Coffee and Cocoa
A brief introduction to the differences in Coffee Vs Cocoa beans
Coffee and Cocoa
A brief introduction to the differences in Coffee Vs Cocoa beans
The Basics
Welcome coffee lover. I’m your host, Alchemist John.
Although I am the Founding Alchemist of Chocolate Alchemy, it might surprise many folks to know I am more passionate about coffee than cocoa. I started roasting my own coffee in 2000 (24 years at this writing) because I was gifted a FreshRoast from Sweet Maria’s. To this day I buy ALL of my green coffee from Sweet Maria’s and consider the owners, Tom and Maria, friends. In all likelihood, our collaboration is what brought you to this page.
Again, welcome. I’m here to tell you the basics of how coffee and cocoa are similar and arguably more important, how they are different.
It feels like a match made in heaven. The are both beans. They are both roasted. They grow in the same area.
For goodness sake, chocolate laden coffee, e.g. mochas, are so classic and adding a touch of coffee to chocolate desserts is so very common. That, however, is where the similarities end.
The goal of this article is to help you navigate what you want to do with cocoa. Do you want to make chocolate? Do you want to drink it on its own or with coffee? Do you just want to have a little fun and go back to coffee (totally cool of course if that is what you want)?
Do you want to make chocolate? Do you want to drink it on its own or with coffee? Do you just want to have a little fun
The big thing I want to emphasize is although cocoa might be new to you, roasting and using cocoa at home is not new at all. I started doing it over 20 years ago and paved the way by starting Chocolate Alchemy. You don’t have to discover or invent anything. This whole site dedicated to it. It is up to you to how shallow or deep you want to go.
Let’s get something out of the way. Many people, Tom of Sweet Maria’s included, uses cacao to denote unroasted cocoa and cocoa to indicate it has been roasted. I appreciate the desire for clarity but I’m here to tell you it is NOT a standard in the chocolate and cocoa world you are about to enter. I shoot for even more clarity and simplicity. Cocoa is the English version of cacao. If you want to talk about unroasted cocoa, then say unroasted (or raw if you must) and if you want to discuss roasted cocoa, then say roasted. If you are speaking Spanish or Portuguese or another language where it is referred to as cacao, then by all means say cacao, but you should still use the appropriate roasted or unroasted adjective.
For you science geeks out there that want to understand just how different coffee and cocoa are, let’s take a brief look at the composition of cocoa vs coffee. If you want to skip the science, feel free to jump ahead.
Coffee vs Cacao Composition
Coffee vs Cacao Composition
A geeky view of the composition of Cocoa vs Coffee
The TLDR is that compared to one another, coffee has 10 times the water soluble extractables and cocoa has 5 times the fat. As much as we want them to be the same, they are no closer than an elephant and rhinoceros in that they are both huge grey mammals that can maim you causally.
The main constituents (1) of coffee are caffeine, tannins, fixed oil, carbohydrates, and proteins. It contains 2–3% caffeine, 3–5% tannins, 13% proteins, and 10–15% fixed oils. In the seeds, caffeine is present as a salt of chlorogenic acid (CGA). Also it contains oil and wax
Linoleic acid is the predominant fatty acid, followed by palmitic acid. The lipids are Triacylglycerols, Diterpene esters. Diterpenes. Triterpene esters. Sterols and a host of unidentified compounds.
The main component of cocoa beans (2) is lipid fraction, approximately 50%, mainly constituted by neutral lipids, with a predominant fraction of triglyceride molecules. Protein fraction constitutes 10–15% of the dry weight of cocoa seeds. carbohydrates are highly variable ranging 9-20%, with 0.5-2% sugars (as mono and disacharides) in the fermented form. Fiber accounts for 6-12%. Last but not least, cocoa contains virtually no caffeine (less than decaf green tea). Instead it contains a caffeine analog called theobromine.
Because of the similar shape of the molecule it still has a stimulant effect but sort of like not having the exact right key for a certain lock, theobromine does lock into our receptors quite the same way and so cocoa has a much lower buzz.
| Name | Coffee | Cacao |
|---|---|---|
| Fats | 10-15% | 45-55% |
| Carbohydrates | 40-50% | 9-20% |
| Sugars | 5-9% | 0.5-2% |
| Proteins | 13% | 10-15% |
| Fiber | 3-6% | 6-12% |
| Water Soluble Extractables | 18-22% | 1-2% |
| Theobromine | 0% | 1.5-3% |
| Caffiene | 2-3% | 0.1-0.25% |
The numbers really say it all. Like I said, coffee has about 10 times the water soluble extractables. Cocoa instead has 5 times the fat. Those are really the big two components that effect how cocoa and coffee behave and do or don’t play together.
Cocoa Espresso
Hey Alchemist, I have a great Idea (Cocoa Espresso)
Cocoa Espresso
Hey Alchemist, I have a great Idea (Cocoa Espresso)
Cocoa Espresso and Physics
Seemingly monthly, someone comes up with the brand new idea (sarcasm alert) that they could either mix some nibs into coffee and make a drip style mocha or better yet, pull chocolate espressos and asks me how to do it.
Disappointingly, neither idea works...mainly due to how different the beans are, i.e. their soluble portions and fat content. Said another way....
I have worked long and hard and on more than one occasion trying to pull a cocoa espresso that isn’t just hideous. The condensed version is that the cocoa swells up too much and clogs the shot. And when that doesn’t happen, the 50% oil contained in cocoa tries to mix with the water and again everything turns into mud.
As much as a love a good mocha, I’ve never found a way to make a fast mocha from roasted cocoa nibs. Most people try grinding them up in a grinder*, blending them with ground coffee and then brewing in either a drip coffee maker, french press or by pour over. To my tastes it always produces a drink that is.....muddy in flavor and not at all mocha like. Every so often you’ll find someone exclaiming how great it is but some people also like cilantro, grapefruit and kale smoothies. Thanks, no thanks. Feel free to try it but don’t get your hopes up.
The only way I have found to make a mocha that elevates both the coffee and cocoa is to make your cocoa into chocolate and then into a ganache or syrup and combine them that way. Basically like you would make any mocha.
Brewing Cocoa
The Whys of brewing and how it’s different than coffee
Brewing Cocoa
The Whys of brewing and how it’s different than coffee
Brewing Cocoa, Why it’s not coffee
Now that I’ve told you what you can’t do, let’s dive into what you can do that is coffee inspired.
If you grind* up roasted whole cocoa beans and then brew it like coffee you get a drink that is called Brewing Cocoa. Some people call it brewing chocolate but I find it more akin to a cocoa tea. It can be roasted from very light to very dark and we offer a wide selection.
*Use ONLY a blade grinder for cocoa. High end burr grinders that do an awesome job on coffee with clog with cocoa due the oil content.
If you roast coffee then you will know an uber light roast (often called Third Wave) has an end temperature somewhere between 380 - 400 F. Light is 400-430 F and medium roast tends to fall in a range of 430-450 F. Over 450 F and you are edging into or fully into the dark territory.
Cocoa roasting is similar but the ranges are MUCH lower and not as neatly defined and even kind of overlap depending what you are roasting.
| Roast | Cocoa (F) | Coffee (F) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Light | 200 - 220 | 380 - 400 | |
| Light | 220 - 300 | 400-430 | |
| Medium | 280 - 375 | 430 - 450 | |
| Dark | 380 - 410 | 440 - 455 | |
| Very Dark / Ick / Burned | > 410 | > 455 |
We are giving secrets away here but blending different roasts also works nicely. Where something dark might be over powering, Medium is just too lightly flavored. A mix of some portion of each can be just right. Many of our light roasts still have 5-15% of a darker roasted added to bring out body and character without being overwhelming.
Coffee Roasters
Which Form, Which Roaster, and Why
Coffee Roasters
Which Form, Which Roaster, and Why
Coffee Roasters and Cocoa Bean Roasting
| Roaster | Can roast Cocoa beans | Can Roast cocoa nibs | Bean temperature? | Capacity | Recommended | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behmor 2000AB | Yes | No | No | 2-2.5 lb | Yes | Best roaster for cocoa |
| Air Roasters | No | Varies | Varies | 2-4 oz | No | Small volume, not recommened |
| FreshRoast | No | Yes | No | 1-3 oz | No | Small capacity |
| Gene Cafe | Varies | Yes | No | 1-6 oz | No | Small capacity |
| HotTop | No | No | Yes | N/A | No | Does not work for cocoa |
| Allio Bullet | No* | Yes* | Yes | 2-3 lb | No | Beans and nibs jam |
| Air Fryers | Varies | No | No | 1-2 lb | Meh | It is possible but I would not buy one just for cooca |
| Home oven | Yes | Yes | No | 1-3 lb | ** | **There are so many varible to give a solid answer. See the discussion below. |
A detailed Look
Behmor 2000AB
The Behmor is the best roaster I’ve found for whole beans
Pros:
You can roast 2 lb or cocoa at a time (that is not a typo).
The default setting will set you up for success.
You can add a thermometer for excellent roasting control (we made a video walking you through how to do it)
Cons:
You can’t roast nibs in a Behmor. They fall through the mesh.
You don’t have a direct bean temperature reading and the A and B chamber temperatures don’t correlate.
Unless you have a temperature probe in your Behmor then it is going to be pretty hard do anything more than a light or dark cocoa roast, namely because there is almost no color change with temperature until the beans are getting dark.
All Fluid bed Air roasters including but not limited to the FreshRoast, Poppers, Sonoffresco, etc.
Pros:
None
Cons:
The won’t lift and fluidize cocoa beans.
Nibs tend to ‘tip’ or have their ends scorched.
Nibs can fall through the holes at the bottom.
Capacity tends to be quite small. In some cases if you have temperature control (most don’t) you can control tipping but the small amount you can roast isn’t usually worthwhile other than for novelty sake.
GeneCafe:
Pros:
Not many. Beans tend to not mix well due to their size.
Nibs are ok.
Cons:
Capacity is low
The airflow tend to strip flavor from the nibs and beans.
Mixing is subpar.
No bean temperature probe
Hottop
Pros:
None
Cons:
Beans tend to jam and nibs fall through the drum
Allio Bullet
Pros:
Has temperature probe
Cons:
Whole beans jam and nibs sound crunchy and might damage the roaster
Expensive
Air Fryers
Pros:
Inexpensive
Passable with some trial and error
Cons:
Control is not great. Gourmia Air Fryer
Can’t roast nibs
No temperature probe and one isn’t possible
High air flow that can strip aroma
Oven Roasting
Pros:
Everyone has one
Cons:
Control is not easy to the point of being difficult.
Accuracy and precision is quite low making reproducibility nearly impossible.
It takes a lot of trial and error.
You need an infrared thermometer or your chances of repeatable success are almost zero.
You will find all over the internet that people use an oven for roasting cocoa but that doesn’t make it a good method.
Roasting for coffee and eating is a totally different animal than roasting for making really great chocolate. I’m not going to dive into how you would roast cocoa for chocolate. A not insignificant portion of the site addresses it in one form or another.
Oven roasting tips
Oven roasting tips
If you must roast in the oven, do these things:
What you can do is roast in your oven with the disclaimer that I’m not a fan of oven roasting for making chocolate but it works pretty good for brewing cocoa. Try this out.
Materials:
Oven
Infrared Thermometer
1 lb Cocoa beans
Tray
Method
Preheat your oven. Aim for about 100 F over your final target temperature.
Place your cocoa beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and into the oven, stirring the beans every 5 minutes.
Continue roasting until the surface temperature reads about 20 F below your target temperature.
At that point, turn your oven down to 20 F above your target temperature.
Continue roasting until the beans reach temperature, making sure you continue stirring.
Process:
Example. You want a medium roast at 330 F.
Preheat: 425 F
Roast until beans are 290-310 F.
Turn the oven down to 350 F and roast until the beans reach 330 F.
Remove them and let them fully cool before sealing up. This will probably take longer than you expect. 6-8 hours is best. Store them in a airtight container until you want to use them. During that cooling time the beans will lose moisture and sealing them away before 6-8 hours can cause water to condense and ruin your beans.
Using Fresh Cocoa
What can you do with freshly roasted cocoa?
Using Fresh Cocoa
What can you do with freshly roasted cocoa?
Using Freshly Roasted Cocoa
The whole point here is brewing with them ala coffee. Unlike coffee (the differences keep piling up) we have found that brewed cocoa has a long tail in regards to going stale and in nearly all cases, improves in the ground state over the span of 4-6 weeks. Take or leave that advice but know cocoa 100% does not go stale like coffee does. I say that as a deep coffee and espresso nerd, geek and snob who thinks pre-ground coffee should be outlawed and even pre-grinding the night before for drip (editor’s note: As someone who has stayed with the Alchemist and been woken up by his morning grind, I can attest to how seriously he takes this) it blasphemous and do not even get me going on coffee pods.
Grinding your freshly roasted cocoa - important!
To grind cocoa for brewing you need to use some flavor of blade grinder. This can be a blade grinder, blender or any number of food processors. But never a burr grinder.
Do NOT NOT NOT use a burr grinder for cocoa.
Burr grinders are awesome for coffee and utterly TERRIBLE for cocoa. If you remember, cocoa is made up of about 50% oil. That oil will clog the burrs no matter how slow or coarse you try to grind.
—— You have been warned ——
How are coffee and cocoa similar for brewing?
They react to brewing in the same manner, taking into account that cocoa has a lot less to give. Remember, cocoa has only about 1/10 of the solubles compared to coffee. That means you have to use quite a bit more to get a drink that is not insipidly weak.
So you have something to compare to, french press coffee has an average ratio 1:12 for a medium strength cup. That translates to about 24 grams of coffee for 300 ml of water for 4 tablespoon for a 12 oz cup.
Our Guide to Brewing Cocoa recommends the following:
2-3 tablespoons of ground beans per cup of water are recommended. The mixture should be stirred and allowed to brew for about four to five minutes. Over-brewing can result in astringent, unpleasant flavors. Some people like to use more brewing cocoa and boil it. Although we don’t care for the results, you might.
You’ll note the ratio for Brewing cocoa is about the same for coffee or only slightly higher that coffee. I have an admission to make. This is not how I drink it nor is it the ratio I use. I tend to use closer to double that. Why don’t I say that? The short and sad answer is approachability and making it look like coffee. This first ratio is the one other brewing cocoa sellers use and it was just too much effort to swim against the current. But I’m saying it here. Let’s get back to why I bring that up.
Like any serious coffee aficionado can attest to, to make a stronger cup, you use more coffee and don’t just grind it finer or steep it longer. The same is absolutely the same for brewing cocoa.
Grinding finer and/or brewing longer just leads to a poorer tasting cup.
So if you want to do this really right, giving yourself the best chance for success, try this.
Grind whole roasted cocoa beans, rested in the ground state at least a week.
6-8 T / 8 oz water, 202-208 F
Steep 4-5 minutes
Taste as is and feel free to add sweetener and/or whitener of your choice.
What else to do with cocoa
What else can you do with cocoa beans?
What else to do with cocoa
What else can you do with cocoa beans?
Of course you can make chocolate and that is what Chocolate Alchemy is all about.
Our basic guide is here.
and the video series is here:
Feel free to dive in, experiment, and most importantly have fun. And don’t be shy about asking questions if you have them.
Making your own chocolate? have questions about any step of the process? Why not Ask The Alchemist? He regularly answers reader questions (over 300 answers are waiting for you, maybe he answered your question already) and we've just launched the new ATA video series where he demonstrates the real world answers to your chocolate making questions!