Hi all! This is Andrea and I work on the Research and Development team for the Beverage category at Starbucks. My degree and background are in Food Science and I’ve held a variety of roles over the past four years including Product Developer at a chocolate and candy manufacturer in Canada. Throughout my time as a developer, the idea of offering a dark mocha, or other products with dark chocolate have surfaced, so I want to share some work we’ve done here at Starbucks.
Dark chocolate can be made with various types of cocoa, which may be used alone or in combination with other cocoas to make layers of complex, rich flavors. This is very similar to the way different types of Starbucks® coffees are blended and roasted. Delicious!
Our mochas are made with a blend of two cocoas, which are layered to produce a rich chocolate experience that enhances the flavor profile of the espresso. Think of the two working together to produce the complex flavors you experience in every delicious sip of mocha! Starbucks® Signature Hot Chocolate was developed with a rich, smooth chocolate flavor in mind, but is more complex and closer to a dark chocolate profile due to the four types of cocoas used and the significant quantity of cocoa that gives it a unique flavor.
Thank you for your ideas around dark chocolate. Please continue to give us your feedback as we continue to innovate and strive to produce high quality beverages.
On a side note; I too enjoy an intense dark chocolate flavor, and I love the new Espresso Truffle beverage … go and try one today!!!
Dark Chocolate Mocha