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Gourmet Hot Chocolate: Cocoa Mixes, Recipes And Gift Sets
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Published: February 26, 2007
In winter's coldest months, there's nothing better than a nice hot cup of gourmet hot chocolate. And there's no better gift than gourmet hot chocolate gift sets. Hot chocolate is an endearing and delicious seasonal drink. With so many different flavors and brands, everyone is sure to find some hot chocolate mixes to love.
Cocoa is a beverage with a long and storied history. The use of cocoa as a drink dates back possibly as far as 1500 B.C. This is when the Olmec civilization harvested the cacao plant and began to make aphrodisiac drinks with it. In 1500 A.D., the drink was introduced to Spanish explorers who brought it back with them to Europe. It immediately became a wildly popular drink with the upper classes, many of whom developed their own gourmet hot chocolate recipes.
The most famous hot chocolate recipes are the ones for the original Mayan hot chocolate. The recipe calls for boiling water, cream, vanilla bean, cinnamon, bittersweet and Mexican chocolate, sugar, honey, nuts, whipped cream, and pepper. Similarly, a much more conventional hot chocolate taste can be found in Mexican Hot chocolate. Containing milk, sugar, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, salt, eggs and vanilla, Mexican hot chocolate is a smoother creamier tasting beverage, much closer to today's powdered cocoa packets. For a truly traditional taste, one cannot beat the unique and interesting taste of one of the first gourmet hot chocolate recipes in history.
Today, gourmet hot chocolate is one of the most popular beverages in the world. There are an amazing number of gourmet hot chocolate mixes on the market. Just about any flavor imaginable has a cocoa counterpart. Cinnamon, mint, caramel, white chocolate, and raspberry are just a few or the more popular gourmet hot chocolate recipes that are currently on the market.
The popularity of gourmet hot chocolate has led to a number of very popular hot chocolate gift sets. Hot chocolate gift sets usually contain a variety of different flavors, so that the recipient can enjoy a wide range of different tastes. Hot chocolate gift sets are available at most brick and mortar and online stores that sell drink products, especially around major gift giving holidays like Christmas and Valentines Day. They're also usually available directly from major drink and chocolate manufacturers. Depending on the size, variety and name brand, hot chocolate gift sets can go for anything from $20 to hundreds of dollars.
One of the most famous and popular brands of premium gourmet hot chocolate is Stephen's Gourmet. Formed in Utah during the 1980s as a homemade Christmas gift basket, Stephen's Gourmet has a huge array of different gourmet hot chocolate recipes, hot chocolate mixes, apple ciders, and chai teas. They retail around for around $5 for a 16 ounce tin.
Cocoa is one of the most popular winter drinks in the world, and gourmet hot chocolate mixes will continue to be strong sellers in the future. For those looking for a tasty drink for themselves or gourmet hot chocolate gift sets for friends and families, there is no lack of options in stores or online for a reasonable price.
Sources:
Stradly, Linda. “Rediscover True Hot Chocolate.” What's Cooking America. 2004. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/HotCho colate.htm>.
"Hot Chocolate." Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2007. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate> .
Hot Cocoa. Yahoo! Shopping. 22 Feb. 2007. http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Beverages:26605-Arrang ement=Gift%20Boxes.
Stephen's. 2006. Stephens Premium Hot Cocoa. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://www.indulgentfoods.com/sitePages/index. asp?section=1&page=19>.
Cocoa is a beverage with a long and storied history. The use of cocoa as a drink dates back possibly as far as 1500 B.C. This is when the Olmec civilization harvested the cacao plant and began to make aphrodisiac drinks with it. In 1500 A.D., the drink was introduced to Spanish explorers who brought it back with them to Europe. It immediately became a wildly popular drink with the upper classes, many of whom developed their own gourmet hot chocolate recipes.
The most famous hot chocolate recipes are the ones for the original Mayan hot chocolate. The recipe calls for boiling water, cream, vanilla bean, cinnamon, bittersweet and Mexican chocolate, sugar, honey, nuts, whipped cream, and pepper. Similarly, a much more conventional hot chocolate taste can be found in Mexican Hot chocolate. Containing milk, sugar, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, salt, eggs and vanilla, Mexican hot chocolate is a smoother creamier tasting beverage, much closer to today's powdered cocoa packets. For a truly traditional taste, one cannot beat the unique and interesting taste of one of the first gourmet hot chocolate recipes in history.
Today, gourmet hot chocolate is one of the most popular beverages in the world. There are an amazing number of gourmet hot chocolate mixes on the market. Just about any flavor imaginable has a cocoa counterpart. Cinnamon, mint, caramel, white chocolate, and raspberry are just a few or the more popular gourmet hot chocolate recipes that are currently on the market.
The popularity of gourmet hot chocolate has led to a number of very popular hot chocolate gift sets. Hot chocolate gift sets usually contain a variety of different flavors, so that the recipient can enjoy a wide range of different tastes. Hot chocolate gift sets are available at most brick and mortar and online stores that sell drink products, especially around major gift giving holidays like Christmas and Valentines Day. They're also usually available directly from major drink and chocolate manufacturers. Depending on the size, variety and name brand, hot chocolate gift sets can go for anything from $20 to hundreds of dollars.
One of the most famous and popular brands of premium gourmet hot chocolate is Stephen's Gourmet. Formed in Utah during the 1980s as a homemade Christmas gift basket, Stephen's Gourmet has a huge array of different gourmet hot chocolate recipes, hot chocolate mixes, apple ciders, and chai teas. They retail around for around $5 for a 16 ounce tin.
Cocoa is one of the most popular winter drinks in the world, and gourmet hot chocolate mixes will continue to be strong sellers in the future. For those looking for a tasty drink for themselves or gourmet hot chocolate gift sets for friends and families, there is no lack of options in stores or online for a reasonable price.
Sources:
Stradly, Linda. “Rediscover True Hot Chocolate.” What's Cooking America. 2004. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/HotCho colate.htm>.
"Hot Chocolate." Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2007. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate> .
Hot Cocoa. Yahoo! Shopping. 22 Feb. 2007. http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Beverages:26605-Arrang ement=Gift%20Boxes.
Stephen's. 2006. Stephens Premium Hot Cocoa. 22 Feb. 2007 <http://www.indulgentfoods.com/sitePages/index. asp?section=1&page=19>.
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