Chocolate – Is it possible to effectively dissolve chocolate into coffee

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The combination of milk chocolate with coffee is very good. The classic strategy is to take a bite of chocolate, chew it for five seconds, and then sip some coffee.

This strategy can be inconvenient at times, so I thought of dissolving the chocolate directly into hot coffee. However, this did not work very well due to the chocolate's fat content. How can I effectively mix chocolate into coffee? (Sometimes there are some tricks for these situations; for example, when you make hot chocolate, the trick to effective mixing is to make a slurry first.)

Best Answer

One classic solution is to make a ganache to make the chocolate liquid. Ganache is an emulsion that suspends the cocoa butter in water which helps it mix with the coffee. While this sounds fancy, you can make it in a few minutes.

The recipe I use is from The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee by James Freeman

  • Put 3 oz (85 g) coarsely chopped dark chocolate in a small bowl
  • Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) boiling water over the chocolate and stir until smooth
  • You can pour your coffee directly over the ganache or store the ganache in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat in the microwave (gently) before using.

The original recipe uses espresso and tops the coffee with hot foamed milk. I have also always used espresso and foamed milk, but I believe coffee should also produce good results. If you don't use the foamed milk, I suggest using a less dark chocolate to balance the bitterness.

Ganache can also be made with heavy cream instead of water. I have not tried using a cream-based ganache in this drink.

One note is that this recipe works best for hot drinks. Cold drinks can seize the chocolate into lumps.

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