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Coffee truly is a wonderful invention that comes in a wide range of flavors and types. One of these is the widely popular and smile-inducing hazelnut coffee.
However, a common question normally pops up by avid drinkers: is hazelnut coffee good for you? Well, like most things in life, the answer isn’t straightforward. Who you ask will ultimately determine the response you get.
So you can make an informed decision, let’s dive into the pros and cons. We will start with the good stuff first.
Is Hazlenut Coffee Good for You? The Pros
1. Antioxidants where? Everywhere!
Hazelnuts are jam-packed with antioxidants. If you’re unfamiliar with what they are, long story short, they provide your body with amazing benefits. Studies have found that they combat aging, cancer, and heart disease. They even reduce blood cholesterol and inflammation levels.
Technically, it’s better to eat them unroasted with the skin to get the full effect, but you’ll still be consuming many antioxidants even by drinking hazelnuts in a coffee.
2. Keep that heart of yours healthy
According to data collected, hazelnuts and other nuts are good for the heart. Alongside the antioxidants we’ve just talked about, hazelnuts have healthy fats that are linked to benefits for your heart.
But wait, there’s more. Arteries and inflammation markers in the blood have seen whopping benefits too.
3. Used to shed a few pounds
Many diet specialists argue that hazelnuts are a great tool when trying to lose weight. They’re full of protein and can keep you full for ages. An ideal combo to stop you from constantly sneaking when you shouldn’t be!
4. Radiant Skin
Inside delicious hazelnuts, there are many nutrients that help fight the never-ending battle of aging. These nutrients consist of vitamins A, C, and E. They combat fine lines and wrinkles while keeping the skin moisturized and smooth.
5. Keeps you warm during the winter or refreshed during the summer
Unlike certain coffee types that are better off cold or hot, you can enjoy hazelnut coffee to its full potential either piping hot or iced cold. Perfect for coffee drinkers who want to drink it all year round.
Is Hazelnut Coffee Good for You? The Cons
Alright, enough of the advantages. Let’s head down the gloomy alley of everything that’s wrong with this type of coffee.
1. Bean quality is usually worse
Is hazelnut coffee good for you? Most will say yes. Is it good for coffee farmers? That’s a “no” from the crowd.
There are two main ways of making hazelnut coffee:
- Coffee beans are covered with hazelnut oil
- Hazelnuts are blended with coffee beans
Coffee producers, just like nearly every other business, want to keep costs down. Because the hazelnut flavor is really strong, the coffee beans that are used to make hazelnut coffee are usually poor quality because no one can tell the difference.
Think about it, would you want old beans in your drink?
2. Negatively impacts coffee farmers and the surrounding communities
With any type of bean, old or new, thrown into the mix, coffee farmers that produce high-quality beans will end up paying the price due to the higher demand for hazelnut coffee. Considering that coffee is cultivated in many poor nations where gang activity is high, this can have severe consequences.
3. You can roast coffee to have a nutty flavor on its own
Many coffee connoisseurs will argue that coffee beans are naturally nutty. Well, they are when roasted a particular way. This means you don’t even have to drink hazelnut coffee to get the flavors you are looking for.
What Side Do You Shift Towards?
Hopefully, we’ve answered the question: is hazelnut coffee good for you? Everyone reading will likely have a different opinion on the matter. We personally love hazelnut coffee, but we ensure to buy it from ethical suppliers that pay farmers fairly while giving us peace of mind that the beans are to a high standard!
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