Why does coffee and chocolate go together?

There's a reason coffee and chocolate go so well together...

We're a nation of coffee drinkers and guess what? we're chocolate lovers too! So coffee and chocolate are the perfect companions, but why? Could there be a scientific reason for it? Let's find out...

Whether it's a piece of chocolate on the side of your cappuccino or sprinkled onto the top, or chocolate in the coffee itself (mocha for example), whatever the reason, people love pairing chocolate and coffee together.

Chocolate goes with many different types of food and drink, but coffee and chocolate seems to be a match made in heaven. But why do they go so well together?

Coffee and chocolate are both derived from tropical plants.

The main reason chocolate and coffee go so well together may be connected to how they are grown. Both coffee and chocolate are both seeds of tropical plants, grown in a sunny and humid environment.

Cocoa and coffee beans (or seeds as they're really known) also go through a similar production process. From how they are harvested to how they are transformed into consumable products we enjoy today.

They both go from being harvested, to fermentation through to the roasting stage which may account to their perfect pairing potential.

(You might also like to read this blog post answering the question: does chocolate go bad?)

Chocolate and coffee also have a similar chemical makeup!

We know they both grow on trees but what you didn't know is they also share some similar chemical makeup!

Both cocoa and coffee contain caffeine, although to different degrees. They also contain antioxidants which are said to have many health benefits.

They also have a wide range of different flavour profiles, some of which overlap. Again, so this may go to explain why they match so perfectly.

Coffee contains over 1,000 flavour compounds, whereas chocolate contains well over 600.

Who loves coffee flavoured chocolate?

We've gone one step further to give all you coffee and chocolate lovers out there the perfect treat! We've combined natural coffee flavouring into a range of Whitakers Chocolates. The thought process was easy, why not have the perfect combination in one bite! Coffee chocolate is real, it's not a dream!