Comments on: Learning from Chocolate: The Pairing Experiment

By: Gladys Schuil

Gladys Schuil — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:21:22 +0000

My father always put some Droste Cocoa, about a tablespoon into the grounds of drip coffee during the war. WW2. It mellows not so great coffee.

By: Kenneth Davids

Kenneth Davids — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:59:48 +0000

Responding to Cerdwyn, who wrote on Dec 7:

Thanks for the comment. In respect to your second paragraph, I was not claiming that chocolate was “less a sensory experience than coffee.” What I meant was that the different sensory characters of chocolates from different origins may not be as easy to pick out in chocolate bars as similar differences could be picked out in black coffees. In other words, practicing connoiseurship about origins of coffee may be easier in a cup of black coffee than in a bar of dark chocolate. And even harder in a bar of milk chocolate.

However, I am all for anything that calls to the soul. And I don’t know if my wife can be categorized as a chick, but she sure likes her chocolate.

Thanks again for commenting

Ken

By: Chocoliciousmom

Chocoliciousmom — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:49:10 +0000

Thank you for the insights! As a Chocolatier for Dove Chocolate Discoveries, I am always looking for points of interest to incorporate into my in-home chocolate tasting party presentations. We have done wine and chocolate pairings, as well as beer and chocolate pairings! However, this is the first information I have come across on coffee and chocolate pairings.

Very helpful!

By: John Shupe

John Shupe — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:50:17 +0000

Love the concept Pairing coffee and chocolate. I have tried this once , at home once about 2 years at home experiment and it was the only time because the outcome was not as good as I had hoped. In my opinion the chocolate factor in a drink of coffee undermines coffee’s aroma and taste, just turns your whole drink into this hot chocolate smug. But I had only one kind of chocolate when i tried this, so I cant judge what this would have turned out if I had all types or kinds. You on the other hand have a assortment which you can get a better perspective. Today I learned to appreciate a piece of chocolate however with a cup of coffee separate.

By: Cerdwyn

Cerdwyn — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:19:34 +0000

I love dark chocolate. A friend sends me some from Holland now and then. And I have learned that they only chocolate to put in coffee is Ghirardelli Barista Chips (few carry it, most use garbage.) (Yeah, I know, you purists you!)

I disagree, however, that when comparing single origin high end dark chocolate that it is less a sensory experience than coffee. It’s a different experience, not less. However, putting in milk chocolate seriously lessens it. But then I liken milk chocolate to candy and even the higher end stuff is still like buying whole beans at the grocery store.

Chocolate, because of the fat content, offers a texture level of experience you do not get from coffee. While you can talk about mouth feel, the feel of chocolate calls to the soul. Maybe that’s a chick thing.

I wonder if that if you had a woman in the group if any of the findings might have been different? I say this not to be a genderist, but because there has been a fair amount of actual research on the topic of chocolates and women and how they respond differently at different phases of the moon, so to speak.