Chocolate coffee beans and ground coffee

Where the chocolate flavour in coffee comes from

Coffee beans contain hundreds of flavour compounds. Roasting develops them: sugars caramelise and browning reactions create the cocoa-like, bittersweet notes most people describe as chocolate. How strongly they come through depends on two things you can check on every product page.

• Origin. Coffees from Brazil and Colombia, and from Indonesia (Sumatra, for example), are known for chocolate and nutty notes rather than bright fruit.
• Roast level. A medium to dark roast brings the chocolate forward. A light roast keeps more fruit and acidity, so the chocolate sits further in the background.

Fresh-roasted single origins

If you want to taste the origin, start with the fresh-roasted Café du Jour coffees. Brazil and Cerrado are the classic choice for a soft, chocolatey cup with little acidity. Colombia adds a little more brightness. Sumatra Speciality and India Monsooned Malabar are heavier and earthier, with low acidity. These work in any brewing method, from espresso to filter.

Espresso blends for machine and milk

Most of the 1 kg bags in this category are espresso blends. Blends that include robusta have more body and crema, and their chocolate leans towards cocoa and dark chocolate. They are made for an espresso machine or a bean-to-cup machine and hold their own in a cappuccino or flat white. Examples are Caffè Hausbrandt Academia, Lucaffé Classic, Passalacqua Cremador, Gimoka Gusto Ricco and Mövenpick Espresso.

Decaf with chocolate notes

The chocolate does not leave with the caffeine. Decaf Espresso and Decaf Special are fresh-roasted decaf beans, and Landhaus Entkoffeiniert is a decaf ground coffee for the filter machine.

How to choose

• Espresso or bean-to-cup machine: a medium to dark espresso blend gives the most cocoa and body.
• Filter, cafetière or pour-over: pick a single origin such as Brazil or Colombia; the chocolate comes through as a rounder, softer note.
• No grinder: choose one of the ground coffees in this category, such as Landhaus Klassisch for the filter machine, and check that the grind suits your method.
• Not sure yet: a tasting pack such as the Italian Espresso Selection or the Lazarro Tasting Pack lets you compare several blends before you settle on one.

Bringing out the chocolate

How you brew matters as much as the bag you pick. Medium to dark roasts give up their flavour easily, so water just off the boil, around 92–94 °C, keeps the cocoa sweet instead of harsh. In a filter machine or cafetière, a slightly stronger dose gives more body, and body is where chocolate notes live. With espresso, a shot that runs too fast tastes sour and thin; grind a little finer until it runs evenly and the bittersweet notes come through.

Coffee and chocolate together

A coffee with chocolate notes and a square of dark chocolate make a good pairing: the bitterness of the chocolate picks up the cocoa in the cup. If you like this profile, have a look at our nutty coffees and dark roast as well.