Three African Coffee Drinks You Are Sure To Love!

Looking for African coffee drinks? You’re in the right place. The world is vast, and this reckoning should be a sufficient reason for us to explore cultures and expand our taste buds, from Asian cuisine to African coffee drinks.

Amarula, Ethiopian Coffee, and Zanzibar Spiced Drinks are drinks that we have found to be perfect for a specific type of demographic. Each of these drinks comes infused with a particular twist that will make one appreciate the coffee offerings from the other side of the world.

Africa is a big continent, riddled with harsh biomes and temperate savannahs, and high mountains. Being the original cultivation place of coffee, Africa offers a great variety of coffee drink choices, waiting to be tasted by exotic tongues.

In this article, we will explore the great continent of Africa and see what African coffee drinks they have to offer. Let us look far and wide and see if their coffee offerings are as vast as their savannahs, oases, and deserts.

Coffee With A Sweet Touch: Amarula Coffee

People say that drinking alcohol early in the morning is a terrible idea. Instead, it would be best if you drank something that will keep you up throughout the wee hours of the day, something like, let’s say, coffee. Well, how about just drinking both?

In South Africa (yes, the country South Africa and not just “south of Africa”), there is a drink that functions both as coffee and alcohol at the same time. Enter the Amarula coffee, South Africa’s coffee offering for those wanting coffee to have an alcohol touch.

What Is Amarula Coffee?

As part of the African coffee drink series, we introduce you to Amarula coffee. However, before getting started with the drink, let us first get you acquainted with Amarula. 

Amarula coffee is a particular type of coffee with a very peculiar ingredient: Amarula. Like Irish coffee, it seems like South Africans also like their coffee with a hint of alcohol. However, unlike Irish coffee, Amarula coffee requires Amarula and cannot be substituted for other types of alcohol.

The history of Amarula is a unique one, and I think that the Amarula gave birth to the “drunken elephants” myth. What makes the Amarula very connected with elephants is its origins.

The Amarula is a type of cream liqueur coming from the African Marula tree. With an alcohol content of 17% per volume, it isn’t the most potent alcohol out there, but it is a very delicious one.

Well, the elephants can undoubtedly back me up with the Amarula’s taste. South African elephants are incredibly fond of the Marula tree’s fruits, contributing to the “drunken elephant” talk. Maybe this association with elephants is the reason why the Amarula has its distinct branding of elephants.

Is Amarula Coffee? The Taste Of Amarula Coffee

Is Amarula coffee? Amarula by itself is not coffee, but the Ethiopian-African Amarula coffee certainly is. And as an African coffee drink, it certainly does not disappoint!

If you do not know, African coffee beans are associated with their rich, fruit-like flavor with all the flavors of citrus and floral notes. If you are pretty new to African coffee in general, then you might be surprised by the rather citrus-like taste of African coffee.

The introduction of the Amarula into coffee creates heavy hints of fruit to the overall taste of the concoction. The Amarula drink itself is pretty unique with its toffee hints despite being an alcoholic beverage. The overall flavor of Amarula coffee lives on with its fruits, toffee-like taste making it such a special drink.

Amarula Coffee Is:

• toffee-like
• has notes of citrus
• has alcohol

The Making Of Amarula Coffee

Preparing Amarula coffee is not far too different from other cups of coffee. However, these seemingly slight differences make a tremendous change to the overall flavor profile of the coffee. Even amongst African coffee drinks, Amarula coffee is certainly a step up when it comes to uniqueness.

To prepare Amarula coffee, first, you will need to know the ratio between the coffee and the Amarula itself. Most conventional Amarula coffee goes on with the typical three is to one ratio, three for coffee and one for Amarula. This way, the drink itself is more like coffee and less like an excuse for morning alcohol.

Of course, for the beans, we recommend using authentic African coffee beans, especially Ethiopian coffee beans. This way, the coffee drink itself will taste as close to the original as possible. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and whipped cream to taste.

So how does the processing go? Pretty straightforward. You need to brew your coffee, add Amarula, and add as much sugar, whipped cream, and cinnamon as you like.

The Ingredients For Amarula Coffee

• Amarula 
• African Coffee Beans
• Brown Sugar
• Whipped Cream / Cinnamon (Optional)

A Little More Exotic: Zanzibar Spiced Coffee

Coffee tends to favor high-altitude places, and the sides of Mount Kilimanjaro match that perfectly. Because it is the perfect place for growing coffee, coffee culture has also developed in areas surrounding Mount Kilimanjaro.

One of the love children produced in this area is the Zanzibar Spiced Coffee, an African coffee drink for those wanting to taste exotic African flavors.

The Taste of Zanzibar Spiced Coffee

Traditionally, Zanzibar spiced coffee contains cardamom and ginger, which may not be optimal for most coffee lovers. However, for those wanting an adventure, all of it is nothing but a challenge.

Since Zanzibar spiced coffee uses spiced coffee blends, the overall taste will undoubtedly be different from what one is used to drinking. To counteract this, many people also add flavorings, cream, milk, or sugar. 

A fun fact is that Zanzibar spiced coffee is also in tea variants. Most people use chai tea as a replacement for coffee. Of course, traditionally, coffee is used in drinks.

Flavor Notes of Zanzibar Spiced Coffee

• may come off as bitter
• has strong notes of added spices
• taste can be counteracted using milk and cream

Ethiopian Coffee

This drink is for those who want a classic coffee taste without the tanginess of the other beverages yet still having the African coffee drink vibe to it.

Most people in North America, especially Canada and the United States, tend to have their coffee beans exported from South America. Well, in this drink, you will be getting your drinks directly from Ethiopia.

Many do not give too much significance to the place of origin of their coffee beans, especially if they are not too well acquainted with the importance of the area of origin. However, this information should be as basic as one, two, and three for coffee enthusiasts like you.

Coffee from Ethiopia has robust floral notes, and many people also relate it to Jasmine. Unlike Colombia’s chocolate notes, coffee from Africa, especially Ethiopia, reminds you more of citrus than chocolate.

If you haven’t tried this African coffee drink before, then you should! It is served exactly like your favorite coffee drink, with the beans as a differentiator. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Elephants Get Drunk?

Contrary to popular belief, elephants don’t get intoxicated through natural means, even with the abundance of Amarula. Since elephants have bigger bodies, they need a lot of alcohol to get drunk.

Does Africa Grow Robusta Or Arabica?

Africa grows both! However, the production scale will vary, especially since the demand for Arabica is higher than Robusta.

Is Zanzibar Zest Used In Zanzibar Spiced Coffee?

Zanzibar zest is used in Zanzibar spiced coffee.