People around the world drink around two billion cups of coffee every day, making it the 3rd most popular beverage on earth, after water and tea! We love coffee, not just for the rich, delicious taste but also for that stimulating kick of caffeine.
Chocolate is debatably the world’s most popular sweet item. People who enjoy eating chocolate are not limited to children. This sinfully delicious sweet treat is loved by people of all ages and ethnicity. Unsurprisingly, chocolate is also rich in the highly sought-after stimulant, caffeine.
People love to pair chocolate with coffee. Be it a steaming cup of mocha or chocolate coffee cake, it is undeniably a mouthwatering combo. But, is the combination an overload of caffeine?
Chocolate and Espresso Beans
Chocolate and espresso beans are a great pair. That is why café mocha ranks quite high on the list of the more popular coffee drinks. The café mocha is a chocolatey concoction with a hint of coffee and this is made by using shots of espresso, with hot milk adding chocolate syrup or powder to flavor.
Other than café mocha, chocolate and espresso beans can be combined in the following ways.
Chocolate Flavor Infused Espresso Beans
As far as espresso beans go, if you check out this list of favorites, you will find that some popular espresso beans are infused with flavors. One of the popular hints of flavors infused in coffee other than vanilla is chocolate since it pairs so well with coffee.
Chocolate-infused espresso beans often have only a hint of cocoa which does not overpower the strong coffee flavor. These coffee beans are used like regular espresso beans, grounded, and used to make brewed coffee.
The only caffeine you will find in these beans comes from the coffee beans. The chocolate flavoring is artificial and does not have any caffeine. The flavor is often light and doesn’t overpower the coffee.
Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
Did you know that some people eat coffee beans directly? The bean is not a seed, rather, it is the dried version of the coffee fruit or cherry. Chewing roasted coffee beans can be bitter, but you get your caffeine fix for a lot fewer calories.
If you want to munch on coffee beans, but do not want the bitter test, try eating chocolate-covered coffee instead. People who love the choco-coffee combo, love this confectionary. The espresso coffee beans are covered in either dark, milk, or white chocolate.
These decadent chocolate treats are not just delicious but also provide a punch of caffeine. However, They are also decked with calories. You may be tempted to eat too many of them, but don’t.
Nutritional Information of Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
| Nutrient | Amount per 1 oz (28 g) serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 140-150 |
| Fat | 9-10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6-7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 5-10 mg |
| Sodium | 0 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 15-17 g |
| Fiber | 1-2 g |
| Sugar | 12-13 g |
| Protein | 2-3 g |
Please note that the nutritional information may vary depending on the brand and type of chocolate covered espresso beans.
Why shouldn’t You Overeat Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans?
Just with any sweet treat, it’s healthier to eat chocolate-covered espresso beans in moderation. Taking too much sugar causes three common health problems: Type-2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Taking a large amount of sugar causes insulin intolerance, which leads to diabetes.
When you consume glucose more than you burn, the body turns the sugar into fat and stores it in your body. This can cause multiple cardio-vascular problems, like artery blockage that can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.
Extra fat can lead to obesity. Let’s not forget that they make your teeth rot. However, when enjoyed in moderation they boost your health and make you live longer! But, too much caffeine intake can also cause health problems.
So, How Much Caffeine Do Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans Have?
There is a claim that consuming coffee beans gives you a more concentrated dose of caffeine, as it doesn’t go through the brewing process and no residue is thrown away.
One unroasted arabica bean coffee has about 1.9 mg of caffeine, while robusta has around 2.9 mg caffeine.
Chocolate has a lot less caffeine with dark chocolate around 80 mg of caffeine per 100gms and milk chocolate, 20 mg per 100gms. White chocolate has no caffeine.
So, depending on the thickness of the coating, one dark chocolate-covered espresso bean has anywhere from 6mgs to 13mgs of caffeine. Milk chocolate varieties have 5-10 milligrams of caffeine. This isn’t much, unless you eat 100gms of chocolate-covered espresso beans, at one time!
Can You Replace Your Daily Cup Of Coffee For Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans?
People can swap coffee for chocolate-covered coffee beans if they love chocolate. However, eating too much sweetened-chocolate can give you health problems. But, eating an unsweetened one will be bitter and reduces its yummy test.
Plus the caffeine content means you have to take them in moderation. An average cup of Joe contains 85-200 mg of caffeine, depending on the type of bean and the coffee-making process, a shot of espresso has around 65 mg of caffeine.
To match that kind of caffeine level, you need to eat from 7 to 33 dark chocolate-covered beans for every cup, and more for milk chocolate! For each shot of espresso, you will have to eat 5 to 11 pieces.
Making Your Own Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans At Home
Anyone who loves eating chocolate-covered espresso beans knows how expensive they are. Save yourself the expense and try making it at home. The best part about this is you can control the sweetness and increase or decrease it according to your taste.
You will need few ingredients; mainly good quality coffee beans of your choice. For every 1.5 oz, you will need 3.5 oz or 100gms of solid chocolate. You can choose any type of chocolate, depending on what kind you want to make.
Bring some water to boil in a saucepan, then lower the heat. Place a heatproof bowl over the saucepan and melt your chocolate. Coat your beans and put them in the refrigerator.
Final Thoughts
Chocolate-covered espresso beans are a delight. You can easily replace your regular cups of coffee with these beans. However, you will have to eat quite a few.
The content of caffeine in each chocolate-coated bean is not that high, but since they are delicious, people can easily overeat. So, be careful not to eat too much, as it can become a health hazard.
Try making these delicious treats at home and enjoy a fun dose of caffeine with every mouthwatering bite. The dosage of caffeine is more concentrated so try not to eat them at night, unless you want to stay awake!