Alcohol and coffee are a great combo, but sometimes, you want boozy flavor without enjoying a pre-lunch tipple. The best compromise in this situation is barrel aged coffee.

Barrel aged is coffee made by storing coffee beans in barrels that once contained liquor. The beans are kept in the barrels for a few weeks while they're still fresh and green.

The beans are then roasted, allowing their boozy flavors to blossom without any actual alcohol content, since it all burns off during the roasting process.

Infusing the beans with flavor before roasting, rather than adding a flavored syrup or chemical infusion after roasting, gives them a purer flavor without artificial ingredients.

Bourbon barrels are popular for barrel aging coffee, adding notes of caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, and other spices. Rum and rye whiskey barrels are also popular to use.

Barrel aged coffee may become more popular soon, but for now, you can buy beans from a few companies such as Cooper's Cask Coffee, Oak & Bond, and Whiskey Barrel Coffee.