Tchibo Coffee

(Needle drop.) Germany!

Beer! Sausage! Mustard! Sauerkraut! Oktoberfest! Christkindlesmarkt!

Coffee. (Vinyl scratch.)

To all other coffee purveyors, Achtung!

Scroll down to see more photos and read more about Tchibo Coffee.

“Mmm…the Dark Roast is nice and strong. Oh, this is delicious. I really like this black. I’ve actually never seen this before. I need to get this. I like the cap design that keeps it fresh. This is perfect!”

I trust that you’ve seen the commercials for Tchibo. It’s coffee. From Hamburg, Germany. Not the beans but the company. I had no idea that there might be good coffee from Germany. But that would make sense what with the white German Alps, the foreboding Black Forest, and all the late nights perfecting automobiles. I sound like a tourist. If the best way to visit a country is to eat your way through it, then maybe we can vicariously journey through the Rhineland and all with a hot cup or iced glass of Tchibo Coffee. Let’s get started with the first of three quick recipes.

Mexican Coffee (from The World Encyclopedia of Coffee by Banks, McFadden and Atkinson):

Ingredients (serves four):
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
pinch ground nutmeg
2 cups strong black coffee
whipped cream and cinnamon shavings for toppings

Instructions:
1. In a bowl, combine and whip: chocolate syrup, cream, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.
2. Pour hot coffee into the mixture and stir well. Portion evenly between four mugs. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon shavings.

My mom, Lisa and I were excited to try this new take. Mom: “I like the cinnamon shavings on top of the Mexican Coffee. I smell cinnamon before every sip. This is just enough sweetness. The taste is nice and light!” Lisa: “Oh, wow…this is really good. The Mexican Coffee is velvety and smooth. The texture feels rich but not overly sweet. I really like this. I feel the warmth of the spices blended in with the heat of the coffee!” And me: “This is almost like a hot cocoa, the way it’s so friendly. It doesn’t have the sandy texture of other coffee concoctions. The Mexican Coffee is very smooth. I would serve this as an accompaniment to a dessert or as a weekend morning drink!”

“I like the cinnamon shavings on top of the Mexican Coffee. I smell cinnamon before every sip. This is just enough sweetness. The taste is nice and light!”

Chocolate-Hazelnut Iced Coffee (from Eating Well by Casey):

Ingredients (adjust coffee to milk/creamer ratio for a bolder taste):
ice cubes
1/2 cup cold brew coffee
1/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut milk or other plant-based milk
1 tsp chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
1/4 cup hazelnut creamer or other plant-based coffee creamer

Instructions:
1. Toss a few handfuls of ice cubes into a pint-size Mason jar, and fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Add coffee, chocolate-hazelnut milk, and chocolate-hazelnut spread to the Mason jar. Cover and shake well until the spread has dissolved, about a half minute or so. Pour this mixture into the tall glass.
3. Froth hazelnut creamer (or shake vigorously in a separate 1-cup Mason jar). Pour this froth over the iced coffee. Serve immediately.

Lisa and I shared our impressions between sips, tweaking our coffee ratios as we went. Lisa: “With the standard recipe ratios, I was tasting too much milk and creamer. Then we added a stronger coffee proportion. With more coffee, the Chocolate-Hazelnut Iced Coffee has a nice balance of Nutella and coffee!” And me: “After we added more coffee, the bean flavor of the Classic Blend (Medium Roast) really came through. I think the Chocolate-Hazelnut Iced Coffee can be a smooth easy drink with the standard recipe or a café favorite with just a bit more coffee!”

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Dark Chocolate Mocha (from Gather for Bread by Melanie):

Ingredients (serves two):
4 Tbsp ground coffee
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp whipped cream

Instructions:
1. Brew coffee, about (2) 8-oz. cups of coffee.
2. Whisk together: milk, sugar, dark cocoa, and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 5–7 minutes. Whisk occasionally to prevent burning or coming to a boil.
3. Pour this mixture into two mugs. Portion the brewed coffee evenly between the two mugs. Stir well.
4. Top with whipped cream. Dust with cocoa, if needed. Serve immediately.

Julie, Lisa and I were excited to strike up a conversation about this bold new drink. Julie: “I’ve never seen this before! I like the cap that keeps everything fresh. The Dark Chocolate Mocha is not bitter at all. This is almost like a cross between hot chocolate and coffee!” Lisa: “The Dark Chocolate Mocha definitely has the taste of dark mocha without being overly sweet! This is really good with whipped cream. The taste is rich. I’m really liking that it’s so dark like a dark beer!” And me: “This reminds me of chocolate mousse! The Dark Chocolate Mocha has that rich, smooth quality—dark with a mature flavor. This is very good!”

“The Dark Chocolate Mocha definitely has the taste of dark mocha without being overly sweet. This is really good with whipped cream. The taste is rich. I’m really liking that it’s so dark like a dark beer!”

Thanksgiving was the culmination of a Tchibo Röstmeister (Dark Roast) tasting, as in black. Mom: “This has a nice strong taste. The Dark Roast is light with a rich flavor. The taste is very clean!” Lisa: “The Dark Roast is rich and strong, but it’s not acidic. The flavor profile is a little woody, but not sour. I really like this black!” Val: “Mmm…the Dark Roast is nice and strong. Oh, this is delicious. I really like this black. I’ve actually never seen this before. I need to get this. I like the cap design that keeps it fresh. This is perfect!” Mark: “It’s hot. It’s good. I like to drink my coffee black. The Dark Roast is really good!” And me: “Oh, this smells good—nice and robust. This is how coffee should smell. Wow, the Röstmeister is very light tasting for dark roast. The flavor reminds me of dark chocolate, and maybe a little reminsicent of oak. It’s a sophisticated coffee without any bad notes!”

None of us recalled the commercials, but we discovered that Tchibo Coffee makes happy holiday memories. The first time I ever visit Germany, I’m going to take the Bundesautobahn in my rental German sports luxury sedan, and speed ahead for Hamburg and the Tchibo headquarters. Or I could take my daily driver to the local supermarket. Germany will have to wait. I have some Tchibo Coffee coming in hot!

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To learn more about Tchibo Coffee, and to order, visit Tchibo Coffee

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