Basic Chokladbollar ingredients: Coffee, Kaffe, Kopi, Koffie, Cafe, Cup of joe

Coffee is important for making awesome Chokladbollar.

A major ingredient in Swedish chokladbollar is coffee. Swedes love drinking coffee and have a whole Fika culture of taking coffee breaks throughout the day. I absolutely love taking a mid afternoon Fika to recharge and give me the much needed caffeine jolt. The afternoon slump is a very real condition that afflicts too many people. 

Swedes really love drinking coffee and they are rated as one of the top countries that consumes a lot of coffee on a daily basis. Sweden.se site lists Swedish coffee drinking habits as their top thing to know about Sweden. To say that Swedes love their cup of joe is an understatement. How many cups of coffee do you drink daily? 

NOTHING PAIRS BETTER THAN A CUP OF BLACK COFFEE WITH A CHOKLADBOLLAR ON THE SIDE...

Black coffee from Gast cafe in Stockholm

Chokladbollar utilises coffee as a basic ingredient

That dark earthy note you get from biting into a chokladbollar probably comes from coffee. But how do you prepare the coffee?

Ways to prepare coffee for chokladbollar:

1) Filter coffee - This is the most basic way to make your coffee ready for adding to chokladbollar. Most people make it this way.

2) French press - Steep your coffee in the hot water before plunging.

3) Moka pot - The traditional Italian way. I make my coffee at home using the Moka pot almost everyday. Make sure once the coffee bubbles up to the top level to remove it from the stove immediately to prevent burning your coffee and your moka pot! 

4) Espresso - If you have a proper coffee machine at home, make an espresso and add that to your chokladbollar recipe because the result is a dark chocolate heaven! 

5) Instant coffee - This is my least favorite way but sometimes you do not have a choice. Add a couple teaspoons and really mix well. 

6) Drip coffee - When you have patience, this is the most elegant way to prepare the coffee. I always order drip coffee at specialty cafes because the flavors and subtle nuances of the coffee really shine through. 

7) Nespresso - This global brand is taking the home brew by storm. I would recommend making it with the espresso method.

Black coffee and chokladbollar at Djäkne Coffee Bar in Malmö

Temperatures of the coffee matter

Like Goldilocks said: Not too Hot, Not too cold, just right.

Lagom. The Swedish concept of balance. 

I have experimented with different temperatures of coffee for my chokladbollar recipe. Many Swedes swear by adding cold coffee in their chokladbollar recipe. I prefer cool almost room temperature coffee that has been sitting there for a while. The reason for this is because of the variables in different climates. If the environment is too dry,  the cold coffee does not absorb properly into the mixture. Too humid and the cold coffee does not bring up the coffee flavors into the mixture. 

I recommend starting the coffee before you set out your ingredients so it has time to sit around while you are assembling your chokladbollar ingredients. 

With a fairly neutral temperature, the coffee flavors added to your mixture will be absorbed but will not cause a watery texture if you add hot coffee. If this happens, you can combat it by adding more oats to the mixture. 

I believe that patience for your coffee makes for a more visceral and enjoyable experience! I grind my coffee beans and then wait for the Moka pot to make a cup of joe just the way I like it.