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No, you didn’t misread the title. There really is coffee that you eat. It’s the brainstorm of the U.S. chocolate and coffee product manufacturer, Tierra Nueva — based in Miami, Florida. I came across the product as it is being sold through Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in my area of the country.

Tierra Nueva has three different versions of the coffee thins — Latte,  Espresso, and House Blend. Krispy Kreme’s versions offer three flavors: Original Glazed Doughnut, Cappuccino, and Caramel Machiato.

Called “Coffee Thins,” each of the individually wrapped thin squares — a little less than 2 inches in size — is composed of a blend of 100% of the coffee bean — plus some chocolate, some flavoring, and a few other ingredients to help give it texture and hold it together. And because it is made primarily of coffee, the producers say that it has the same effect in the body as coffee we drink from a cup.

However, just how many squares make up a cup of coffee — and how big a cup — is a little confusing. The packages show a picture that clearly indicates that one square is equal to one cup of coffee. (Now whether that’s a real 8 ounce cup or the common 6 ounce cup that most traditional coffee makers measure is not clear.) And the explanation is further muddied by the online advertisements — one of which says that each square is equal to 1/4 cup of coffee, while the other one says 3 squares equal one whole cup of coffee. (Still no indication of what size cup). So, my fellow coffee drinkers/eaters, I guess you’ll just have to try them out for yourself and decide what they offer in comparison to the liquid.

How do they taste? Well, now there I can help you more. I discovered the Krispy Kreme brand at my local Kroger store, and the first thing I did — after taking the pictures — was talk with one of the employees, Mr. Brian Dilday. He said he had tried the Glazed Doughut flavor and he really liked it. So, since he seemed to think it was a worthwhile investment, I decided I’d try one, but I went for the Cappuccino. It is very smooth and has great flavor. It definitely tastes like coffee — and chocolate — and cappuccino.

More recently, I discovered that Dunkin’ Donuts has produced their own version of coffee thins as well, but I haven’t sampled any of those.

I guess the big question is will I buy more coffee thins and eat them regularly? No, I don’t think so. I really enjoy drinking my coffee. Furthermore, a good deal of my enjoyment of coffee is the rich, comforting aroma while it’s brewing, and as it steams up from my cup. You can’t get that from a little square piece of chocolate. Added to that drawback, is the fact that I often like to enjoy eating something sweet along with my coffee, and if I ate the “Coffee Thins” while I drank the coffee, I’d end up with a definite caffeine buzz. Normally, I can’t tell any effect of the caffeine in the coffee I drink. And often I even drink the half caffeine/half de-caff kind, and I can’t tell any difference between them. But if I made a habit of drinking and eating coffee at the same time, I think it would be a severe lack of moderation on my part. And why bother???? I enjoy a cup of coffee rather than a bar of coffee. Plus — in the long run, brewed coffee is still cheaper per cup than the ‘candy bar coffee.’

I couldn’t help but wonder if this phenomena migh turn out to be a little like the digital book readers. They give you the printed words of a book on a lighted screen, and, yes, it’s true you can get the sense of the story just as well as when you’re turning the pages of an actual book. But there’s just so much extra satisfaction in holding that book, smelling the paper and ink, and turning each page individually that cannot be replaced by a hard, flat digital reader. Similarly, I’ll not be replacing my warm, fragrant, fortifying cup of good hot coffee with a little bar any time soon.

If you’d like to know more about “Coffee Thins,” and locations for purchase, you can simply go online and type in the general term “coffee thins.” That will get you a big selection of websites that tell you more about the product and give you lists of stores in your area and online.

Until next week, enjoy your coffee, my friends — however you ingest it.

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