Our second Hello! set features 6 coffees with a chocolate theme. This page offers additional photos on roasting your own Box of Chocolates!
Chocolate
A general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of chocolate. But what type? Usually described with more specifics.: Chocolate is a broad, general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of... ...more … who doesn’t like it? Well perhaps some people but generally if you like coffee then chocolate probably doesn’t offend you. As a coffee taster, chocolate comes up a lot in descriptive language for coffee for pretty obvious reasons. How many other foods and beverages are there that have a positive bittering aspect?
Yes, in other cultures and other cuisines, bitterness is embraced. Think of the use of bitter
Bitterness is one of 5 basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter and Umami (savory flavors). There are many types of bitterness, hence not one avenue to tracking down... ...more melon in Indian cooking. But coffee and chocolate have more in common; they both usually have a sweetnessSweetness is an important positive quality in fine coffees, and is one of five basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Savory (Umami). In coffee, sweetness is a highly... ...more to offset bitterness, they are both roasted in order to use them, and they both are stimulants!
Things get a bit more muddied though when we consider that there is no singular thing called “chocolate” taste. And just as there are many types of “good” coffee, there is no singular “good chocolate”. It takes many forms, has many flavors, and people have many preferences (or dislikes) in the range of things produced from cacao. So when we take something as diverse as the range of coffee flavors, and cross reference it in flavor-mapping with something as diverse as chocolate/cocoa flavors, what do we end up with? Something scientists would call anecdotal data, and not very useful when it comes to making any broad statements! But who cares about that? It’s just about finding what suits your taste, and how to roast / brew the coffee to emphasize that flavor aspect.
Roast Level and Chocolate Taste in Coffee
The purpose of this set is to find the green coffees that offer the best potential to show “chocolate” in the cup … but that can depend on roast. Unlike other flavor attributes, chocolate notes generally require a little more roast development to come through. Extreme light roasts tend to show a grain type of sweetness. In my opinion you need some further roast development to highlight the good bittering aspects of chocolate.
For this set I targeted Medium to Medium-Dark levels, what we refer to as City+City+ roast is an ideal roast level that occurs roughly between 425 and 435 degrees Fahrenheit in many coffee roasters with a responsive bean probe where First Crack... ...more and a lighter side of Full City. To be clear, none of these roasts had any second crackAfter First Crack, a roast reaction around 440 to 450 degrees that is distinguished by a snapping sound. Second Crack is the second audible clue the roaster-operator receives... ...more. But all of them had some development time after first crackFirst crack in one of two distinct heat-induced pyrolytic reactions in coffee. It is distinguished by a cracking or popping sound in the coffee, and occurs between 390... ...more.
A Six Coffee Sample Set With a Chocolate Theme
For our Hello: Box of Chocolates Coffee Set, we selected six coffees from our current offer list that showcase chocolate bittersweetBittersweet is from the language of chocolate, and describes the co-presence of positive bittering compounds balanced by sweetness. It is directly related to caramelization, but has inputs from... ...more flavors, each in their own unique way. While “chocolate” is very much the theme here, the coffees in this set highlight difference and singularity through the distinct flavor profiles that each brings to underlying base bittersweetness.
Because roast level plays a major role in flavor, we’ve included detailed guidance and photos of the actual roasts that went into this set so that you can achieve the same chocolatey flavors as us. The discounted price only sweetens the deal!
Just as the “Hello My Name Is:” stickers save you from guessing someone’s name, our “Hello…” sample sets take out some of the guesswork of replicating our roasting results by providing you with comprehensive information and visual aids to help guide your roasts. Each set is attractively packaged with information about the specific roasts for this particular grouping, including overall roast times, moisture loss, associated flavor notes and scores. We’ve also included roast photos of each coffee for you to match up to, and a color reference chart that can be used beyond this set.
Each set is attractively packaged with information about the specific roasts for this particular grouping, including overall roast times, roast moisture loss, associated flavor notes and scores. We’ve also included roast photos of each coffee for you to match up to, and a color reference chart that can be used beyond this set.
Hello: Box of Chocolates Coffee Set includes:
- Brazil Carmo Fazenda Furnas – Low acidity
Acidity is a positive flavor attribute in coffee, also referred to as brightness or liveliness. It adds a brilliance to the cup, whereas low acid coffees can seem... ...more, nut and chocolate combo - El Salvador Finca La Esperanza – Chocolate cookie, viscous, rounded bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all... ...more
- Ethiopia Dry Process Organic Birbirsa – Bittersweet chocolate, date bar, tropical notes
- Guatemala San Martin Jilotepeque – Caramelized sugars, bodied and bittersweet finishSimilar to aftertaste, but it refers to the impression as the coffee leaves the palate. Aftertaste is the sensations gathered after the coffee has left the mouth. We... ...more
- Mexico Chiapas Sierra Mariscal – Cacao nib, tree nut, biscotti
- Timor Leste Taurema – Drinking cocoa, hint of fruit and black tea
Further reading on coffee and chocolate in the Sweet Maria’s Library:
