Who Knew Coffee Grounds Could Be Used Like This?! And Chocolate Doesn't Necessarily Come from Cocoa?

"What can you do with coffee grounds after brewing that you don't want to waste?"

"Plenty! You can use them to eliminate odors in the refrigerator, make body scrubs, and even clean kitchen grease..."

"You can also make fabrics, shoes, furniture, cups, and straws..."

"This kind of recycling isn't environmentally friendly enough!" At this moment, a Japanese scientist rushed in...

"This recycling method for coffee grounds requires drying, which releases carbon dioxide into the air during the process!"

As people's environmental awareness continues to grow, how to maximize the reuse of materials has become a research direction for many scholars. With the continuous promotion of coffee culture, the world currently consumes an average of 2.25 billion cups of coffee daily—a staggering figure. Each cup of coffee produces large amounts of coffee grounds. Simply throwing away solid coffee grounds is both wasteful and environmentally harmful, making the reuse of coffee grounds a popular research direction in recent years.

The Environmental Challenge of Coffee Ground Recycling

Coffee already releases carbon dioxide during brewing, and coffee grounds continue to release carbon dioxide when recycled and dried. Carbon dioxide emissions are a primary cause of the greenhouse effect... (Shh! I know what you're thinking! Hold on, keep reading~!).

A Breakthrough Solution: Fermented Coffee Grounds

So is there a way to reuse coffee grounds without harming the environment? Japanese scientist and CEO of SOI Shizuoka, Tetsuji Ishigaki, says: Yes! Ferment coffee grounds into a paste using koji mold, then add cocoa butter to solidify them into block-shaped instant coffee. Due to the use of cocoa butter, we can also call it coffee ground chocolate.

The Science Behind Coffee Ground Chocolate

Coffee grounds themselves are the woody fiber from coffee beans, and eating them directly would certainly have a poor texture. Therefore, Tetsuji Ishigaki adds koji mold—commonly used in brewing sake, soy sauce, and other fermented foods—to the coffee grounds. The addition of koji mold not only softens the coffee fiber but also makes the coffee paste more flavorful.

As koji mold reproduces during fermentation, it produces various enzymes that convert proteins into amino acids, creating rich umami flavors that make the coffee paste taste more intense. In Tetsuji Ishigaki's research on sample testing, he found that the amino acid content in coffee paste is approximately 3 times that of raw coffee beans, while this coffee paste also offers certain health benefits!

Health Benefits and Caffeine Content

According to laboratory analysis, the polyphenol content, health-promoting compounds, and antioxidants in coffee paste are 1.6 times higher than in regular coffee. Additionally, 94% of coffee paste consists of insoluble fiber, which can promote intestinal health.

Regarding caffeine, each 22g coffee ground chocolate contains 50mg of caffeine (a 225ml pour-over coffee made with 15g at a 1:15 ratio contains approximately 60-90mg of caffeine). Generally, eating this chocolate in the afternoon for an energy boost won't affect nighttime sleep.

From Lab to Market: COLEHA Coffee Ground Chocolate

This coffee paste undergoes pasteurization after appropriate fermentation, then is mixed with cocoa butter to solidify. Although still in the experimental stage, this coffee ground chocolate has begun limited sales under the name COLEHA. It is sold at coffee shops that provide coffee grounds to the laboratory.

To cater to different consumer tastes, COLEHA comes in three varieties with sugar content ranging from 0% to 40%. The 0% sugar version tastes like coffee-flavored dark chocolate with the slight acidity of high-quality coffee. The 10% sugar version has fruity and milky notes. The 40% sugar version has caramel flavors. This coffee ground chocolate has been receiving positive reviews from consumers since it went on sale five months ago.

The Future of Coffee Ground Recycling

Fermentation techniques have been widely used by Asians for centuries, and Japanese researchers have conducted in-depth studies and explorations of naturally fermented healthy foods. With the help of koji mold, one kilogram of coffee grounds can produce 115 COLEHA bars (22g each). If this technology can be promoted and widely adopted globally, cocoa growers would say??? Sorry, got sidetracked! This could produce 1.7 trillion COLEHA bars annually—truly both environmentally friendly and practical!

Drinking rich, layered coffee while eating chocolate made from coffee grounds—the double joy of coffee enthusiasts is here!

(I guessed you'd want the featured image!)

Image source: Internet

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