I love my festive flavored lattes this time of year, but sometimes I want a delicious caffeinated beverage that doesn't have added sugar and that I can brew up right at home before I've even had a chance to change out of my jammies.

Over the years my family and I have gotten into the habit of adding spices like anise and other flavors to bring a little holiday cheer to our coffee.  Lately, I've been adding a teaspoon of my pumpkin pie spice to add an extra festive kick to my morning cup of joe--as if my cheesy holiday mug didn't already do that!

The great thing about flavoring your own coffee is that you can control the strength of the added flavor.  After reading about flavoring your own coffee at home from good ol' Martha Stewart and The Kitchn I realized that most homemade coffee flavorings involve whole beans and other add-ins that get ground together--this whole bean method would look very pretty in a mason jar. 

However, I don't always have the time or the patience to freshly grind my coffee every morning so I usually just stick with adding whatever already ground spices I have on hand to my coffee basket before brewing.  In either case, always use good quality coffee because no amount of spices will make bad coffee taste good.  I am personally addicted to Aroma Coffee out of Santa Fe, NM.  Their organic Black Lightning Dark roast is pretty swoon-worthy. Flavored coffee also makes a great gift for the coffee fanatic in your life--one who appreciates the really good stuff with minimal additives.  Simply mix your coffee, whole or ground, with your flavorings in a large mason jar and top with a bow.

Ingredients:

12 oz quality coffee

2 oz pumpkin pie spice

Combine ingredients and brew as you normally would.  Keep in mind these ratios are for what I like in my cup o' cheer, so play around with them.  If you like more spice, add more.  If less, add less.  Enjoy!