City Bakery Hot Chocolate Month

I will be discussing this SOON!

Cocoa #5-- Detour: Freezing in Vermont

I write this post with pink, cold cheeks and nose. I think I am smiling...still hard to feel my face. After a jaunt outside in 7 degree weather and blustery winds with my dad and dog, I came inside and knew what had to be done.

I am not going to use the standard rating scale with this hot cocoa, because I made it, but let me tell you....it's pretty amazing.

I made it from actual cocoa nibs melted in hot milk and topped it off with a heaping mound of marshmallows. I was going to make my very own homemade marshmallows last night with raw honey, gelatin, evaporated sugar cane and milk...but, things got a little crazy and I ended up not having time. In the near future I shall make them!

The making of:

The cocoa bits themselves--

Cocoa sprinkled into the warming milk--

Stirring--

Everything tastes better in a mustache mug! Look at how high the mountain of marshmallows is! Yum yum

All enjoyed on this cold winter day <3>

Chilly day in the office/ Cocoa #4

We recently got a new coffee/hot cocoa/"cafe mocha" machine in the office and, naturally, I saw it as essential to test out the hot cocoa immediately. Much to my surprise, it wasn't horrendous. Not saying it was delicious, but as far as machine hot cocoa goes...pas mal.

[p.s. my special hand model for the majority of this shoot was Ms. Chastity Lovely]

Viscosity: As you can see above, the cocoa comes not from a powder, as so many generic machine cocoas do, but from a thick, gooey, rich, syrup. Mmmm. Because of this, the viscosity is not that of water, but more that of a 1% milk. Considering it's coming from a machine in the office kitchenette...I'm impressed.

Cocoa Richness: Again, I credit the syrup for the decent cocoa flavor swirling about in this mug. Far superior than your average Swiss Miss cocoa packet, but nothing compared to a good cup o' cocoa from my favorite Parisian cocoa spot (obviously.....that was my one cocoa snob comment of the week!)--

Angelina: http://www.biteofthebest.com/angelinas-hot-chocolate/

Presentation: I mean...that's up to the cocoa maker. If you pick a beautiful mug and (gasp!) consider putting some whipped cream on top, then it could be quite pleasing to the eye... somehow there is a natural foam on top right after the cocoa stream flows from the machine. Nice.

Overall Grade: Taking the machine/office into account, I'd give this cocoa a B. But compared to all cocoa, C+. (hey, that's technically above average!)

The "hot chocolate" button on the machine:

Cocoa in the City...#1, #2, and #3!

Hello my fellow winter wonderland creatures! While the months of December-April (I mean, let's be real...) are chilly, frigid, freezing, snowy, icy, pink-nosed, and brrrrrrr in New England, there is one thing that makes it all worth it: Hot Cocoa. I might go so far as to call myself a hot cocoa aficionado due to the [almost embarrassingly] large quantities of hot cocoa consumed over my 24 years of life on this planet thus far. Growing up in the powdery mountainous land of Vermont, I know my cocoa.

But enough! Let's get to the good stuff. this year it's official: The Cocoa Tour of NYC has begun! Every time I have a hot cocoa this season, I will take photos and rate it on my blog. I will judge using these three categories: Viscosity, Cocoa Richness, and Presentation.

Let the chocolate goodness begin!

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Cocoa #1

Venue: Cafe Pick Me Up
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/cafe-pick-me-up/



Yes, yes, that is a Star of David beautifully designed with chocolate syrup on top of a puffy cloud of foam. But beware...presentation isn't everything! While I am not Jewish, I surely appreciated the sweet gesture and enthusiastic effort. I was excited-- 'twas 1st hot cocoa of the season.

Viscosity: Not viscous enough, my friends! It was not water-based (thank goodness...water-based hot cocoa should be illegal), but I'm pretty sure it was made with...:::cringe face::: skim milk. Ouch. It hurts to even type that out. Skim? Skim?! No, no thanks, I'll go for the crumpet and tea. Oh wait, tea is generally disgusting and all I wanted was so rich, creamy hot cocoa. Fail.

Cocoa Richness: I mean...not bad. Nothing to write home about, though. Maybe 2 notches above the run-of-the-mill Swiss Miss packet. Yep. I should have also warned you that I am a very harsh critic. I know my chocolate and I know what want. This was not a bad hot cocoa, but I know that there are cocoas out there that are far superior.

Presentation: The star. The...star. Props, Cafe Pick Me Up....really. I do appreciate a little design here and there on my cocoa. I also enjoyed the simplicity of the thick, creamy white, ceramic mug.

Overall Grade: B

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Cocoa #2

Venue: Cocoa Bar
http://www.cocoabarnyc.com/index2.html





Ariel View:


Ah yes, already an improvement, no? Note the mini plastic shot glass of cocoa...that's because there was a little left over and the man behind the counter didn't want to waste it. Um, can we say "Brownie Points"?!

The mug on the left contains Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa and the one on the right is Coconut Hot Cocoa. I was the happy consumer of the coconut hot cocoa, so that's what I'll be judging here (although, I had a sip of the dark chocolate one and it was delicious).

Viscosity: Flirting with perfection. Smooth as it traveled down my cocoa-craving throat and lingered on my lips when I rest the mug back down on the table. Smooth, smooth, smooth...not so thick that I felt like I was drinking a melted candy bar (not that I am saying that'd be a bad thing), but not water-like (like cocoa #1). Kudos Cocoa Bar!

Cocoa Richness: Now, this one is a little hard to judge, as I had [a little more than] a hint of coconut in mine. Don't get me wrong, it was a divine mixing of flavors, but the coconut definitely took some of the cocoa's limelight here. While the coconut:chocolate ratio could have favored the chocolate a bit more, it was a very high-quality hot cocoa. As in, the dude behind the counter didn't stick a spoon into a Nestle Quick jar and throw it into hot milk. In fact, he stuck his hand into a bin of chocolate bits, yes, solid bit of flavored chocolate that he then proceeded to melt in the mug with milk and I don't know what else (note to self: call Cocoa Bar and ask if they sprinkled specks of magic into mug)...YUM

Presentation: I'm a sucker for clear mugs/cups/glasses. They won me over with that! Simplicity at its best.

Overall Grade: A-

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Cocoa #3

Venue: Crooked Tree Creperie
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/crooked-tree-creperie/




The French know how to do it, people. Just look at that artful, light, frothy swirl of marble-esque beauty dancing upon the surface of the cocoa. Oui, c'était délicieux...

Viscosity: so-so. I admit: am a girl who likes a thick cocoa... but clearly a cocoa like this isn't supposed to be super creamy, so I shall judge it for what it is. It was light, creamy enough, and let's face it: the perfection of the froth on top made me forget what "viscous" even means. I spooned it, I sipped it, I licked it, I drank it.....

Cocoa Richness: The cocoa-ness was not quite as bold as desired. It was definitely there, but it was a bit too sweet for me. I tend to prefer a chocolate that has a hint of a bite to it, if you know what I mean. I think they could have subtracted about 2 tsps of sugar (because I am estimating that there were about 8 in there...no joke) and it would have been purely delightful. I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Presentation: Look at it. Brought me back to Europe. ::sigh::

Overall Rating: B+

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Ok, I know that was a lot to take in.....but posts will come in one at a time from now on! Let me know if you have any favorite NYC cocoa spots...


cheers!