The internets are disappointing

[desperance]

I have a small chococoffeebean crisis.

I have, in fact, run out of chocolate-coated coffee beans.

Which wouldn't be a problem, except that it's proving curiously hard to replace them, when all I want is plain chocolate-coated coffee beans. By which I mean plain, milk or white chocolate coats: I like them all. What I don't like is the elaborated versions, amaretto flavour or toddy flavour or anything else. But nobody seems to be stocking the plain ones any more.

So - of course! - I went internetting. And no doubt I can find something satisfactory; but I got distracted by a terrible disappointment. I found a site that would sell me 3kg! For less than a tenner! Which is extraordinarily cheap, for something usually sold by the 100g in sums of pounds and pence.

So I clicked through.

And saw first that they would add VAT, which took it up to - well, less than twelve quid, anyway. Still a bargain.

So then I looked for their delivery charge.

Uh, that would be £45. Or £65, depending.

Um, no, then...

[In other news: Barry loves this time of year. People wear jumpers! He sits on people and kneads their lovely jumpers, and then they scritch him. And then he does his rusty-hacksaw-cuts-a-broken-pipe imitation that he is proud to call a purr, and they scritch him more. And then they can't stop. Barry is infinitely scritchable: that'll be every angle of his skull, if you please, and when you think you've finished we'll just begin again, thank you...]

Comments

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

1 lb. for $7.50. UK shipping $15.95. Not cheap, exactly, but that's what, maybe $12 a pound?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dark-Chocolate-covered-Coffee-Beans-Bean-1-lb-bag_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQitemZ370106764345QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f0QQsalenotsupported

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

1 x bar of valrhona. Some coffee beans. A bain marie. Sorted.

However, if you'd rather not make your own how about these: http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/ArtisanduChocolatSite/product/COFFEEBEANS.htm

I admit that at £8 a quarter they're not exactly cheap, but these are l'Artisan du chocolat so will be amazing (certainly if their chocolate sea salted caramels are anything to go by. And their tobacco ganache. And their mint ganache taht tastes of chewing a mint leaf coated in chocolate. Etc. Etc.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Evil temptationising person...

£8 a quarter? Eek!

Maybe I will try making my own, though. Weirdly, I hadn't thought of that. I wonder how hard it is to get the robe (for they are most certainly enrobed) to cling to the bean? And then to keep the beans separate, because one a time may not be time-practical...?

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Aha - Whittard do them (although obviously not to the same level of evil). http://www.whittard.co.uk/store/catalogue/Sweets-&-Treats-P8000/Chocolate-Coated-Coffee-Beans-SC8003/Chocolate-Coated-Coffee-Beans-Dark-Chocolate-160812.raa . I know what you mean about not wanting flavoured ones, but I must say the idea of ginger & chocolate coffee beans does speak sweet words to me.

I wonder about the enrobing - there must be something on teh interwebs somewhere.

EDIT: According to the recipes I've found (there are plenty online), the chocolate will just stick to the beans. Apparently you stir the beans in the chocolate, hoik them out with a spoon or a fork and put them individually on wax paper to set.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Oh, yow. Why did I never think to look for recipes? It's not like I haven't made chocolates before...

Thank you! I shall buy some espresso-roasted beans this very day, and make experiment. (I know I have a bar of Valrhona white chocolate to play with; not sure what else is in the house, but there's bound to be something...)

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Ooh now that sounds like a very tasty experiment. Let us know how it goes.

[jeremy-m.livejournal.com]

The internet was more fun in the old days, when there was a site selling timber with free delivery, apparently unaware that the net extended beyond their neighbourhood in Tinyville, Arkensas. Google should offer an option to search only sites located in September 1993.

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

These are the most awesome chocolate enrobed coffee beans I've had, but they are expensive.

I don't rate the Whittards ones.

Caffe Nero, the coffee shop, sell little boxes at the counter. They are £1 each and they weigh *checks* 25g. They are better than I expected them to be.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I knew the word "enrobed" would have to feature!

Why are so many of the nice things in the world so expensive...?

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Supply. Demand.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Oh, phooey. Don't you come at me with your fancy economics. It's because the world hates me, is what it is. *nods*

[anef.livejournal.com]

Now look what you made me do! I logged on to the Hotel Chocolat website just to see if they had any. And was Sucked In...