When and how did drinking chocolate fall out of fashion?

[Liberal]

@BrainGlutton

How and when and why did drinkable chocolate so fall from grace?

Are you kidding? It takes four or five minutes to make a great cup of chocolate. Who has the time these days?

[BrainGlutton]

@Chefguy

It’s terrific stuff and will put you right into a coma in no time.

I thought chocolate had caffeine in it.

[DanBlather]

There is a place in Portland, Oregon called *Cacao * that has the most delectable drinking chocolate. It’s right near our store and we go there all the time and use gift certificates as employee rewards. See here.

[Lemur866]

Chocolate has caffiene, sure, but very small amounts. It does have loads of theobromine, which is chemically very similar to caffiene, but has much subtler physiological effects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine

[BrainGlutton]

I just tried an experiment: I heated water to boiling in a teakettle and poured it into a coffee mug with one tablespoon of Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa power. The result was not bad at all – a drink that smells like chocolate but doesn’t exactly taste as expected, because one expects chocolate or cocoa to be sweet – but I’ve long since been accustomed to drinking my coffee and tea with no sugar (no cream or milk, either). It’s bitter, but in a good way. However, one unexpected wrinkle: When I finished the cup, there was a chocolate sludge in the bottom, perhaps two teaspoons. Why should it be so difficult to get such a fine powder to entirely dissolve in the liquid? Will report results of further experiments.

[BrainGlutton]

@BrainGlutton

. . . but I’ve long since been accustomed to drinking my coffee and tea with no sugar (no cream or milk, either). It’s bitter, but in a good way.

I got that idea, BTW, after reading George Orwell’s classic essay, “A Nice Cup of Tea:”

Lastly, tea—unless one is drinking it in the Russian style—should be drunk WITHOUT SUGAR. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tea-lover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.

Some people would answer that they don’t like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again.

He was right, IMO, and the same reasoning applies to coffee (which I’ve also learned to appreciate even more unsweetened). And to chocolate.

[An_Gadai]

We’ve always had (unsweetened) cocoa or hot chocolate, usually to help you relax and go to sleep at night. Both by Cadbury’s, the former bitter, the latter sweetly delicious. As per what BrainGlutton says above, it’s hard to get it all to dissolve.

[BrainGlutton]

Just tried a second cup with almost two tablespoons of cocoa (that is, one, plus the residue of the previous cup). It came out even better and I was able to keep the cocoa dissolved by frequent stirring with a spoon.

[Bryan_Ekers]

Alls I know is the last time I boiled water for chocolate, some Mexican babe slept with me and then torched the place.

[PastAllReason]

I have severa co-workers who drink hot chocolate every day in preference to coffee or tea. One keeps several tins with different flavours on her credenza.

[BrainGlutton]

@PastAllReason

I have severa co-workers who drink hot chocolate every day in preference to coffee or tea. One keeps several tins with different flavours on her credenza.

“Different flavours”?

[Laughing_Lagomorph]

@BrainGlutton

…However, one unexpected wrinkle: When I finished the cup, there was a chocolate sludge in the bottom, perhaps two teaspoons. Why should it be so difficult to get such a fine powder to entirely dissolve in the liquid? Will report results of further experiments.

Cocoa is notoriously difficult to fully dissolve in water. According to one of my beer-brewing books it is because it is fairly high in fat.

[pulykamell]

@BrainGlutton

Was it sweet or unsweetened?

It was sweet and tasted like a melted bar of milk chocolate. Personally, I thought it was disgusting. WAY too rich and sweet.

[PastAllReason]

@BrainGlutton

“Different flavours”?

They are flavoured hot chocolate mixes rather than simply cocoa powder. At least north of the 49th parallel you can buy all kinds of flavours: truffle, kahlua, amaretto, raspberry chocolate, mint chocolate, etc. I often buy some single serving sizes (they come in pouches) to use as stocking stuffers at Christmas. Can you not buy these in the US?

Many coffee places will also have hot chocolate on their menu, including Starbucks.

[KatieCats]

@BrainGlutton

I just tried an experiment: I heated water to boiling in a teakettle and poured it into a coffee mug with one tablespoon of Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa power. The result was not bad at all – a drink that smells like chocolate but doesn’t exactly taste as expected, because one expects chocolate or cocoa to be sweet – but I’ve long since been accustomed to drinking my coffee and tea with no sugar (no cream or milk, either). It’s bitter, but in a good way. However, one unexpected wrinkle: When I finished the cup, there was a chocolate sludge in the bottom, perhaps two teaspoons. Why should it be so difficult to get such a fine powder to entirely dissolve in the liquid? Will report results of further experiments.

I remember my grandmother making hot chocolate…she used fry’s cocoa powder and milk (and probably sugar), and heated in a pot on the stove. She stirred it constantly to mix it until it was at the right temperature to drink.

It was heaven. I’m always disappointed with instant hot chocolate mix, cuz it sure doesn’t come close to that.

[Alan_Smithee]

@BrainGlutton

Actually (I just looked in the pantry) it’s Hershey’s. But, look, we’re talking about pure cocoa powder here – it’s like sugar or salt or flour; why should the manufacturer make a difference?

No, it’s much more like coffee. You wouldn’t say all coffee is the same, would you? The same factors influence cocoa–there are different varieties and qualities and different ways of processing the beans, and manufacturers blend it differently. Seriously, buy some expensive cocoa (it’s not that expensive!) and see if you can tell the difference. I bet you can. Heck, I bet if you bought a different cheap brand you’d notice a difference, if not an improvement.

[Delly]

To get Cadburys hot chocolate to mix properly the water has to be boiled and then allowd to cool a little, so its still hot but not boiling.

Its my hot drink of choice and Ive never had problems finding it anywhere so Im not sure its fallen completely out of favour.

[Chefguy]

@BrainGlutton

I thought chocolate had caffeine in it.

Perhaps “have you swooning” would have been better?

[Odesio]

@BrainGlutton

I got that idea, BTW, after reading George Orwell’s classic essay, “A Nice Cup of Tea:”

No disrespect to Orwell but I’m pretty sure beer is mainly bitter because we put hops in it. If you make it without hops you can get a sweet tasting beer.

Marc

[FilmGeek]

@DanBlather

There is a place in Portland, Oregon called *Cacao * that has the most delectable drinking chocolate. It’s right near our store and we go there all the time and use gift certificates as employee rewards. See here.

So going there. Thanks for the link!