable that cinnamon impacts health, and adding a little to a balanced diet may help support your well-being. However, it’s difficult to say how much cinnamon is needed to induce these effects and whether it’s a good long-term supplement. More research is needed until cinnamon can be considered a medication of any kind.

2. Flavor Boost

Most people add cinnamon to their coffee because of its flavor. Cinnamon brings a sweet, warming taste — a lovely addition to any dessert, drink, or dish.

In coffee, cinnamon adds a little more warmth and depth to your cup. The rich aroma pairs well with the rich, dark taste and aroma of coffee. Both cinnamon and coffee have earthy, woody, and nutty notes. This complementary flavor pairing makes cinnamon a popular addition to coffee.

3. Seasonal Allure

Cinnamon has many cultural connotations around the world. While the flavor itself can be enjoyed at any time of year, it’s commonly particularly enjoyed during the fall and winter months. Its naturally warming flavor adds complexity to many drinks, with coffee shops often creating seasonal offerings around the popular spice.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. While pumpkin spice is a traditional blend of spices used in the US to make pumpkin pie, the main spice is cinnamon.

How to Add Cinnamon to Your Coffee Like a Pro

Now that you understand the benefits of adding cinnamon to your coffee, let’s take a look at how to add the spice to take your coffee to the next level…

1. Cold Brewing

Cold brewing coffee is simple — mix coffee and cold water, then store the mixture in the fridge for a long period (18 to 24 hours). Once it has had time to brew, strain to separate the grounds, and you’ll get a beautifully delicate, low-acidity cold brew coffee. 

The benefit of using cold brew when brewing with cinnamon is the low temperature. Ceylon cinnamon has a more delicate flavor and aroma than cassia cinnamon. This flavor and aroma can be lost when heated, meaning that it’s less commonly used for baking and cooking.

However, since we know that the cold brew will remain cold during the entire brewing process, those flavors won’t be lost. 

Here’s a simple recipe for cinnamon cold brew:

1. Add around 60 g of coffee to a French press or large jug.
2. Add around 500 mL of fresh, cold, filtered water. This 1:8 coffee-to-water ratio creates a strong but drinkable coffee that doesn’t need diluting.
3. Add one to two teaspoons of Ceylon cinnamon to the mixture, and stir everything thoroughly. Your cinnamon and coffee must be equally saturated to evenly extract the flavors.
4. Place the French press or jug into the fridge for 24 hours. 
5. Separate the grounds and cinnamon from the coffee by plunging (French press) or pouring through a pour-over setup.
6. Serve over ice and enjoy black or with a dash of milk. 
7. 2. Cinnamon in the Coffee Grounds (Hot Brewing)

Adding cinnamon directly to the coffee grounds before brewing is a great way to easily extract flavor to create a clean cup of coffee. The coffee brewing process is expressly designed to dissolve flavor compounds from the grounds, and it does the same job with ground cinnamon.

In this case, cassia cinnamon will stand up better to the heat of the boiling water. You should also use a brewing method with a long contact time, such as pour-over, French press, or drip coffee. This will allow for a greater amount of the cinnamon flavor to infuse into your coffee. 

Here’s a simple pour-over recipe:

1. Add the filter paper to your pour-over or drip coffee brewer and rinse it to remove impurities. Boil 350 g of water, and add roughly 13 g of ground coffee to the filter. Add a teaspoon of cassia cinnamon to the coffee and combine.
2. Wait a few seconds for the hot water to cool below boiling, and then pour a small amount over the grounds to “bloom” the coffee — this results in a more even extraction.
3. After waiting 45 seconds, pour the rest of the hot water over the coffee in a circular motion.
4. Wait for your coffee to brew — this can take anywhere from five to 10 minutes.
5. Once the coffee has finished brewing, remove and discard the filter and spent grounds. Pour the coffee into a mug and enjoy.

3. Sprinkling vs. Mixing

If you hope to bring a complex cinnamon flavor to your cup without changing the brewing process, you can. You can easily add cinnamon directly to a mug of hot coffee to alter the brew’s taste.

However, cinnamon is naturally hydrophobic, meaning it doesn’t mix well with water. Cinnamon tends to float on top of your coffee rather than dissolve into it as sugar would. This can create a powdery, silty texture.

You may find that a combination of mixing and sprinkling is best to get the best result in a black or white coffee. Add the cinnamon to your mug evenly across the surface, then use a stirrer to ensure there aren’t any noticeable clumps. Mix the cinnamon granules into your drink. Then, allow a few moments for the cinnamon to infuse some flavor, and enjoy.

If you’re drinking a milk-based beverage such as a latte or a cappuccino, you may be better served by sprinkling a little cinnamon directly on top of the foam. This places the cinnamon directly next to your nose as you drink, ensuring you repeatedly enjoy the aroma as you sip.

4. DIY Syrups

The best way to avoid clumping when adding cinnamon to pre-brewed coffee is to use syrup. Cinnamon syrup contains the flavors of cinnamon without the solids, meaning it’ll dissolve into the brew rather than float on top.

Syrups are simple to make. Here’s an easy recipe to make a cinnamon syrup for coffee:

1. Add 100 mL of water and 100 g of granulated sugar to a small pan, 
2. Add two to three teaspoons of cinnamon or a whole cinnamon stick. 
3. Heat the pan gently while whisking constantly to ensure the sugar dissolves.
4. Once the sugar has dissolved (around 15 minutes), remove the syrup from the heat. 
5. Being careful not to burn yourself, strain the syrup through a cheesecloth or fine mesh filter to remove the cinnamon solids. Then, set it to one side to cool.
6. Once cooled, pour the syrup into a small bottle or jar, and add to your coffee to taste. One tablespoon of syrup per portion of coffee should make for a pleasantly subtle addition. Store the rest in the fridge for future use (it will last for three to six months). 

Choosing the Best Coffee for Cinnamon

Cinnamon has a delicate, delicious, and complex flavor, so tracking down the best coffee to go alongside it can be tricky. 

Here are some key factors to bear in mind when you’re picking out the best coffee to mix with cinnamon:

1. Organic Growing Practices — Growing coffee organically not only ensures the environmental impact is low but also means only the strongest plants bear fruit for the harvest. These plants will produce coffee cherries like any other, but they may have a richer flavor to bring to your cup. This rich flavor can pair well with cinnamon to make a fascinating bouquet.
2. Certified Mold-Free — Some coffee beans are contaminated with mycotoxins thanks to mold that has formed during transport and storage. To avoid these contaminants and their attached risks, opt for coffee beans that have a mold-free certification. This will reduce the risk to you, as well as give you peace of mind that your coffee has been professionally handled.
3. Country of Origin — The unique flavor of cinnamon won’t quite pair as well with all types of coffee. Since the flavor of coffee is impacted by its origin, it’s worth considering where you’d like the coffee for your cinnamon-infused brew to come from. For example, cinnamon pairs well with coffee from Vietnam. This country has a long history of adding rich, sweet flavors to coffee, like the addition of condensed milk. The intense strength of Vietnamese coffee also pairs well with spices such as cinnamon that are added during brewing.
4. Butter-Roasted — Butter-roasted coffee brings a unique flavor — rich nuttiness and creaminess from the “Maillard reaction” when coffee beans are roasted in butter. This gives the coffee a smooth richness that pairs well with cinnamon to make a decadent, luxurious drink.
5. Strong Flavor and Caffeine Content — A dash of cinnamon can make an amazing foil to the intense flavors of powerful coffee. Opting for a dark roast robusta bean can be a wonderful way to balance dark intensity with bright spiciness.
6. Freshly Roasted — Freshly roasted coffee is packed with flavor — the oils and sugars from the bean have just finished caramelizing, leading to a complex, delicate flavor that can be lost as the bean grows stale. To avoid having stale coffee with your impressive cinnamon, choose freshly roasted beans to ensure their quality.
7. Freshly Ground — If coffee is left for a while between grinding and use, the flavor that it imparts to your brew will tend to be less intense than it otherwise could be. To ensure that your cinnamon and coffee combination is as delicate and indulgent as possible, always use freshly ground beans.

When to Be Careful with Cinnamon in Coffee

Adding cinnamon to your coffee can be great for many reasons. However, you might need to watch out for a couple of things when using it routinely. 

The Safe Limits of Cinnamon

When consuming cinnamon, the main thing to bear in mind is the coumarin content. Coumarin is a natural chemical that occurs in cinnamon, but when you eat too much of it, it can damage your liver [4]. 

Thankfully, it can be quite a challenge to hit the unsafe levels of coumarin when consuming cinnamon. Cinnamon contains between 0.1 to 3.5 mg of coumarin per gram [5]. A rough guideline for the safe consumption of coumarin is to stick to around 1.5 mg per day for an adult weighing 130 lbs [4]. 

The level of coumarin in cinnamon does vary between brands and types of cinnamon, but this means that the safe limit of cinnamon per day is between 0.5 and 1 teaspoon. This is typically a little more than you would commonly add to coffee, so most people should be safe.

Allergies or Sensitivities to Cinnamon

There is a chance that you could experience a reaction to cinnamon when you consume it regularly. Cinnamon contains a chemical called cinnamaldehyde, which may cause some allergic reactions when it’s consumed in particularly large amounts.

You may have also heard that people sometimes experience mouth sores when eating cinnamon. This isn't quite true. The sores, which are called cinnamon stomatitis, are commonly caused by cinnamon flavoring agents. 

It’s not clear what, within the agents, is causing the reaction, though it could be artificial flavorings, cinnamaldehyde, or cinnamon oil [7]. These negative reactions tend to occur upon prolonged interaction with the flavorings, such as when using a cinnamon toothpaste twice a day for a long time. 

Adding a dash of cinnamon to your coffee once in a while should be perfectly fine, as long as the cinnamon is natural — without additional flavorings or preservatives.  

If you experience any concerning symptoms when drinking cinnamon coffee, consult a medical professional.

FAQs: Adding Cinnamon To Your Coffee

Now that we’ve learned about the complex chemical makeup of cinnamon, let’s address some FAQs to get a broader understanding.

1. How Much Cinnamon Should I Put in Coffee?

Most people suggest using half a teaspoon of cinnamon per mug of coffee for a balanced flavor that doesn't mask the flavors and aromas of the coffee.

2. Can I Add Cinnamon to Coffee Grounds?

Yes, you certainly can. Cassia cinnamon may be better suited to this role, as Ceylon cinnamon is known to lose flavor when exposed to heat. You can create a flavorful brew by mixing cassia cinnamon with ground coffee before brewing.

3. Does Cinnamon Dissolve in Coffee?

No, ground cinnamon doesn’t dissolve in coffee since cinnamon itself is hydrophobic. However, it can be sprinkled on top of the drink or strained out during brewing for a smoother texture.

4. Is Cinnamon Coffee Healthy?

Yes, it is. Cinnamon contains several beneficial compounds, such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. It may also help regulate blood sugar in diabetics.

5. What Type of Cinnamon Is Best For Coffee?

This depends on how you're brewing the coffee. If you're making hot coffee, opt for cassia cinnamon, which will maintain its flavor well. If you're making cold brew, choose Ceylon cinnamon for a balanced, complex flavor.

6. How Does Cinnamon Affect Coffee’s Taste?

The surprisingly similar flavor of cinnamon often complements coffee’s bold flavor. Cinnamon brings a warm, sweet, and earthy note to your mug, creating an interesting beverage.

7. Can I Use Cinnamon Sticks Instead of Ground Cinnamon?

Yes, you can use either sticks or ground cinnamon when brewing coffee. However, cinnamon sticks will need to sit and steep for a longer period. This is because the grounds have a larger surface area to interact with the water, while the sticks do not.

8. Is Too Much Cinnamon Bad For You?

Consuming too much cinnamon regularly can lead to too much coumarin in your system. If that happens, you may end up damaging your liver.

9. Can Cinnamon Help With Weight Loss?

Yes, cinnamon is known to help balance out blood sugar. Having a balanced blood sugar level can be a boost to help with weight loss. However, it should be used as a tool in a comprehensive system and may not make much difference when used alone.

10. How Do I Keep Cinnamon from Clumping in Coffee?

Because cinnamon is hydrophobic, you will be best served by mixing the grounds with a thick syrup similar to honey, where you can break up clumps easily and ensure they’ll stay broken up. You may also find that mixing the cinnamon with cream is helpful — the fat in the cream may bond with the cinnamon a little more easily than water does.

References

1. Chen, P., Sun, J., & Ford, P. (2014). Differentiation of the four major species of cinnamons (C. burmannii, C. verum, C. cassia, and C. loureiroi) using a flow injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprinting method. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 62(12), 2516–2521. 
2. Khan, A., Safdar, M., Ali Khan, M. M., Khattak, K. N., & Anderson, R. A. (2003). Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes care, 26(12), 3215–3218. 
3. Rao, P. V., & Gan, S. H. (2014). Cinnamon: A Multifaceted Medicinal Plant. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM, 2014, 642942. 
4. Yamada, T., Katsutani, N., Maruyama, T., Kawamura, T., Yamazaki, H., Murayama, N., Tong, W., Yamazoe, Y., & Hirose, A. (2022). Combined Risk Assessment of Food-derived Coumarin with in Silico Approaches. Food Safety, 10(3), 73. 
5. Ananthakrishnan, R., Chandra, P., Kumar, B., & Rameshkumar, K. B. (2018). Quantification of coumarin and related phenolics in cinnamon samples from south India using UHPLC-ESI-QqQLIT-MS/MS method. International Journal of Food Properties, 21(1), 50–57. 
6. Usha Dayanarayana, Shilpa Padar Shastry, Chetan Shankar, Naveen N Kumar, TK Rama Murthy & BS Mahesh (2022) Allergic Manifestations in the Oral Cavity, Journal of the California Dental Association, 50:5, 245-255,
7. Endo H, Rees TD. Clinical features of cinnamon-induced contact stomatitis. Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry (Jamesburg, N.J. : 1995). 2006 Jul;27(7):403-9; quiz 410, 421. PMID: 16909520.