How to Make Hot Cocoa from Cacao Beans

Thanks to Bean Street in San Mateo, I've come to appreciate hot cocoa made from roasted cacao beans.  Next to cioccolata calda, it's my new standard in drinking chocolate.  

Personally, I find hot cocoa brewed fresh from roasted cacao beans to be a wonderfully inviting drink. With the consistency of coffee, it is different than the creamy and thick cioccolata calda, but has those same chocolate undertones which get lost in the over-sweetened, over-processed, pre-packaged hot cocoas on the market.   While I still enjoy hot cocoa (from powder) and hot chocolate (from bars), depending on my mood, I find my taste buds shifting.  My daily chocolate fix is becoming more hot cocoa from the bean, or as I am beginning to say, "hot cacao," to distinguish the difference.  

Brewed hot cacao from the bean is a new trend, and I agree with John Nanci, the Chocolate Alchemist, that it is a different taste experience.  He writes: "Brewed cocoa, regardless of source, is not an intense, thick mouth coating drink like many are accustomed to in hot chocolate or the other various processed chocolate drinks.  It’s more subtle and sublime than that.  It is its own drink.  If you compare it to hot chocolate, you may come away disappointed.  If you evaluate it for it own flavor and merits, I think you will come away impressed."

I know I am totally impressed, as I savor my fresh brew made this morning from my stash of earthy, organic, Fair Trade, Dominican Republic, “Conacado” 2010 cacao beans. As I explore and sample different beans and learn to describe the different flavor points, I know I am becoming even more of a cocoa connoisseur, a cacao enthusiast, and yes, I admit it, a "chocolate snob".  My taste buds are expanding and maturing, but more on the "mature" aspect of chocolate tomorrow.

For today, here's the method the baristas at Bean Street taught me which I've adopted for my home purposes and preferences.

1. Begin boiling water.  Turn off when done.

 

2. Select about 2 tablespoons of your favorite roasted cacao bean (About 20 beans. I find it easier to count than to measure).

3. Grind the beans in a standard coffee grinder for about 45 seconds.  After about 30 seconds you will begin to smell the rich chocolatey aroma of the cacao beans.  As the cocoa butter is released, the ground beans create an oil brown muddy sludge on the bottom and edge of the grinder.  That's how you know you're done.

 

4. Use a spoon to remove the ground beans and place in an espresso frothing pot, or a similar container.  You may also want to use a coffee brush to clean out the cacao grounds from the grinder.

5. Add about 1 cup (8 ounces) of boiling water into the pot with the ground cacao beans and give the brew a stir with a spoon.

6. Brew for about 4 minutes, longer if you want a more intense flavor.

7. Pour the brewed cacao through a fine strainer into a mug which is at least 12 ounces.  

8. Use a spoon to assist the hot cocoa as it strains and as the grounds clog the flow by moving the grounds and pressing the remaining liquid through the strainer into the mug.

9. Add a sweetner.  For simplicity, I use about 3 teaspoons of Torani's French Vanilla, but I've also used about 3 teaspoons of agave nectar with about 3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.  Both are great.  Other Torani flavors may also be used, but of the ones I've sampled, vanilla is the best.

10. Heat 1/2 cup of milk of your choice to 140-160 degrees using an espresso machine frother or any other method you prefer.  I found the espresso machine to be the easiest.

11. Pour the steamed milk into the mug and top with some froth.

12. Stir as needed, especially if using soy milk, and ENJOY!

If you'd like more insights on brewing cacao, check out Chocolate Alchemy's recent blog on the subject here.  And if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask by leaving a comment below.  Happy Chocolate Week!

Drinking Chocolate - Bean Street Style

I first learned of Bean Street from my co-workers, who raved about their coffee.  With some time to explore downtown San Mateo a few months back, I decided to search out this local hang-out.  When arriving at their storefront on B Street, I found a small but inviting coffee house.  There were only 4 tables, but the place was bright and airy and had a good vibe.  Family-owned and operated, this was my kind of establishment.  Whenever possible, I like to give my business to "the little guy", by choosing neighborhood stores over large chains and multinational corporations. 

As is my custom when visiting a new coffee house, I asked the barista how they make their hot chocolate.  The response usually includes "Ghirardelli" in some form or another, to which I'll order a chai tea.

But at Bean Street, the response to my question was different.  "We have two types of hot chocolate," the barista, who I would learn is named Sita, replied.  "One is made with cocoa powder and the other is made from ground cocoa beans."

Ground cocoa beans?  Always ready to sample new methods of drinking chocolate I felt my excitement grow as I knew what I would order.  My hopes however were quickly dashed when Sita added, "But we're out of beans today.  We should get some tomorrow."

I could feel the disappointment grow as I settled on the powdered hot cocoa and swore I'd be back.  The curiosity in trying a drinking chocolate made of ground cacao beans captured my imagination, and become a bit of an obsession. 

When I returned to Bean Street a few weeks later, Sita was not there, but Crystal was.  My intensity when ordering, and the story of my initial disappointment and now subsequent return from the mountains to sample this new style of drinking chocolate, probably overwhelmed her.  But Crystal was generous and patient.  And because I was the only person in the shop at the time, she took the time to explain and show me how this drinking chocolate, made from a bean, not a bar or a powder, is created.

I ordered the "hot cocoa" (as they call it) with soy milk, but Crystal said she didn't recommend it.  Though it doesn't effect the taste, she explained that the ground up beans don't blend with soy the way they do with cow milk.  (Look closely at the picture on the right.)  Like oil and water, the two don't blend as the cocoa butter in the roasted beans separates from the soy milk.  I said I was okay with the drink not being pretty, and wondered if it was possible for her to make the hot cocoa with both types of milk, and let me try it.  Graciously, she did.  (The staff at Bean Street are THE best!)

Served in clear glasses, the difference between the two were immediate.  There was a cloudy haze with the soy as the chocolate particles swirled in the milk, while there was more of a creamed coffee look in the hot cocoa made with cow milk.  (Unfortunately I don't have a picture of both together so to compare the two.)

When the two drinks arrived, I was so ready to sample.  Neither was very sweet.  Both had a strong bittersweet chocolate edge, which was rounded smooth by vanilla Torani syrup.  The hot cocoa made with cow milk had a creamier texture, and had more of the "fruity," acidic, tannin taste, which I really don't like.  It is a similar "bite" I find and don't care for in Columbian coffee.  Though the hot cocoa made with soy milk was not as creamy and didn't look as blended, it had more of a balanced flavor.  The extra flavoring in the soy milk probably added just a tinge more sweetness to take away the "bite".

After a few sips, I knew I was sold.  Bean Street set a new standard for what hot cocoa needs to be.  And like the chocophile I am, I bought a bag of their Brazilian cacao beans to sample, and later that night, went online and ordered three other types of roasted cacao beans from Chocolate Alchemy.  Similar to coffee and wine, hot cocoa made from roasted cacao beans will vary in its flavor notes, reflecting its origin, the regional setting where the beans are grown.  Soil conditions, weather, drying methods, roasting time are some of the factors that create a cacao bean's flavor profile.    

I discovered that the Bean Street cacao beans from Brazil tend to have a stronger astringent note than the other types I purchased, with the expensive criollo cacao beans from Venezuela having the softest edge.  No milk is even needed after brewing this batch, which I can almost drink straight without a sweetener!  While I like the hearty, earthy taste of the beans from the Dominican Republic, my favorite is the Costa Rican beans which have a wonderful balance of bitter and sweet.  They are, as described, "A simple elegant cocoa with fig and toffee", which I thoroughly enjoy. 

After my purchases, I began experimenting with different brewing methods and sampled different sweeteners, but soon concluded that Bean Street's method is the best, though I use half the amount of milk.  I now regularly brew a cup at home which I sip and savor at work.  Yet I still enjoy heading to Bean Street, and having Crystal or Sita prepare a cup for me.  I've been there so often I even filled up a frequent buyer card and already got my 11th cup free!

So, "how is a cup of hot cocoa from cacao beans made?"  You ask.  Log into the blog tomorrow to find out.