A friend just gave me a 14-oz box of chocolate-covered espresso beans.

[Bertha Venation]

:9

Do you like them?

[ThomCat]

1. Oh yes. Dark chocolate and espresso beans are wonderful.

WHEEEEEEEEEE! :bounce:

[joeybee12]

2. Only raisins should be covered in chocolate...

...heaven.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Yes. But don't eat too many at once.

The combination of caffeine and sugar will have you bouncing off the ceiling.

[LynneSin]

6. I made that mistake - ONCE

I had about 10 of them

I didn't sleep for 2 days

[sarge43]

7. You haven't had the total experience until your eyeballs explode. n/t

[sarge43]

4. Sure, but notifying Air Defense Command

I'll be passing by in low orbit for the next 24 hours is a pain.

[hippywife]

5. Yes!

Please you will share with the lounge?

Good for you! Those are very nummy. I buy my husband lovely Sumatran whole bean coffee from our coop and sometimes I pop one in my mouth together with a piece of dark chocolate. :9

[PJPhreak]

8. Speed Beans! Yum! nt

[EOTE]

9. Is there a difference between coffee beans and espresso beans?

I thought that espresso was simply coffee brewed from finely ground coffee beans and sent through a quick and high pressure press. Wouldn't espresso beans be akin to cafe au lait or latte beans?

As for myself, I love chocolate covered beans. The chocolate provides just enough sweetness to counter the bitter acidity of the coffee. I still think I'd prefer a nicely brewed shot of espresso, though.

[Bertha Venation]

11. espresso beans are roasted longer

I don't know if they're actually a different bean (anyone?), but they are roasted longer than beans for regular coffee.

[EOTE]

12. I need to remind myself never to drink espresso at Starbucks, then.

Because all the coffee I've had at Starbucks has been roasted to hell. I'd hate to imagine what their espresso tastes like (though I have had a latte there that was decent). I was under the impression that the bolder taste of espresso comes from 1)having more surface area to extract from due to the finer grind and 2)using pressure to extract the coffee rather than drip in a conventional coffee maker.

[hippywife]

13. I have no problem reminding my self

not to drink espresso. My husband does sometimes and I swear it does not smell like coffee. It's been a while since I've sniffed at it but the word "garbage" comes immediately to my recall. :hi:

[pokerfan]

18. That's Charbucks for you

Over roasting is part of their branding. They want the consumer experience to be the same in any of their stores and one way to do that is to over roast the beans.

But, yeah espresso is just a method of preparing coffee, not a type of bean or method of roasting. One can make espresso from any bean or roasting level. I prefer a full roast (Italian), but not a burnt roast.



We take our coffee pretty seriously up here in WA state...



Credit to http://www.lokeshdhakar.com">Lokesh Dhakar for the wonderful illustrations.

[Chan790]

22. I'm stealing that chart...it makes life easy for a barista.

You have no idea how hard this is to explain to people 50 times a day.

[phasma ex machina]

25. +1 nice chart

[Chan790]

21. Same beans.

Kind of. They're all coffee beans, you might use different sourced beans for different roasts. (For example, you probably would not use Sidamo Gold beans because they're expensive ($20-$30/lb.) and because they would likely impart a Lemon Pledge note to your espresso. Whatever characteristics are in the beans are magnified far more in espresso than brewed coffee.)

Yes, usually espresso beans are typically (but not always) roasted longer as it imparts a darker bolder flavored coffee. The main differences between espresso and brewed coffee are mostly the result of the preparation methodology...any roasted coffee bean can be ground and brewed for espresso. I use Italian Blend in my espresso machine at home, my roommate prefers a much milder chicory-blend he has shipped to him from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. My best friend uses a French Roast that I think makes espresso that tastes like "ashtray wine".

[Capn Sunshine]

10. Seattle M&Ms

damn, I love those things

[trof]

14. WIRED!

You won't be getting much sleep tonight.
;-)

[astral]

15. Not crazy about them

Something unnatural about chomping up an espresso bean. Then there's the teeth thing afterward. . . .

[LiberalAndProud]

16. I've never had ...

So what do you think of them, BV?

[yurbud]

17. Don't worry, you'll be able to sleep again in about four days.

[Captain Hilts]

19. LOVE 'em!

[Chan790]

20. Yes and a warning...

Each one is the caffeine equal of about a half a cup of coffee. Don't sit down and absent-mindedly eat a bunch, you'll be in agony. I made that mistake and didn't sleep for 2 days, not because I was juiced but because I was sick as could be...out both ends...and a little juiced as-well I'd admit.

[Wapsie B]

23. Chocolate crack huh?

:P

[phasma ex machina]

24. Chocolate and caffine, what's not to like? nt

[arbusto_baboso]

26. I have to be knocked off the ceiling with a broom when I eat 'em.

Like 'em, though!