Thursday, January 13, 2005

At Sit & Knit tonight Aaron and I both had Starbucks new Chantico drink. Actually Aaron had two. It is drinkable chocolate. It was so rich and yummy. I think it made Aaron a little hyper though, because now he is hopping around the house... "Hey look at this website... a hook rug! let me try... come see Oscar chewing on his bone!... Oooooh shiny!"

It kind of reminded me of mexican chocolate. I had a cup of mexican chocolate in Toronto once. Here is a recipe for making it at home. It think it is the cinnamon that is key.

Melt 1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp instant coffee, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt and 3/4 cup water over low heat while stirring. Heat to boiling then let simmer while stirring for 4 minutes. Stir in 2 cups milk, remove from heat and whisk until frothy. It's practically dessert!

21 comments:

  1. It looks like the chocolate drink from the movie, "Chocolat"!
    *yummy!*

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  2. that looks dangerously addictive! :) being of frugal sort, and since you remarked on the ressemblence, i'm going to try out the recipe... thanks! :)

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  3. Yeah, cinnamon is a key thing. :) But, also..in real mexican hot chocolate, american unsweetened chocolate is not used. Rather a very, very hard mexican chocolate is used. Often it comes in a hard tablet form.

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  4. Wow, I can't believe he drank 2 cups! I was given a 2 ounce sample and it was so chocolaty I don't know if I could even drink a whole one.

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  5. I have some of the hard block Mexican chocolate, and have seen recipes using it. I got it at Wegmans, but thought I would find a recipe using regular chocolate since not everyone has a Wegmans.

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  6. Geesh! I was just getting over my last Starbucks addiction - this is going to be tough!
    BTW, if you can find it Vietnamese Cinnamon (I know http://www.kingarthurflour.com has it) - that is, like, 100x better than just normal!

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  7. Chantico is pretty intense. I was only able to drink about 3 of the 6 oz. Then I put the rest in the fridge, and it took me 2 days to muster up the courage to drink the rest. Aaron is hard core! :)

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  8. I've had traditional Italian Hot Chocolate at Dolce Gelato here in Charlotte (NC), and the Chantico is VERY similar. Thick, rich and delicious but you can only drink a very tiny bit. It's seasonal...you can only get it during winter here. Love it! - Natalie

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  9. I find you wholly responsible for the four pounds in weight I am about to gain. thanks!

    ;)

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  10. 1. Next time they pass out samples of Chantico, add it to your latte or Americano. It's a nice addition without feeling like you've just gained two pounds while standing there. And hey! Free sample!

    2. Mexican hot chocolate is also good with a dash of cayenne to give it a weird kick. Just a dash though!

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  11. Chantico is fantastic! My husband met me for lunch today and we ended up at Starbucks. He was a bit leery at first, but by the time he had finished he was craving a second! He said it reminded him of the chocolate 'ooze' that comes out of chocolate lava cakes. Mmmm..

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  12. That recipe looks so good, I want to try it right now! I'm scared of the amount of caffeine in 2 Tbsp of instant coffee though. My head might explode.

    Or am I not supposed to drink this whole recipe myself? ;)

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  13. This post is great for so many reasons. I'll have to split one with someone (or will them to pass out a sample). And I want to try the cayenne. But the biggie - Aaron goes to Sit & Knit too. You really do have you a good one. I'm happy for you two and glad you share -kat

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  14. Chantico...I can't even count how many of those I had to make tonight. I work at Starbucks ;) It is some seriously good stuff. I haven't seen the nutritional info on it yet. I'm trying not to actually. I don't want to know. I always make a little extra for me whenever a customer orders one...

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  15. Like anyone needs another reason to go to Starbucks! I'll have to try it. God knows I love a free sample!

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  16. Ready?
    No, really. Ready?

    A six-ounce cup of Chantico contains 390 calories, 20g of fat and 50g of carbs.

    http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/07/news/fortune500/starbucks_chantico/

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  17. Is it really a good idea to mix chocolate and water. I don't know; from my experience with chocolate, mixing in water kind of destroys it. Better to use heavy cream maybe.

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  18. Is it really a good idea to mix chocolate and water. I don't know; from my experience with chocolate, mixing in water kind of destroys it. Better to use whipping cream maybe.

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  19. WOW I thought the chantico was really good, I've had it at least five times the past 30 days, and if there were more $ in my buget I would have more. I've been reading lots of comments from folks that have bashed it, but I think it was great. When i got it the 1st 2 times the ygave me a wafer cookie w/ it, now they charge you :( kinda sad, cus for that much it should come w/ a cookie. There are so many ways to drink your chocolate, that i hope it inspires us to create new ways to enjoy it and to each their own! thanks for letting me post :)

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