The Cheap 200-Year-Old Ingredient I’ll Never Stop Adding to Coffee (I Do It Every Morning!)

Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn
Andrea Rivera WawrzynAssociate Food Editor
Andrea is the Associate Food Editor at The Kitchn. She is a lifelong Chef and full-time clog enthusiast. Her passions include grabbing more books at the library than she can read in the time allotted and the relentless pursuit of the perfect burrito. She lives in Salem, MA with…read more
published Jan 29, 2025
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Espresso shot with beautiful crema.
Credit: Getty Images/Guido Mieth

I’m an unapologetic coffee drinker. I typically drink two mugs back-to-back every morning (that’s just what it takes to keep this train running). I try to draw the line at afternoon coffee, though. It seems like a bridge too far. Three cups of coffee in a single day? Get a hold of yourself. That said, I’m not a robot, and sometimes I need a treat.

Afternoon coffee for me is a “sometimes” affair, reserved for when I’m having a particularly stressful day or I’m going to some kind of evening event that is going to keep me up past 10 p.m. When I do indulge, I want that cup of coffee to be more special than my bare-bones morning cup. I’m not a big fan of the usual sugary sweet coffee shop fare. I like my coffee like I like my cocktails: strong and balanced. I welcome a complement to the flavor, but I still want to taste the coffee itself. 

The answer to my prayers came from a trip to a local coffee shop that had on its menu a coffee drink made with a wildly unexpected ingredient that I would never have thought to pair with coffee: bitters.

Why Bitters Is the Perfect Addition to Coffee

It sounds redundant — coffee is already bitter — but the flavor of the bitters really complements the coffee without taking over, making it more complex. On top of that, it’s inherently adaptable. Bitters come in many different flavors, so you can opt for classic angostura or switch it up with orange bitters, walnut bitters, or even spicy bitters. Honestly, it works so well I struggle not to add it to every single cup I drink.

Tips for Adding Bitters to Coffee

  • Pair it with a little sweetness. While I’m not a fan of supersweet coffee, a little bit of sweetness helps bring the whole cup into balance (not unlike a well-mixed cocktail). My local coffee shop has created drinks for their menu that include bitters and a touch of flavored syrups (like orange blossom and ginger), but I typically go a bit simpler and just add a bit of sugar or a lightly sweetened coffee creamer.
  • Start small. You can always add, but you can never take away. Start with just a dash or two of bitters, then taste and adjust as necessary.