Now that the sun has started to shine in the frozen north I can start thinking on using my espresso machine for some cold drinks. I was thinking of a banana iced coffee. But I would like a more natural flavour than most of the syrups I can buy in my local coffee shop. Do I was wondering if it would be possible to extract the flavour from a banana, without getting the texture/consistency from the fruit?
Flavor – extracting banana flavour for an iced coffee
bananascoffeeflavor
Related Topic
- Coffee – Why is the Bunn overflowing
- Coffee – How to infuse cappuccino with real vanilla bean during brew
- Coffee – How do espresso machines hold pressure at all
- Flavor – Why are certain fruit & veg bought in UK supermarkets tasteless
- Coffee – How to make coffee that closely resembles early 16-17th century coffees
- Coffee – this scum in the coffee
- Flavor – How to extract flavour from fruit without heating it or using alcohol
Best Answer
Consider making a banana consomme via gelatin filtration. As described in Harold McGee's 2007 NYT article, this technique produces liquids with the taste of all sorts of foodstuffs that are otherwise full of texture and color. A tomato consomme, for example, is clear and watery, rather than red and pulpy, while retaining the flavor of a tomato juice. The same technique can be (and has been) done with breads, meats, vegetables, fish, etc.
The process is to make a loose banana gel by mixing a banana with water, adding gelatin, and heating until the gelatin is dissolved. The mixture is then frozen until solid, then suspended in a strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator for a couple of days until the liquid essence distills out and the solids are left in the strainer trapped in a gelatin net.
The particular advantage I believe gelatin filtration will give you in this case is that it will give your coffee a full banana flavor without making it thick, pulpy, or cloudy.