What do we mean when we describe one of our coffees as “smooth and chocolatey?”
Smooth
When we describe a coffee as smooth, we’re talking about how easy and enjoyable it is to drink. Smooth coffees are typically full-bodied, accompanied by a rich and satisfying mouthfeel. It also helps to define flavor profiles by what they’re not, smooth coffees aren’t overly acidic or bitter. Instead, they’re well-balanced, comforting, and pleasant to drink from the first sip to the last.
Chocolatey
When we describe a coffee as chocolatey, we don’t mean it tastes like a Hershey’s bar. Instead, we’re referring to the rich, familiar notes that make up what many think of as the “classic coffee taste.” We then break things down even further based on the level of sweetness, as well as its texture. A coffee with a creamier body and more sweetness we would call milk chocolate, while one with earthier tones and less sweetness we would call dark chocolate or cocoa.
So, What Makes a Coffee Chocolatey?
As we said, there are countless variables that influence a coffee’s flavor profile, but many of them come into play long before the coffee makes it into your cup. Three of these variables are origin, varietal, and processing method.
A coffee’s origin is where it’s grown–such as a farm, a region, a country. In the coffee world, much like in wine, we often use the term terroir. If origin is the “where” it’s from, terroir is the “why” it tastiest the way it does. It refers to the natural environmental factors, like climate, elevation, soil type, and surrounding flora, that shape how a coffee tastes. Everything from the altitude at which the coffee is grown to the average rainfall that occurred during that particular harvest will ultimately have an impact on the taste.
A coffee’s varietal is another key element. Just as wine has many types of grapes—like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Noir—coffee has different varietals, such as Geisha, Typica, and Bourbon. Each varietal has its own genetic makeup, which brings out distinct flavor characteristics. The varietal a farmer chooses to grow has a significant influence on how that coffee will taste.
Once a coffee is harvested, a whole new set of variables comes into play, specifically, how it’s processed. Was it strip picked or selectively hand picked? Was it processed using the washed, natural, or honey method? Each of these choices can significantly affect the flavor of the final cup.
Chocolatey coffees are often the result of the washed process. In this method, the fruit of the coffee cherry is removed before the beans are dried. This allows the true character of the bean, and the soil it was grown in, to shine through, rather than being influenced by the sweetness or brightness of the fruit. As a result, washed coffees tend to be less fruit-forward and more likely to develop nutty, cocoa-like flavors. While there are always exceptions, our smoothest and most chocolatey coffees are typically washed.
The world of single-origin coffee offers an incredible diversity of flavors, smooth and chocolatey is just one small corner of a much larger, exciting landscape. We are proud to offer some truly exceptional coffees in this category that are bold, delicious, and consistently some of our best sellers. Not only that, we work directly with many of these coffee farms and producers which not only gives us further insight into the coffee growing process, but a deeper connection to the people and places where it is grown.
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