Chocolate and Coffee finally comes together in a delicious roasted coffee bean packing flavor, health benefits, and a Caffeine punch.
Why Chocolate-covered espresso beans?
Chocolate coated coffee beans are roasted coffee beans surrounded with delicious dark chocolate but can be made with milk chocolate, white chocolate, and even toffee flavors. It combines a glossy chocolate exterior sometimes with “triple,” chocolate coating on top of a crispy rich roasted coffee bean usually espresso but also comes in medium or light roast for different flavors and tastes.
It’s the rich, bitter crunch of whole coffee bean with the smooth sweetness of chocolate that keeps you wanting more. Some say it balances bitterness of the espresso bean with the softness of the fat and sugar of the chocolate creating a flavor harmony between chocolate and coffee for a complex bittersweet flavor.
To coat the chocolate evenly on top of the roasted espresso bean the secret is to hit high cooking temperatures to get the right amount of satisfying snap, aroma and blended sweet and bitter flavor when you bite into the bean. Italy has a long tradition in roasting and manufacturing chocolate-covered espresso beans with different regions in Italy famous for different blends.
Are eating Coffee beans safe? How much Caffeine?
Eating coffee beans are safe if done in moderation. In fact, coffee beans have been consumed for hundreds of years even before coffee became a brewed beverage and blended with other foods to boost energy. Espresso chocolate-covered coffee beans combine just the right amount of chocolate and coffee and in theory blending the health benefits of both.
Coffee and Chocolate (especially Dark) are loaded with health benefits and rich in antioxidants that helps fight disease. They are also packed with caffeine so must be eaten safely.
For comparison, an 8 oz cup of moderately brewed coffee has about the same amount of caffeine (95 milligrams) as 10 or so chocolate-covered espresso beans so consuming more than 30 beans a day would put you past the daily recommended limit of 400 mg of caffeine. This may lead to serious side effects of caffeine including heart racing, difficult sleeping at night, vomiting and jitteriness and at very high levels may even be fatal.
Chocolate in the chocolate-covered espresso bean has only 2 to 5 milligrams of caffeine if dark chocolate and even less if milk or white chocolate compared to coffee bean itself with 8 to 10 milligrams of caffeine.
That said, caffeine eaten or drank in moderation has positive effects. It can give you that extra “kick,” or boost making you more alert with enhanced physical and mental processing, better mood, and there is evidence that says people who consume caffeine have less depression. Caffeine is naturally found in coffee, chocolate, tea and other food sources. It can also be added to sodas and power drinks.
How fast is the Caffeine punch in Chocolate-covered espresso beans?
Caffeine when drunk as a beverage or cup of Joe is absorbed quickly on average taking about 45 minutes even sooner depending if you eat a full breakfast or drink on an empty stomach compared with chewing chocolate-covered espresso beans or caffeine gum that is absorbed immediately through the lining of the mouth (buccal mucosa) reaching the bloodstream and brain faster.
Caffeine stays in the body between 2 to 9 hours depending on how fast or slow your body breakdowns the caffeine and other factors. Smoking speeds up caffeine breakdown and medications like oral contraceptives or pregnancy can slow it down. Eating a full breakfast loaded with fats also slows down how fast the body and brain gets the caffeine boost. And even climbing at high altitudes can also slow down your metabolism making the effects of caffeine last longer.
If you want a fast pick me up on that long drive home or during an afternoon energy low at the office reach for a few chocolate-covered espresso coffee beans. It may be just that little boost you need.
Are Espresso chocolate-covered coffee beans healthy?
There have been many studies looking at the health benefits of coffee and chocolates especially dark chocolate that are rich in antioxidants or flavonoids but very few studies have looked at the health benefit of coffee and chocolate together or more specifically the health benefits of espresso chocolate-covered coffee beans.
There is a small study out of Italy comparing the health benefits of drinking espresso alone or espresso with cocoa. The study looked at healthy adults who either drank 1 cup of espresso coffee a day, 3 cups of espresso coffee a day, or 1 cup of espresso coffee and 2 items with cocoa. Labs test measuring “oxidative stress,” or damage to cells was compared between the groups and reported no added benefits in those who consumed cocoa and espresso coffee together.
A Dutch study reported in JAMA looked at the health benefits of adults who ate chocolate compared to those who did not and reported lower blood and fewer deaths in those who ate chocolate on a regular basis. It is thought that the flavonols have a protective effect on the heart and blood pressure. The most commonly consumed chocolate was dark chocolate followed by milk chocolate.
Based on this study, and a large number of independent studies on health benefits of coffee it would stand to reason that the combination of chocolate-covered espresso beans would be as healthy as chocolate and coffee alone. However, based on a recent study showing higher “bad,” cholesterol oils are removed with a paper filter on brewing coffee this may limit the health benefits of eating the unfiltered espresso coffee beans.
Any last advice on Chocolate-covered espresso beans?
Chocolate-covered espresso are unique in that they combine the sweet and bitter tastes of some of our favorite delights into a combination of savory sweet chocolate and bittersweet coffee that not only smells and taste wonderful but is healthy and gives you a nice mid-day or morning “boost,” to keep you going.
It’s packed with healthy antioxidants ideal for both the Coffee and Chocolate lovers alike. Chocolate covered coffee beans are now gaining popularity in the U.S. with one of my favorites sold at Trader Joe’s that comes in a convenient travel sized pack with a blend of dark, and white chocolates perfect for the office or on those long car drives to keep you awake.
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