South African Barista Serves Coffee in Four-Layer Chocolate Cones

Ever craved coffee, ice cream, and chocolate all in one handheld treat? What if your espresso could arrive not in a cup — but encased in a crispy, multi-layered chocolate cone, designed to hold steaming liquid without collapsing?

The answer comes from South Africa: four layers of specially blended chocolate, hardened to withstand heat, wrapped into a cone that holds coffee. It started with a single post in January and has since drawn nearly a million photos and videos on Instagram under #coffeeinacone.

What Is a Coffee Cone?

Coffee In a Cone is the brainchild of Dayne Levinrad, a South African barista who once worked as a digital marketing manager and café consultant across Brazil, Australia, and Los Angeles. After returning home to Johannesburg, he noticed local coffee culture was competitive but still niche. “The scene was strong but hadn’t broken into the third wave broadly,” he said. So he set out to merge three beloved treats — ice cream, chocolate, and coffee — into a single viral product.

Why Chocolate Cones Melted the First Time

The concept sounds simple: pour coffee into a chocolate-coated cone. But the execution wasn’t. “Chocolate melts when it touches hot coffee, especially when the cone shell is thin,” Levinrad explained. He tried various flours and chocolate blends, but nothing worked until he custom-mixed four types of chocolate, adjusting the cocoa content to boost hardness. After extensive trial and error, Levinrad built his own equipment and eventually arrived at a stable four-layer chocolate formula that wouldn’t fail under heat — and standardized the production process.

How Social Media Propelled a Local Shop Worldwide

Levinrad didn’t stop at invention — he built a strategy. He launched the hashtag #coffeeinacone, treating the cone itself as a social product. “People come in, snap a photo, and share it online,” he said. To sustain engagement, he hired someone to manage WhatsApp orders and customer interaction. The tactic caught the eye of Aviv Weil, who runs a Facebook-backed incubator supporting creative small businesses. “It’s the most creative coffee shop idea I’ve ever seen,” Weil said. Together, they tracked the campaign’s reach using heatmaps — revealing the trend had gone truly global.

Behind the Bean: Chocolate Flavour Pairings

While Coffee In a Cone hasn't specified their exact coffee blend publicly, fans often pair chocolate-based treats with bold, nutty espresso profiles. For drinkers aiming to recreate similar flavours at home or in shop settings, several FrontStreet Coffee beans offer rich chocolate and nut notes that align with this concept. The Specialty Blend combines Brazilian and Colombian beans for notes of almond, walnut, milk chocolate, and smooth body. The Brazil Queen Manor, made from yellow bourbon beans, highlights creamy chocolate alongside roasted peanuts and subtle sweetness. For deeper cocoa intensity, the Black Cocoa Blend fuses Brazilian nuttiness with Yunnan acidity and a sweet caramel finish — all ideal for pairing with desserts or cone-based presentations. These beans showcase how chocolate and coffee synergy works both in cone and cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Coffee In a Cone?

Coffee In a Cone is a Johannesburg-based coffee shop founded by Dayne Levinrad that serves espresso drinks poured directly into handcrafted, four-layer chocolate cones instead of traditional cups. The cone is designed to hold hot liquid without melting through careful chocolate blending and layering.

Who created the coffee cone concept?

The concept was created by South African barista Dayne Levinrad, who previously worked as a café consultant in Brazil, Australia, and Los Angeles. He developed the edible chocolate cone after returning to Johannesburg and wanting to create a unique coffee experience.

How did #coffeeinacone become popular?

Levinrad launched the #coffeeinacone hashtag in January on Instagram. The visual appeal of coffee in a chocolate cone led to nearly one million posts and videos shared by customers, turning it into a viral social media trend.

What makes the chocolate cone not melt?

The cone is made from four blended types of chocolate with adjusted cocoa levels to increase hardness. Levinrad tested different recipes and eventually created a stable formulation that resists melting when filled with hot coffee.

How does Levinrad market his coffee cones?

Levinrad uses social media strategically, treating the cone as a shareable product. He employs a dedicated WhatsApp manager for orders and worked with Aviv Weil from a Facebook creative incubator to track global reach using heatmaps and targeted posting.

Are there recommended coffee beans that pair well with chocolate cones?

While the actual coffee blend used in cones isn’t specified, beans with chocolate and nut profiles such as FrontStreet’s Specialty Blend, Brazil Queen Manor, and Black Cocoa Blend offer complementary flavours for chocolate-based coffee experiences.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Chocolate Coffee Pairings

For coffee lovers exploring chocolate-infused drinks like those served in Levinrad’s cones, FrontStreet Coffee offers several excellent options. The Specialty Blend combines Brazilian and Colombian beans, delivering almond, walnut, and milk chocolate notes with a smooth body — perfect for lattes or milk-based cones. The Brazil Queen Manor, made from yellow bourbon, features creamy chocolate, roasted peanuts, and a sweet balance, ideal for highlighting cocoa depth. The Black Cocoa Blend merges Brazilian nuttiness with Yunnan acidity and caramel sweetness, offering a bold profile that stands up to dessert-style presentations. All three beans are freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.