The mission: one woman will boldly go where surely someone, somewhere has gone before, but for a change of pace she will document the experience of trying out a variety of instant hot cocoa mixes.
The reason: eh, why not?
The method: pour the mix into a mug; add a bit of hot water and mix to form a paste of sorts; then add more hot water to about 3/4 of the desired amount of finished beverage; microwave for 30 seconds at full power; add heavy cream to improve texture and cool the now too-hot chocolate.
The cocoas: Black Tie Mercantile's 11-pack of Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics. One by one I worked my way through them all, along with a few additional flavors I found available locally. If you wish to order the same pack of cocoas that inspired this adventure, you can click on the linked image below.
Full disclosure: I get nothing out of this, as I do not have an Amazon Affiliate account. Maybe I should look into that.
The reason: eh, why not?
The method: pour the mix into a mug; add a bit of hot water and mix to form a paste of sorts; then add more hot water to about 3/4 of the desired amount of finished beverage; microwave for 30 seconds at full power; add heavy cream to improve texture and cool the now too-hot chocolate.
The cocoas: Black Tie Mercantile's 11-pack of Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics. One by one I worked my way through them all, along with a few additional flavors I found available locally. If you wish to order the same pack of cocoas that inspired this adventure, you can click on the linked image below.
Full disclosure: I get nothing out of this, as I do not have an Amazon Affiliate account. Maybe I should look into that.
Land o' Lakes Classics special variety pack. Black Tie packaging.
And now, on with the diaries...
Nov 29, Raspberry
Unusual but nice. It's slightly luxurious but not something I'd like to have every day. Maybe a once a year thing.
Nov 30, Butterscotch
The combination of butterscotch with chocolate gives it almost a coffee like tinge of flavor. Okay but again not something I'd want to have often, and I definitely would not buy an entire box of this flavor.
Dec 3, Mocha
Horrible! Totally coffee flavored. Had to add a generous scoop of Swiss Miss to make it palatable, and even then I still had to wash my mouth out with a Fudge Mint cookie.
Dec 4, Caramel
Smooth and rich. This one is definitely a keeper. And really after Mocha, I needed that.
Dec 5, Amaretto
Having never had amaretto anything before, I didn't know exactly what I'd be getting. Basically a hint of cherry flavor. For whatever reason, this particular packet of cocoa frothed up nicely, so I got a very relaxing luxurious sort of feeling. Overall it was very nice. Not sure I'd order an entire box of it, but I count it as a treat.
Dec 6, Irish Creme
As I sit at my computer typing while the cocoa is getting a little hotter, I wonder how I'll like this flavor. I saw instant coffee on the ingredients list, but to be fair it was the next to last thing in the list. It probably won't be too bad.
It's not bad at all. In fact, I quite like it! It's smooth and rich and creamy, and has barely any coffee taste at all. Very soothing. I could actually see myself drinking this regularly. And since it does have that hint of coffee perhaps there's a caffeine benefit that might help me kick soda once and for all (please, allow me my illusions).
The end of the box is in sight now. This saddens me. But I must soldier on and see this journey to its completion.
Dec 7, Cinnamon
This one was a little underwhelming. It's a good, solid cocoa but nothing more. Didn't froth up at all, and there was no sense of wishing to prolong the taste experience by taking small sips. Could drink it every day, but more likely would make it a second choice to mix things up a little now and then.
Join us again for part two of this adventure in approximately one week. Until then, may the cocoa be ever in your favor.
Kate
RSS Feed