Chapter Twenty-Six: Hot Cocoa for the Holidays!

Like most things chocolate, we ADORE hot chocolate in the winter (and any time we crave it, actually).  For the month of November, we've decided to do a series on hot cocoa.  We will be revisiting a few brands that we've reviewed before, as well as a couple gifted to us from family and friends.  Although we are aiming for uniformity throughout our tastings, we should note that some of these will be prepared used cocoa powder while others came in solid form and melted (as is traditional in Latin American drinking chocolates).  Today, we'll be trying the TCHO Natural Cocoa Powder, we're very interested to see what we think as we enjoyed their 70% chocolate bar.


Base Hot Chocolate

As with our base bar, our base hot chocolate is from Guittard; if you're confused about our tasting methods or don't remember our base bar discussion, go to Chapter 3 for a brief overview to catch up!

The chocolate we will be tasting is, for the most part, unsweetened, and unflavored. We thought this would give us a better sense of objectivity and enable us to to really compare by using the same ingredient ratios and method for each cocoa.  

Tools

The molinillo is the traditional tool for making hot chocolate in Mexico and we thought we'd give it whirl.

Ingredients 

Organic cane sugar

Organic whole milk

Sea salt

Tasting No. :24

TCHO Natural Cocoa Powder

Initial Impressions:
The base cocoa powder was a dark red while the TCHO was a light brown with no red notes at all, almost a washed-out brown.  The base cocoa powder's aroma was earthy and then spicy, with notes of cinnamon.  It reminded us of a very rich, moist, chocolate cake.  In comparison, the TCHO was mild and sharply acidic making the base cocoa appear to be purer and a more potent chocolate.

Left: Guittard Cocoa Rouge Right: TCHO Natural Cocoa Powder

Flavor Profile:
We found the TCHO to be nutty and acidic, while the base cocoa was earthy and spicy.

Texture:
The base cocoa was thick and smooth, while the TCHO was creamier but was difficult to incorporate into the milk.

Guittard Base Cocoa

 

TCHO Cocoa



For a bit of fun, we made ourselves a second cup and added whipped cream made with:

Whipping cream (hand whipped!)
Vanilla bean paste (we used Neilsen-Massey)

Rating: 9.5 /10

After a few sips, we added a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top for an added complexity. The base cocoa responded very well to this addition, while we differed in our views on the TCHO: Gaby didn't like the cinnamon as much, but Laura was all for it.

Overall:
While the Guittard cocoa was more of a basic cocoa that one might sip mindlessly, the TCHO was a cup of cocoa that you would pay attention to and savor.  It was rich and decadent, with a complexity that made the base cocoa pale in comparison.  We also appreciated that the TCHO is organic and fair trade.

*Notes:

Purchased at: Whole Foods
Price: under $10

Next week, we'll be exploring a single origin chocolate from the Dominican Republic. We hope you'll join us!


For now savor: "Blustery cold days should be spent propped up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a pile of comic books." - Bill Watterson, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.

Chapter Sixteen: Guittard 85% Clair de Lune

This week we decided to try another bar from Guittard; we love our base bar and thought it would be interesting to compare it with a bar from the same chocolatier.  This bar is also Blend No. 49, but is 85% and has no added cocoa butter.  It is from the same three areas: Central America, South America, and the Caribbean and is also fair trade (which we love!).  This bar is called Clair de Lune which means moonlight in French.

Tasting No. : 14

Guittard 85%, bittersweet, blend no. 49, Clair de Lune

Initial Impressions:

Much firmer bite and snap than base bar.  It is not as creamy, and drier which is probably due to there being no added cocoa butter.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – earthy, soil

Middle – cherry, raisin

After – vanilla, coffee, musky

Texture:

Dry, creamy near the end as it starts to warm up in your mouth to release the flavors.

Overall:

A rich, dark chocolate, not a bar to eat all at once but one to savor slowly, one piece at a time.  This would be delicious when paired with a full bodied red wine.

Rating: out of 7.5/10

*Notes:

Purchased at World Market

Price range under $5

Next week, we’re excited to try our first bar from TCHO.  See you then!

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. - Linda Grayson

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.

Chapter Four: Single Origin Ecuador 65%

Welcome back!  This week, we'll be reviewing a single origin bar from Ecuador, which we found at Trader Joe's.  It is a fair trade bar and 65% cacao.  A single origin chocolate bar is made with cocoa beans from only one country or region.  We love trying single origin bars as they really give the taster a chance to experience the unique flavors of a particular area.  These flavors are influenced by the altitude, climate, environment, water, and soil conditions in that part of the world.

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to more sustainable chocolate.

Tasting No. 2:

Trader Joe’s Single Origin Ecuador, 65% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Initial Impressions:

The color of this bar was a rich, red brown, comparable to the Guittard, Épique, Bittersweet Blend No. 49, 70%, which we'll refer to from now on as our base bar.  If you didn't read our review on this bar, you can refer here.  Unlike our base bar, we noticed that this bar had a firm snap.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – Nutty

Middle – Spicy

After – Left our mouths feeling drier than base bar

  

Overall:

We found this bar to be notably sweeter than our base bar.  It definitely lacked smoothness and its taste was sharp and slightly acidic in comparison.  While we had high hopes for this bar, it was chalky and seemed like a cheap fix rather than a chocolate bar you'd want to enjoy slowly. 

Rating: 6/10

*Notes:

Purchased at Trader Joe’s

Price range under $4

Check out our post next week where we dive into Laura’s all-time favorite Russian chocolate bar! 

For now, savor: “It was like having a box of chocolates shut in the bedroom drawer. Until the box was empty it occupied the mind too much.” – Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter