Coffee Date is a column that features discussions of beverages stemming from leaves and beans.  Whether you brew your own or need a hip barista pouring it in front of you, we’ve got you covered for brands to try at home, coffee shops with some personality, and what you should try or avoid from your regular coffee chains.

Besides a viral marketing campaign, the Bones Coffee Company’s largest draw is a series of interesting coffee flavors that aren’t immediately obvious.  Despite a solid medium roast, it seemed like “Raspberry Chocolate” may have been an odd choice to follow with, but Bones does create a solid coffee blend with a distinct yet subtle flavor.

It’s unsurprising that Bones makes a chocolate based flavor incredibly well, their medium roast coffee already had hints of chocolate in it.  When smelling the grounds, it smells like opening a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates: chocolatey and fruity.  It gives the illusion that the coffee is going to be much sweeter than it actually is.  Once brewed, the sugary raspberry still hits the nose, but it’s much subtler.

In terms of taste, it uses the medium roast as the base, but this has more of a dark chocolate flavor than that of the plain medium.  The raspberry is detectable but only slightly.  It’s not obnoxiously sweet, but the raspberry flavor may bother some drinkers.

Bones tended to advertise this as their main draw around Valentine’s Day, and this isn’t the type of romantic coffee to drink with your significant other.  This would only be a romantic coffee if you were in eighth grade.  This is the sort of fun novelty that’s more pleasant than it would seem.

James Crowley