Coffee Sauce Versus Syrup: A Comparison

When ordering at your nearest Starbucks, many people are amazed at the many ordering options one can buy. However, this can also be a curse, as confusion fills those overwhelmed with size names, flavors, add-ons, and more. One of the most asked questions by the overwhelmed newbies: what are the differences between coffee sauce and coffee syrup?

Coffee sauce and syrup may sound the same, but the coffee sauce is favored more for hot drinks than coffee syrups. This use variation is due to the density of the sauce, which is inherently thicker than coffee syrup, making it more difficult to mix into colder beverages. 

Here, we go about our sweet way into exploring the differences between coffee and sauce and coffee syrup. Plot twist: they are more different than you think.

Sauce, Anyone?

As a thicker, firmer substance than syrup, the coffee sauce is used in many different types of coffee. It may be difficult to comprehend what coffee sauce is really for, so here we discuss its uses, differentiating characteristics, and where it can be used. Here we also take a moment to discuss coffee sauce versus syrup.

What Is It?

Coffee sauce is a ganache-like substance that specializes in providing an additional whiff of flavor to plain ol’ coffee.

First used in 1904, the coffee sauce was and still is used in artisan coffee and instant coffee. However, it is also used on cakes, pancakes, ice cream, affogato, and waffles.

The coffee sauce can be sweet and savory, with the uses of sweet coffee sauce mentioned above. Savory coffee sauce is used on steak and salmon. In this article, we will focus more on the use of coffee sauce on the coffee itself.

How Is It Used?

The coffee sauce is most often used on hot drinks, as its consistency makes it hard to use in cold or plain warm cups of coffee.

The high temperature of these drinks helps the coffee sauce melt thoroughly throughout the glass, making it easily blend in with the rest of the ingredients, spreading its flavors throughout the concoction evenly.

If used on cold drinks, the coffee sauce will fail to spread out, leaving an inconsistent quality and a cream-like substance that will severely undermine the flavors concentrated within the sauce.

Other baristas have found other uses for coffee sauce aside from its flavoring abilities. Some will use sauces for aesthetic purposes, such as coating, mudslide, or enhancing the servings of a vessel’s plating. Despite this, many still use it for its burst of flavors.

Where Is It Used?

Have you tried drinking coffee with caramel flavors such as caramel latte and macchiato? Or have you tried drinking a mocha, the chocolate-infused coffee drink?

Believe it or not, the rich caramel infusion and the nutty chocolate flavors actually come from caramel and chocolate sauce, respectively.

At Starbucks, however, they offer sauces for hot and cold menus alike. They offer varieties such as dark caramel sauce, mocha sauce, and more. In addition, they are served in drinks such as cappuccinos, frappuccinos, mocha-flavored menus, and the like.

Maybe Some Syrup?

Whenever you request some flavoring for your coffee, chances are it is coffee syrup. Here, we try to deconstruct the complexities of coffee syrup and present them in a more digestible fashion. We will also add insight to the coffee sauce versus syrup debacle.

What Is It?

Coffee syrup is a type of syrup more commonly used in both cold and hot coffee drinks.

Produced by straining hot water and sugar through coffee grounds, the coffee syrup was and still is a popular coffee product used in many beverages, including coffee. Unlike some coffee sauces, the coffee syrup is a more watery substance that does not contain dairy.

It is available for purchase at many stores, especially on Amazon. However, Starbucks‘ coffee syrup is only available for sale at their physical branches and is only available if enough are in stock.

To create coffee syrup yourself, you can combine sugar and water and heat them together in a one-to-one ratio.

Starbucks offers a variety of syrups. Some of them are the following: Funnel Cake Syrup, Raspberry Syrup, Brown Sugar Syrup, Toffee Nut Syrup, Pineapple Ginger Syrup, Brown Sugar Syrup, Peppermint Syrup, Caramel Syrup, Classic Syrup, Vanilla Syrup, and more.

How Is It Used?

Coffee syrup can be used on many drinks, including cold and hot beverages. The versatility of coffee syrup stems from its more watery sauce version and can provide value and aesthetics.

It is often dispensed using pumps, with the larger drinks enjoying more pumps of sweet, viscous syrup. 

Unlike coffee sauce, it will not clump to the bottom when added to cold drinks. Instead, it can easily dissolve and combine with the flavors of your beverage.

Where Is It Used?

Like the coffee sauce, the use of coffee syrup extends far more than your usual coffee beverage. It can be used with baked goods such as cakes and cookies, sparkling water, ice cream, and more.

This versatility allows coffee syrup to have many different flavors, enhancing and complementing its natural taste.

How Do I Make Coffee Syrup at Home?

Although used in artisan coffee, the coffee syrup is a very simple additive that can level up your home coffee and pastries. It starts with water, sugar, and ground coffee. First, combine all these three in a pot at medium heat. 

Sugar and water can have a one-to-one ratio, with both of them at one cup each. On the other hand, you will need ground coffee at three tablespoons. You will need to stir it until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture boils. Afterward, reduce the heat by a significant amount.

Let it cool to sit for about 20 to 30 minutes. After cooling, put a strainer on top of a container, and pour over the syrup.

Coffee Sauce VS Syrup: Not So Different After All?

There are clear distinctions and boundaries between these two, and yes, they are both very different substances. First off, the consistency. The consistency of coffee sauce is more reminiscent of that of a ganache, while coffee syrup feels more like honey.

Other differences may include their dissolving temperature, as coffee sauce requires a higher temperature to dissolve than coffee syrup.

This difference in temperature dissolving results in the versatility of coffee syrup, enabling it to be used in cold and hot beverages, unlike coffee sauce’s hot-only use cases.

Taste It Right: Coffee Sauce Versus Syrup (FAQs)

Are coffee syrup and sauce both high in carbohydrates?

The primary ingredient of coffee sauce is syrup. Since sugar is a carbohydrate, then yes, coffee sauce is high in carbohydrates. Coffee sauce is also rich in sugar.

However, there are other zero-calorie and zero-sugar options as well. So if you are very mindful of your weight or just very mindful of your sugar consumption, you can also opt to buy these options.

What coffee syrup does Starbucks use?

If you are wondering how you can buy those coffee syrup pumps they use at Starbucks and are wondering how you can get one for yourself, then make no mistake!

Starbucks uses coffee syrups made by a brand called Fontana. You can buy them online, although you can also ask your nearby Starbucks if you can buy one from their store.

Are there any healthy coffee syrups?

Yes, there are! There are zero-calorie and zero-sugar options available online. Torani, a famous coffee syrup manufacturer, offers these zero-calorie and zero-sugar options online for our health-conscious coffee lovers. 

They offer a lot of flavors as well. You can buy them in many flavors, from Vanilla to White Chocolate and even Watermelon.