Stephanie Hofmann
The whole, as Aristotle once said, is often greater than the sum of its parts.
That’s true for a lot of things, and particularly applicable from the perspective of a person who drinks beverages and writes about them. Espresso and steamed milk? Absolutely. Iced tea and lemonade? Oh lord, yes. Tequila and the salty tears of unrequited love? You get the idea.
This is not the case with the chocolate coffee from Red Elephant, the boutique chocolate cafe and retail store that opened last winter at 119 State St. The concept is intriguingly obvious — a combination of the shop’s excellent Black Diamond hot cocoa, made with Sassy Cow whole milk and pure dark chocolate shavings, and its signature Indonesian bold roast coffee. Hot chocolate is great, coffee is great, why not mix them together?
The result, however, is a rather diminished version of both — the chocolate and the coffee flavors cancel each other out instead of complementing. It’s not bad by any means — the barista says it’s an employee favorite, and it could be a good option for someone seeking a not-too-sweet cocoa flavor with a hint of caffeine. But it’s more or less a mocha on life support.
