Ghirardelli hot chocolate

[mindstalk]

So, not long ago I talked about the hot chocolates I've had in this town, from fancy stuff at the bookstores to stuff I walked away from in Soma. I speculated there was a powder vs. syrup thing going on. Recent evidence suggests just a quality difference. I have a canister of Ghirardelli powder which I don't use very often, but have twice recently, and both times have been quite good. The cup just now had that "liquid chocolate" taste and feel to it. More specifically:

Tonight's cup: I used the label proportions, one cup of milk to 3 tbsps of powder. Result was pretty rich, though there were also little clumps of undissolved powder.

A few nights ago: I accidentally used more milk than recommended, maybe 1.6 cups. Result was still good, and no clumps. I also made that neo-Aztec style, as I'd told chefkatsuya, with cinnamon and a bit of cayenne. I'm not sure what to say about that, though I could feel a burn as I approached the bottom of the cup.

Milk both times was organic, which might not matter, and whole, which probably does.

Comments

[fergusop.livejournal.com]

I usually use a mixture of cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and cinamon in a couple tablespoons of boiling water and then add vanilla extract and 2% milk and heat until just under boiling so it doesn't scald. Then I add half-and-half to cool it and make it a little less rich. Never been a huge fan of the store-bought powders.