The perfect hot chocolate

I just tried a cup of the new Chantico at Starbucks last Friday. Remember the movie Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp? Ok, maybe you don’t remember the movie too well, but if you saw it you’ll remember craving for chocolate after watching it. The scene I remember vividly was when she poured a cup of hot chocolate for Armande Voizin, the grumpy grandmother in the film played by Judi Dench. Unlike normal hot cocoa that we are used to seeing, watery and brown, the molten chocolate rolled out like egg nog and was about as dark as chocolate syrup. At that very moment my mouth started watering for a sip. Since then (2000) I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect cup of Chocolat.

So fast forward 5 years. It’s January 10th and lo and behold, Starbucks coffee just announced a new beverage called Chantico, available on the 13th. The official Chantico link is here.

So what’s the big deal? I went with my friend Michael for a taste to see what was up. We both ordered a cup and they were served up in expresso sized cups. The guy at the counter was still new to taking these orders so when we casually walked up and asked for two “Chanticos” he did a double take and asked us again what we wanted. So I just pointed to the biggest item on the menu behind him.

The drink resembles very dark chocolate, almost as if you made powdered chocolate with only half the amount of water instead of a proper mug of milk. It was frothy at the top, thick as buttermilk in consistency and tasted very sweet. It was somewhat creamy but my cup had a few nuggets of undissolved powder (or chocolateness, or whatever it was they mixed the milk in). It was definately chocolaty. But was it a “sublime new chocolatey chocolateness, with extra chocolate on top”? Don’t laugh at me I didn’t copywrite this crap. I’d say, definately yes, it does satisfy the chocoholic in me.

But the real question is, does taking a sip of Chantico compel you sit down as it did to Armande Voizin in the film Chocolat? Nah. I personally thought it was a bit on the salty side. Of course, for $2.65 they’d go out of business if they used high grade 70% cocoa such as Valrhona chocolate without cutting something else into it. (Coco and Coca both benefit from other ingredients to make them last longer if you catch my drift.) I don’t know what goes into it, but if you’ve never experienced a cup of Chantico, I recommend trying it once, especially if you occasionally get chocolate urges like I do. The nice thing about Starbucks is that there is one in every corner of every street in the entire world, so accessing a cup is easy.

For the more refined choco-holic (who happens to live in the Silicon Valley), I recommend Fleur De Cocoa in Los Gatos. This is the real deal. When I first tasted their hot chocolate three years ago, I had the urge to sit down immediately and savor it properly. The liquid was thick, creamy and very chocolaty, not salty like Chantico. I would venture to say they must have brewed the drink with cream, as I swear that the foam almost tastes buttery. It’s so rich, almost a meal in itself, that I felt obliged to share my cup with my wife rather than get a cup for each of us.

If you are further south you might want to try visiting a cafe in Santa Cruz on Pacific avenue next to Bookshop Santa Cruz appropriately named “Chocolat”. Their hot cocoa is as equally rich, dark and delicious as the chocolate served at Fleur de Cocoa.

So there you have it. My quest fulfilled. If you are reading this and not living in the bay area, I have a recipe to share which you can make at home. Feel free to modify as needed, there is no science to hot chocolate. The only thing that matters is the quality of the ingredients.

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My recipe for drinking chocolate
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Makes 2 greedy mugs, or 3 normal sized cups.

1 whole bar of Valrhona 70% pure cocao. You can get these for about $3 at Trader Joes or other fine food stores. You can also use any brand labeled “70% pure cacao”, or “extra dark”. I can personally vouch for Droste (Holland) Barettini 72%, and also Ghirardelli 70% dark. Do not use milk chocolate.
[edit]: use the whole bar if you like!

4 cups whole milk. Do not skimp and use lowfat milk. Use 3 cups milk and 1 cup of cream if you don’t give a damn about cholestrol or high blood pressure. You have been warned.

3 teaspoons condensed milk or honey
[edit]: I tried another variation: 1 teaspoon of cane sugar and 2 teaspoons of molassass.

In high heat, add the milk (or milk-cream mixture) to a medium to large pot. Remember that milk gets pretty spastic when it boils so don’t be stingy and use a small pot or you’ll be cleaning your oven afterwards.

[edit]: When the milk and chocolate boil, it will expand in height to 5 times the level that you started with originally. USE A LARGE POT or it will overflow. Once boiling let it roll for 10 seconds and take it off the stove. Serve with fresh unsweetened whipped cream if you like.

While the milk is still cold, toss in the chocolate. I prefer to break it up into pieces to help the little guys melt faster. If you’re really thorough you can grate the cocoa but it’s one more utensil to wash so why bother?

Add the condensed milk. Some people like the taste of honey, so use that if you want to taste it. I prefer condensed milk as it is neutral and does not alter the flavor of the milk and chocolate but actually enhances it. Stir continuously as milk and chocolate can burn in the pot.

Bring the entire mix to a boil. It might seem long at first but the milk suddenly takes off. The chocolate will look weird the entire time, getting chunky and gradually smaller. It won’t resemble hot chocolate until the milk boils so be patient.

Add more sweetener to taste. I use less and let my guests add more condensed milk to their mugs. No whipped cream needed, as this drink cannot be enhanced any further (unless you can foot massage while drinking it).

If you know of any places in your area serving up kickass hot chocolate, drop me a note and I’ll publish your links.

[edit]: I’ve modified the recipe somewhat. Use the whole bar for a really deep, dark chocolate kick. I’ve also found a 70% full pound bar at Trader Joe’s priced at an extremely cheap $2.99.

–Khuong