You taste chocolate in your coffee? Here’s why

If you have been drinking coffee for quite a while, you might have noticed that sometimes it has notes of chocolate. Have you ever wondered where it comes from? Well, the main idea is that it really depends on the type of coffee beans and how they are processed. If you want to know a little more about this subject, we put together some information that we hope will help you broaden your knowledge.

Flavors coffee can have

In order to understand the presence of chocolate better, we must first discuss the presence of the many other flavors. We know, the main flavor you will always taste is coffee, but as we previously mentioned, depending on the area where the beans have been grown and how they have been processed, this simple taste can acquire many variations. 

Along with chocolate, you might have heard about fruit, floral notes, tobacco, nuts, and many others. In the case of chocolate, it is very close to the flavors of nuts, so any coffee you get that has some chocolate in it, you will also feel almonds, hazelnuts, or peanuts. 

Now, you might be wondering, what makes some coffees taste like chocolate and others like fruits, for example? Well, we have the answer to that too, so keep on reading.

The importance of the roast level

The two factors that greatly influence the flavor of coffee are the quality of the beans, first, and the roasting rank, second. If you need a little refresher, here is how the life of a coffee bean goes: first, it grows in a coffee bush and it is soft and green; then, they are pulped and roasted, in order to become hard and achieve that brown color we are all familiar with. 

Now, it greatly depends on how long these beans get roasted. In order for them to become a ”light roast”, they spend less time in the hot temperatures, and if they spend more and more time, they can become a ”medium”, ”dark”, or ”very dark roast”. All these levels end up bringing up or even toning down different flavors from each coffee bean, and hence the variations. 

You will notice that most coffees that have a chocolate flavor are a ”medium” to ”dark roast”. If you want to include a little chemistry, this is because if the roasting temperature is too low, it does not allow the sugar in the coffee to caramelize enough and therefore bring forward the chocolate flavor. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, it will burn off the flavor completely.

Origins define you(r coffee)

As we mentioned before, the origin of the coffee bean is the other most important factor for the flavor. If you found out that you enjoy these chocolate notes, you might want to keep looking in areas with low altitude like Guatemala, Colombia, or Brazil. 

Some people might even say that coffees that have these origins have such a strong chocolate flavor you might be tempted to think someone is adding cacao powder to your coffee. In reality, it is just nature doing its magic!

On the other hand, if chocolate is not really your thing, we recommend coffees from Ethiopia or Kenya, as they are usually characterized by fruitier and more sour flavors. 

For a real taste of chocolate…

If the coffee by itself is not really as chocolatey as you might want, here is our suggestion. Try making a caffe mocha! This is a beverage made with two shots of espresso, 1 ounce of chocolate syrup or powder and steamed milk. You can even dress it up nicely with some whipped cream on top and some chocolate shavings. You must admit, it sounds delicious!

Of course, because there are a few things added, the flavor of coffee will not be as strong, but this is still something you can delight yourself with anytime you feel like it. As it is such an easy drink to make, you can quickly put it together at home, or get it from a coffee shop for some extra fanciness. 

As a conclusion, we know that no coffee ever will have a strong chocolate flavor on its own, but the good thing is that you can craft the perfect aroma for you. Of course, if you want to be able to analyze your coffee in detail, you should definitely keep learning about all the flavors coffee can have and what brings them to surface.