The cocoa is a good base for flavorings. It is strong enough to handle almost anything you want to try putting in it. I will be sharing a recipe I used with it that was sent to me for National Hot Cocoa Day, December 13. Sadly I received the samples after the fact..but dont let that stop you! Every Day should be Cocoa Day!

This would also be perfect to use in my Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Wanna-be recipe. It has the intensity and depth to handle the other flavors in the drink.

In the cup it is dark and creamy with a slight crema on top. This is not going to be a cocoa that most children will like. Save it for a special occasion, an adult moment.  If you are a fan of bittersweet or dark chocolate this hot cocoa is going to be one you love.

Disclaimer: Bittersweet Cafe provided the cocoa at no charge. They will not require it back and no money exchanged hands. They did not teach me the secret handshake, either. My opinion of this cocoa is purely my own. You may hate it. Marye Audet, nor Kettle and Cup, accepts no liability for addictions that occur as a result of drinking this cocoa.

image: Bittersweet Cafe

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Sean had a JBQ meet today and Marc was going with him…so I had to drop them off at 7 a.m.   What else is there to do at that time of day? Exactly.

Starbucks and a magazine.

Since the other day when Marc and I were there I wanted to try the Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate. The idea of it was so intriguing that I kept thinking about it.  Yes..I was a victim of….Starbuck’s porn.  And after you read this you will be, too.

I told them I was blogging it today and to make it pretty.

She automatically made the drink in a venti mug because I always have a venti (with extra whipped cream…see I have trained them well!).  I smiled and mentally prepared for the sugar high that was to follow.

The salted caramel hot chocolate is the new signature hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, turbinado sugar, caramel, and sea salt crystals.

One more….just so you get the idea…..

O.k…The chocolate itself is not standard hot chocolate.  Imagine dipping your finger into melted semi- sweet chocolate chips…we have all done it, right?  Well imagine that in a slightly more liquid form  and you have the flavor.  It is not a particularly “milky” drink.  Completely rich, and honestly yeah, a little cloying.  I suggest you order a large glass of ice water with it.

So you take a sip and you have the flavor of the chocolate with the crunch and saltiness of the salt crystals.  It is very much like drinking a chocolate covered pretzel.

Do I recommend it? Oh yeah.  If you are not a major sugar-a-holic like I am I would suggest a regular cup and not a venti.  Work up to the venti..you know, for those times you need sugar tremors and a 2,200 calorie kick in your diet. (honestly I do not know how many calories it is…alot I am sure)

Now…trust me on this. Order it in a “for here cup”.  Ceramic.  Stuff tastes nasty out of to go cups.  Take a magazine or a book. Sit in a comfortable chair. Relax and sip this amazing drink for one hour.  Do not think about anything not fun.

There…don’t you feel better?

Well worth the money….well worth the calories.

I have created a Copycat Recipe for Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate..check it out!

I am editing to add….I will no longer be dealing with either Foodgawker OR Tastespotting.  If they would turn images down and say things like..I don’t like this…I could handle that. However…when they say…Image was blurry and out of foucs..I have to laugh..bitterly perhaps..but laugh.  DO you see anything out of focus or blurry about the second image? me neither.    There for I am taking my cool images and going home.  When I am a cool, important PBS cooking show celebrity I shall ignore them completely.

images:marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup