Summary

The article details a personal journey to replicate a discontinued Rocky Road coffee flavor by experimenting with different proportions and orders of chocolate, almond, and marshmallow flavored coffees.

Abstract

The author of the article, a fan of both coffee and the Rocky Road ice cream flavor, discovered a coffee blend that combined these two passions. Upon finding out that the blend was discontinued, the author embarked on a mission to recreate the flavor at home. Through trial and error, involving careful adjustments of the flavor proportions and the order in which they were added to the coffee filter, the author succeeded in creating a satisfying Rocky Road coffee blend. The process revealed that the flavor at the bottom of the filter has a more significant impact on the taste of the coffee, a finding that contradicted initial expectations. The author concluded that such experiments not only provided a valuable coffee-brewing insight but also underscored the importance of appreciating and securing beloved flavors before they are discontinued.

Opinions

The author expresses a strong emotional attachment to the Rocky Road coffee flavor, emphasizing the disappointment upon its discontinuation.
There is an evident enthusiasm for the DIY approach to flavor replication, as the author finds joy and excitement in the experimental process.
The author believes that even small changes in coffee brewing, such as the order of flavor addition, can significantly affect the final taste, challenging the assumption that flavors mix uniformly.
A sense of accomplishment is conveyed upon successfully recreating a version of the discontinued flavor, suggesting that personal effort can yield rewarding results.
The author advises others to act promptly when they find a product they love, as its availability is not guaranteed indefinitely.

How To Replicate Your Favorite Coffee Flavor

Use this surprising trick

The Flavors

I Love Rocky Road

The flavor was Rocky Road.

No, not ice cream, I mean coffee.

Yes, Rocky Road flavored coffee!

Rocky Road is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. I also love coffee. So when I saw a Rocky Road coffee flavor, I got excited. I bought a bag to try it, and it did not disappoint.

But I made one little error. After tasting it, I should have immediately purchased several more bags!

This is what happened as a result of that one little error.

It’s The Little Things

The coffee was so good, I drank more coffee than I normally would have. I could not believe how yummy it was! Chocolate, almond, and marshmallow flavors swirling together in a heavenly cup of coffee!

And then another cup, and another cup…

The bag of coffee got used up faster than usual. When it was close to empty, I went back to the website to buy some more, but I couldn’t find it! I desperately tried several different ways to locate it, but to no avail.

It was discontinued!

I was despondent. I just found the most delicious coffee ever, only to have it taken away from me! Is it silly to get all worked up over a bag of coffee?

Maybe. But it’s the little things that make a big difference!

Then I saw a glimmer of hope. I noticed the website had chocolate flavored coffee, almond flavored coffee, and marshmallow flavored coffee. I ordered a bag of each flavor, hoping I could replicate my heavenly Rocky Road flavored coffee.

The Experiments

The Correct Proportions

My friend and I had been taking turns making coffee each day. Armed with the three flavors, we ran experiments to determine the proportions of the flavors to replicate the Rocky Road coffee flavor.

One the first day, we brewed a pot using equal amounts of each flavor as a starting point. Each day after that, we brewed a new pot with a different proportion of flavors.

One day, the coffee tasted like a Rocky Road flavor! I was ecstatic! We finally found the proportions: 2 parts marshmallow, 1 part chocolate, and 1 part almond.

The next day, we brewed another pot using the same proportions, but it didn’t taste the same!

What was going on?

A Surprising Factor

While discussing what to try next, we realized we had been scooping the various flavors into the coffeemaker in different orders. Marshmallow, chocolate, almond. Almond, marshmallow, chocolate. Marshmallow, almond, chocolate. You get the picture.

Surely what we put in the coffee filter first, middle, and last shouldn’t make a difference?

We ran some more experiments. Each day we made a pot with the same proportion of flavors, but put the flavors in the coffee filter in a different order. Eventually, we determined that the marshmallow flavor needed to be at the bottom to get the taste we were looking for.

Evidently, what you put in the coffee filter first, middle, and last does make a difference!

You would think that the different coffee flavors would be distributed evenly in the brewed coffee. But if you think about it some more, the coffee grounds on the bottom of the filter steep longer than the grounds at the top. At least, that’s what I tell myself!

The Satisfying Results

We expected the taste of the resulting blend to depend only on the proportions. But we discovered that the flavor at the bottom of the filter has a stronger influence on the resulting blend’s taste.

The resulting blend was not the same as the original Rocky Road flavor, but it was a Rocky Road flavor that I enjoyed, so I considered the experiments a success.

The Lessons

It’s possible to have too much of a good thing. It was probably better for me that the Rocky Road flavor was discontinued, otherwise I’d be over-caffeinated and jittery from drinking too much of it!

Also, I would have not been driven to run these coffee experiments and learn a surprising coffee-brewing trick along the way: If you want to replicate a flavor, you need to determine both the proportions of the component flavors, and the order you scoop them into the coffee filter.

But this is the most important lesson I learned: If I ever try another coffee flavor that’s “to die for”, I will buy another bag immediately!

You never know if or when it might get discontinued.

Thanks for reading! ☕