Yes, You Can Melt A Chocolate Bar Into Your Espresso

Certain food pairings taste like a match made in heaven: peanut butter and jelly, bagel and cream cheese, bacon, and eggs, milk and cookies, you name it. Coffee and chocolate are a similar duo, except there's some science to this pairing. According to the Barista Institute, chocolate and coffee come from two very different sources, but they actually have much in common. 

Coffee and chocolate are both stimulants, contain high amounts of antioxidants, and go through the process of roasting, which brings out their flavors. In fact, coffee and chocolate are described in similar tones — you'll often find words like floral, bitter, fruity, and nutty notes associated with both (via Roasty Coffee). This is why, while several chocolates are flavored with coffee, plenty of coffees use chocolate to make the brew taste sweeter with a luxuriously rich texture.

To make the most of the delicious combination, you could easily make hot mochas or chocolate cappuccinos at home by swirling in chocolate syrup or whisking cocoa powder into the coffee. However, videos trending on Instagram suggest another way: melting an actual bar of chocolate in your espresso.

In the Instagram video posted by Buzzfeed Tasty, a shot of espresso is pulled over a huge bar of solid chocolate placed on top of a coffee cup. As the hot espresso pours onto the chocolate, the solid bar gradually melts and glides into the cup below along with the liquid espresso.

While netizens expressed their awe at the chocolatey goodness in the comments, some couldn't help but wonder whether there might just be a thing as too much chocolate after watching the huge chocolate piece melt into a small serving of espresso. "That's basically just a cup of chocolate," wrote a user, and another found that, "It's fun to watch! Even if we know logically that's too damn much chocolate!" One comment even wondered why they didn't put a smaller square of chocolate inside the cup to avoid the mess of hot liquid pouring over the large chocolate bar.

As it turns out, some Redditors find that placing chocolate squares that can easily fit inside a coffee cup may be a better way to melt chocolate in espresso. One user suggests popping in a chocolate square once a little bit of espresso is already poured and then stirring it so that the solid chocolate melts more evenly. Other suggestions include grating a bar of chocolate or using chocolate chips for a more mess-free and even melt, which also helps balance the chocolate-to-espresso ratio without making either too overpowering.