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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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Hot Cocoa/Cacao Good Anytime Time of Year

It seems strange to think you can drink hot cocoa anytime of year, not just the cool months. Cocoa/cacao is an anytime of year drink with many health benefits. Most people relegate cocoa/cacao as a winter drink enjoyed around the cold weather holidays to snuggle down and watch a movie or 3. I’d like to give you a different perspective of hot cocoa/cacao. Let me clarify that I am not talking about hot chocolate; to read the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa/cacao go to my blog @ https://www.sweethotcocoa.com/blog for the article titled “hot chocolate vs. hot cacao/cocoa”

Now back to hot cocoa/cacao… see hot cocoa/cacao is a powdered mix that can be taken anywhere, You simply throw it into your bag as you head out the door for work or gym or backpack for that early morning exam you have on the other side of campus. Simply heat up whatever milk you desire. Anything from heavy cream to milk alternative can be used. Put it in your favorite to-go travel mug so it’s ready to enjoy. We have developed a coffee flavored hot cocoa/cacao in white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and even our midnight chocolate. We call it Coffee Espresso hot cocoa/cacao, it is great to wake you up and get you across campus in a flash. Our Hot cocoa/cacao is good for that early morning hike beverage. You can easily put it in your camping supplies for relaxing morning wake ups or evenings in front of a fire with friends. This is a great alternative for people who do not drink coffee or tea but would like something warm on those cool mornings or evenings anytime of year. It is also seen as an extra sweet treat for kids. Just throw in a marshmallow or ten and you’re all set. The best part our hot cacao/cocoa is that it has an all natural sugar blend of healthy sugars. It does not contain sugar in the raw, palm sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, beet sugar, fructose, coconut sugar, maple sugar, molasses, Stevia or Date sugar. It is all natural and healthy. Our formulation does not spike blood sugar. We even have a sugar free option that tastes amazing. If you are a coffee drinker, most of our hot cocoa/cacao can be used as a coffee creamer, so add it to plain coffee with a splash of milk or milk alternative and it will give your taste buds a real treat.

We took 3 years developing our cocoa to be a one of a kind product. Healthy, ecologically sourced, and tastes amazing without all the additives like other commercial brands have. The health benefits of cocoa, which I covered in my blog @ https://www.sweethotcocoa.com/blog is titled “The health benefits of cacao powders”. We spent the time to develop sixty unique flavors and 20 cacao sugar free flavors for a total of 80 flavors to choose from. We have unique flavors like Blueberry, Orange milk chocolate, Thai peanut dark chocolate (spicy), pumpkin spice, and our best sellers Raspberry and Eggnog. We also have 20 flavors of cacao like Lavender in both dark and regular cacao, coffee espresso in both dark and regular, Orange in both dark and regular cacao, raspberry in both dark and regular cacao, just to name a few.

Whatever flavor you chose, we guarantee freshness. We make it when you order it, not before. We make everything by hand. So if any of our flavors peaked your interest then please go https://www.sweethotcocoa.com and check us out. We offer 50+ flavors and other items like moon milks, teas, Apple Ciders, Soups, Mulling Spices, We even offer a variety of gift sets for any season or holiday.

#sweethotococa #hotcocoa #hot cocoa mix #hot chocolate #shopsmall #beverage #cocoasmoothie #cocoa #anytimedrink

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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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History of Chocolate/ Cocoa

Cocoa and other chocolate products are enjoyed by billions of people around the globe, but surprisingly few people know the history of the confection. In fact, cocoa has appeared in different cultures worldwide for hundreds of years. Cocoa was first developed as a crop in many ancient South American cultures, with the Aztecs and Mayans being the most well-known of these indigenous populations. Researchers have found evidence of cocoa-based food dating back several thousand years.

The modern word “chocolate” stems from two words in Nahuatl, the language spoken by many native groups: chocolatl, which translated literally means “hot water,” and cacahuatl, which referred to a bitter beverage made with cocoa that was shared during religious ceremonies. The history of the cacao bean was so significant to the local cultures that it was used as a currency in trade, given to warriors as a post-battle reward, and served at royal feasts.

For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance. It was used in religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man, to Chak ek Chuah, the Mayan patron saint of cocoa, and as an offering at the funerals of noblemen.

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the New World and began the process of invading, colonizing, and ultimately destroying the native cultures, they also discovered the value of the local cacao crop. However, they brought their own innovation to the appropriated drink, with the addition of sugar and spices to sweeten the bitter cocoa. After that point, chocolate became wildly popular amongst the Spanish, who kept the production method a secret from other Europeans for almost 100 years after their discovery.

The Spanish could not hold onto their secret forever, and chocolate quickly spread across the rest of western Europe. Chocolate then still exclusively in the form of a drink appeared in France, and then England, in royal courts and special “chocolate houses” that served the social elite. Hot chocolate was hailed by the upper classes as both delicious and healthy, and cocoa ultimately gained the reputation of being an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate has a long and fascinating past, as delicious as its taste. From 1500 BC to 400 BC the Olmec Indians are believed to be the first to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop. From 250 to 900 CE the consumption of cocoa beans was restricted to the Mayan society's elite, in the form of an unsweetened cocoa drink made from the ground beans. In 600 AD Mayans migrate into northern regions of South America establishing earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan.

In the 14th Century the drink became popular among the Aztec upper classes who usurped the cocoa beverage from the Mayans and were the first to tax the beans. The Aztecs called it "xocalatl" meaning warm or bitter liquid. By 1502 Columbus encountered a great Mayan trading canoe in Guanaja carrying cocoa beans as cargo. Then in 1519 Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez recorded the cocoa usage in the court of Emperor Montezuma. 1544 Dominican friars took a delegation of Kekchi Mayan nobles to visit Prince Philip of Spain. The Mayans brought gift jars of beaten cocoa, mixed and ready to drink. Spain and Portugal did not export the beloved drink to the rest of Europe for nearly a century.

Hot chocolate was hailed by the upper classes as both delicious and healthy, and cocoa ultimately gained the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. But the exclusivity of chocolate was ultimately diminished by the onset of the Industrial Revolution, when steam-powered machines made the production of cocoa powder significantly quicker and more affordable. Solid chocolate hit the market and found wild success by 1850, due to the discovery by Joseph Fry that adding cacao butter to the cocoa powder formed a solid mass.

16th century Europe, Spanish began to add cane sugar and flavorings such as vanilla to their sweet cocoa beverages. In 1570 cocoa gained popularity as a medicine and aphrodisiac. In 1585 the first official shipments of cocoa beans began arriving in Seville from Vera Cruz, Mexico. The first chocolate house was opened in London by a Frenchman in 1657. The shop was called The Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll. Costing 10 to 15 shillings per pound, chocolate was considered a beverage for the elite class. By 1674 eating solid chocolate was introduced in the form of chocolate rolls and cakes served in chocolate emporiums.⠀

Cocoa beans had dropped in price from $3 per pound in 1730 to a price within the financial reach of others. By 1732 French inventor, Monsieur Dubuisson invented a table mill for grinding cocoa beans.⠀ Then in 1753 Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus was dissatisfied with the word "cocoa," so it was renamed to "Theobroma," Greek for "food of the gods." In 1765 chocolate was introduced to the United States when Irish chocolate maker John Hanan imported cocoa beans from the West Indies into Dorchester, Massachusetts, to refine them with the help of American Dr. James Baker. The pair soon after built America's first chocolate mill and by 1780, the mill was making the famous BAKER'S ® chocolate baking bars. In 1795 Dr. Joseph Fry of Bristol, England, employed a steam engine for grinding cocoa beans, an invention that led to the manufacture of chocolate on a large factory scale.⠀

1800 Antoine Brutus Menier built the first industrial manufacturing facility for chocolate. Sixty years later, the art of creating chocolate confections with flavored filling, referred to as pralines was born. A Belgian inventor, Jean Neuhaus II also went public with a chocolate product. From there, the chocolate and cocoa industry exploded in popularity and quickly spread around the world. By 1819: The pioneer of Swiss chocolate-making, François Louis Callier, opened the first Swiss chocolate factory.⠀

In 1828 the invention of the cocoa press, by Conrad Van Houten, helped cut prices and improve the quality of chocolate by squeezing out some of the cocoa butter and giving the beverage a smoother consistency. Conrad Van Houten patented his invention in Amsterdam and his alkalizing process became known as "Dutching". Several years earlier, Van Houten was the first to add alkaline salts to powdered cocoa to make it mix better with water.⠀

A form of solid eating chocolate was developed in 1830 by Joseph Fry & Sons, a British chocolate maker. Then by 1847 Joseph Fry & Sons discovered a way to mix some of the cocoa butter back into the "Dutched" chocolate, by added sugar and creating a paste that could be molded. The result was the first modern chocolate bar.

By 1849 Joseph Fry & Sons and Cadbury Brothers displayed chocolates for eating at an exhibition in Bingley Hall, in Birmingham, England. The Prince Albert's Exposition in 1851 London was the first time that Americans were introduced to bonbons, chocolate creams, hand candies (called "boiled sweets"), and caramels. By 1861 Richard Cadbury created the first known heart-shaped candy box for Valentine's Day.⠀

1868 John Cadbury mass-marketed the first boxes of chocolate candies. Daniel Peter of Vevey, Switzerland, in 1876 experimented for eight years before finally inventing a means of making milk chocolate for eating.

1879 Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé joined together to form the Nestlé Company. Also in the same year Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, produced smoother and creamier chocolate that melted on the tongue. He invented the "conching" machine. To conch, meant to heat and roll chocolate in order to refine it. After chocolate had been conched for seventy-two hours and had more cocoa butter added to it, it was possible to create chocolate "fondant" and other creamy forms of chocolate.⠀

1897 the first known published recipe for chocolate brownies appeared in the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. Canadian, Arthur Ganong marketed the first nickel chocolate bar in 1910. William Cadbury urged several English and American companies to join him in refusing to buy cacao beans from plantations with poor labor conditions. Then in 1913 Swiss confectioner Jules Sechaud of Montreux introduced a machine process for manufacturing filled chocolates. Then Belgian chocolatier, Joseph Draps in 1926 starts the Godiva Company to compete with Hershey's and Nestle's American market.

Throughout its long evolution, one factor has remained cocoa has attracted devotees worldwide. Today, over 4.5 million tons of cocoa beans are consumed annually around the globe, in everything from drinks to candy bars

It’s safe to say that the ancient Mesoamericans who pioneered the crop could never have imagined the popularity cocoa would someday experience. Cocoa sustainability was and is very important to the sustainability movement to help secure the future of chocolate and ensure that it’s available for generations to come, it’s essential that sustainable farming practices and ethical means of production are implemented in the cocoa supply chain. The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has teamed up with over 100 large companies around the world to make the cocoa supply chain more sustainable.

We would like to give special thanks to World Cocoa Foundation and Thought Co. for the information they provided, so we may help inform further generations of hot cocoa lovers on the History of Cocoa⠀

We are making cocoa history right now at April Mae’s Sweet Hot Cocoa & More, We are small family owned business that has developed a healthy kosher friendly hot cocoa mix. Our cacao powders are based upon our secret family recipe and are hand crafted in small batches for freshness and quality on a per order basis. All of our cacao powders comes from ecologically and socially responsible harvesting. We also add no anti-caking agents such as corn starch or other fillers like chocolate chips, marshmallows, mixes or candies. Every batch we make is pure, healthy, sustainable cocoa! Along the way we have used our cocoa mixes to develop 50 + cocoas, cocoa fruit smoothie mixes, cocoa moon milks, we also have soups, apple ciders, and a range of gift sets. We are very passionate about what we've created and now we are sharing it with you. The difference and taste is Amazing!

#hotcocoa #beverage #hot cocoa #hot chocolate #shopsmall #hotcocoamix #sweethotococa #cocoamix #hot cocoa mix #cocoa mix #sweet hot cocoa

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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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Does The Date On Your Cocoa Powder Really Mean it is Expired?

Let me break it down for you,

Real cocoa powder doesn’t spoil. Instead, it starts to lose flavor intensity over time. Due to the methods of processing cocoa powder, there is no moisture to worry about unless you store real cocoa powder in a humid area where moisture can accrue. So don’t worry about the date on the package, as most of the time that is a tactic intended to influence you to buy new products. Hot cocoa mixes are different, as most do contain some sort of powdered milk or nut milk. On average those will last 6 to 24 months. Ah, consumerism at its best.

Before you worry about real cocoa powder expiring, let me tell you about a study that was done with an outdated real cocoa powder. Cooks Illustrated performed an experiment in their test kitchen, using six year old real cocoa powder and made a variety of items using this cocoa and for comparison they also used a freshly opened box of the same product. When the finished recipes were tasted side by side, only about half the tasters noted any difference, calling the samples made with the six year old cocoa duller, weaker, and mellower, yet no one noted any off-flavors.

Then they repeated the test using high fat and low fat cocoa powders one to two years past their expiration dates. Again comparing them with samples made with fresh cocoa powders of the same brand. Taste tasters could not differentiate between the samples. The compounds that give real cocoa powder its flavor are less prone to “expire” than those in ground spices, which lose much of their flavor and aroma after about a year. The more unstable the molecule, the more rapidly it evaporates and degrades. The takeaway is if you come across real cocoa powder that's past its expiration date even by a couple of years, it is still fine to use.

Regarding hot cocoa powders, this will depend on the “powdered milk” factor and any additional flavoring or non-dairy added components, examples are chocolate chips, cake mixes, pudding mixes, candies, mini marshmallows, etc. that are added to either the nut milk or the powdered milks. With powdered milk bases in the cocoa mix they only tend to last between 6 months to 1 year before the flavors starts to lose strength. However, nut milks do last an average of 12 to 24 months if done as a plain flavor.

How to extend cocoa powders shelf life

In order to maximize your real cocoa powders or your hot cocoa powder’s shelf life, you’ll want to keep it in a dry, cool place. Then make sure to use a container that is airtight. This will keep your cocoa powders fresher longer. If you liked this post please go to https://www.sweethotcocoa.com/blog to review any other posts.

#beverage #hot chocolate #hot cocoa #hot cocoa mix #cocoa mix #sweet hot cocoa #shop small

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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cacao/Cocoa

Did you know there was a difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa? There is! I know it blew my mind too. Let me explain.

Hot chocolate and hot cocoa are different drinks that are widely preferred by people around the globe. In many countries, the terms ‘hot chocolate’ and ‘hot cocoa’ are used differently to label two different drinks. But in the US, the two terms are used interchangeably so often that it probably seems like there is hardly a difference cited between the two, but there is.

For a “lighter chocolaty taste” for lack of better words, hot cocoa is prepared by using cacao powders. This comes is several styles as well, Basic processed cocoa powder, the cocoa powder is not sweetened, and usually has sugars, powdered milk and additives blended into it, then you just add water. Then you have natural cacao powder, with health benefits that the cocoa powder does not have. This can be bitter to taste, but the addition ofsweetener and a fattier milk can help with the taste. Some people do add milk alternative powder and use milk alternatives instead of using fattier milks, preparing the cacao powder either way gives it a creamier taste closer to hot chocolate, but still is lighter in taste. Finally, there is the Dutch processed powder which has a smoother taste to it from the added alkaline component which gives the cacao powder the darker color. This process is the healthiest and has the most health benefits to it. Adding cacao powder to warm milk turns this into a hot cocoa drink. Cacao and cocoa powders are created from pressed ground cacao beans. When making cocoa powder, the fat, which is also called cocoa butter, is removed from it and is heavily processed but the chocolate taste remains. Cacao Powders are normally ground, pressed to the degree of fat remaining needed for a specific cacao powder, then allowed to dry and then powdered. But again in the Dutch processing the alkaline is added to the cacao powder to give it that smoother taste.

It has been known that hot chocolate was developed many centuries before hot cocoa. It is said that the origins of this chocolate drink was developed in Central America. When comparing the two, hot chocolate comes with a high fat, high sugar content and has a low cocoa content. In some of the popular brands there is no cocoa powder at all in their mix, just chocolate flavoring. But cocoa powders are different when turned into hot cacao drinks. They are better for your health as it comes with a low sugar and low fat content. Hot cacao also is a potent antioxidant beverage when compared to hot chocolate, but still it is lighter in taste. Finally, there is the Dutch processed powder which has a smoother taste to it from the added alkaline component which gives the cacao powder the darker color. This process is the healthiest and has the most health benefits to it. Adding cacao powder to warm milk turns this into a hot cocoa drink. Cacao and cocoa powders are created from pressed ground cacao beans. When making cocoa powder, the fat, which is also called cocoa butter, is removed from it and is heavily processed but the chocolate taste remains. Cacao Powders are normally ground, pressed to the degree of fat remaining needed for a specific cacao powder, then allowed to dry and then powdered. But again in the Dutch processing the alkaline is added to the cacao powder to give it that smoother taste.

#hotcocoa #shopsmall #sweethotococa #hotcocoamix #beverage #cocoamix #hot cocoa #sweet hot cocoa #hot cocoa mix #cocoa mix #hot chocolate

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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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The Myth, The Legend, The Facts About White Chocolate

For a 20th-century product, the history of white chocolate is shrouded in ambiguity. Some claim it was produced in New Hampshire just after World War I, after an American saw it in Europe. Nestlé launched a white chocolate bar in Europe in the 1930s. According to Nestlé, white chocolate was originally created as a way to use excess cocoa butter. Although the company does not specify who created it, a detail perhaps lost to history.

The first mass-distributed white chocolate in the US. was Nestle's Alpine White chocolate bar, introduced around 1948. It included almonds and had a good run through the 1990s. It is now discontinued, to the disappointment of many fans. Competitor Hershey’s didn’t make their chocolate hugs until 1993, and has since made white-chocolate versions of Reese’s Cups and Twix.

Today, just about every major chocolate maker produces a white chocolate bar. Large blocks of white couverture which contain larges amounts of cocoa butter to help with flavor are used by many pastry chefs to make cakes, ice creams and mousses to name a few items. It’s normally ivory in color and creates a lovely contrast against the dark chocolate backgrounds of cakes and bonbons. It has been shown that certain flavors are better with white chocolate than with dark chocolate. Lavender, for example, this has led to new flavor combinations and new recipes.

In 2002, the FDA amended its standards of identity, enabling white chocolate to be called chocolate if particular requirements were met. Firstly, it is made from a minimum of20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, and 3.5% milk fat or milk fat alternative. Any other formulation must be called confectionery or summer coating.

More than a few famous “food experts” do not realize this, and are heard on television shows or read in print misinforming audiences that “white chocolate is not chocolate.” Don’t believe it, no matter how iconic the speaker. The FDA has stated in writing that white chocolate made under the standards mentioned above is CHOCOLATE! I know, mind blown..

Making White Chocolate Powder

There are several steps in the extraction of cocoa butter done by manufacturers. The beans are ground so they can be pressed, in order to obtain the cocoa butter used in making white chocolate or powders. This is where companies differ in their processes. On one hand, you can warm the ground beans and press them while still warm. This makes cocoa butter easier to extract, but does not yield raw cacao butter which is healthier in the long run. This is the most common method and you lose all of the nutrients that come with the cocoa butter.

On the other hand, cold pressing the ground beans, means they won’t be warmed and the resulting butter is raw cacao butter. There are two ways to perform the cold pressing process. Some brands prefer to press the whole bean to extract cocoa butter. Other companies prefer to grind the beans into a pulp then press the pulp to extract the cocoa butteroil. Both methods are excellent because they do not involve heat in the extraction process. The grinding step ensures the maximum extraction of cocoa butter from the cacao beans.

However, the information in turning the cocoa butter into white chocolate powder is a closely guarded secret. As I was writing this, I searched the great wide web and found nothing on how cocoa butter is processed into a powder. There is plenty of information on milk and dark chocolate powders, just not white cocoa butter powders.

Now, Ghirardelli is the foremost white chocolate powder producer and they are not giving their secret away as to how they process their cocoa butter. There are many other companies that do produce white chocolate powder that are just as good, But again no information on how they process the cocoa butter into powder. Here is some great information to know; many cocoa companies are ecologically and socially responsible with harvesting the cacao beans. What this means is that they are paying the harvesters a fair, livable wage to harvest the cacao pods. That is always a good thing!

Nutrients in cocoa butter consists of a combination of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acid profile gives rise to three types of triglyceride fats in cocoa butter that contribute significantly to cocoa butter’s features. The unique properties of cocoa butter are in high demand from food grade items to cosmetics. Cocoa butter is high in vitamin D2, it can also be rich in minerals if done via the cold process method. The minerals contained within are Potassium, Phosphorus, Copper, Iron, Zinc, and Magnesium.

I hope I have taught you a few things along the away, I you liked this post please go to April Mae’s Sweet Hot Cocoa & More at https://www.sweethotcocoa.com/blogand read the other posts I have there.

#hotcocoa #beverage #shopsmall #cocoamix #hotcocoamix #sweethotococa #hot chocolate #hot cocoa #cocoa mix #hot cocoa mix #sweet hot cocoa

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sweethotcocoa · 2 years

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History of Chocolate/Cocoa

History of Chocolate/ Cocoa you can also find health benefits of cacao at our website https://www.sweethotcocoa.com/blog

1800: Antoine Brutus Menier built the first industrial manufacturing facility for chocolate. Sixty years later, the art of creating chocolate confections with flavored filling, referred to as pralines was born. A Belgian inventor, Jean Neuhaus II also went public with a chocolate product. From there, the chocolate and cocoa industry exploded in popularity and quickly spread around the world. By 1819: The pioneer of Swiss chocolate-making, François Louis Callier, opened the first Swiss chocolate factory.⠀

We are making cocoa history right now at April Mae’s Sweet Hot Cocoa & More, We are small family owned business that has developed a healthy kosher friendlyhot cocoa mix. Our cacao powders arebased upon our secret family recipe and arehand crafted in small batches for freshness and quality on a per order basis.All of our cacao powders comes from ecologically and socially responsible harvesting. We also add no anti-caking agents such as corn starch or other fillers like chocolate chips, marshmallows, mixes or candies. Every batch we make is pure, healthy, sustainable cocoa! Along the way we have used our cocoa mixes to develop 50 + cocoas, cocoa fruit smoothie mixes, cocoa moon milks, we also have soups, apple ciders, and a range of gift sets. We are very passionate about what we've created and now we are sharing it with you. The difference and taste is Amazing! Come Check us out at https://www.sweethotcocoa.com

#hotcocoa #hotcocoamix #beverage #shopsmall #sweethotococa #cocoasmoothie #cocoamix

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