Archive for January 18th, 2010
Traditional “masala” chai is a mix of savory spices such as clove, cinnamon, anise, ginger, and cardamon, which are ground and boiled in water. High-quality black tea is added and steeped with the spices, then the tea is strained and sweetened with sugar and honey. The result is a wonderfully sweet and fragrant beverage, enjoyable hot or cold.
Enjoyed for centuries, especially in India, this rich and complex beverage is now becoming popular in America. Available in different spice mixes and also in green tea mixes, chai mixes are readily available for having this new taste treat at home or at your local coffee shop.
Enjoy!
While used interchangeably, hot chocolate and hot cocoa are two distinct products.
Cocoa (often called drinking cocoa) is made directly from the cocoa bean. Most of the cocoa butter is removed from the bean and what’s left is ground into a powder. Consequently cocoa must often be reconstituted using milk instead of water. Cocoa is also less sweet, more of a dark chocolate flavoring, and much lower in fat content than hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate is made from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, cocoa butter and sugar. Most hot chocolate is made from milk chocolate, although it can be made from dark, semi sweet and bittersweet chocolate. (When not made with milk chocolate additional sugar may be added to counteract the increased bitterness of the chocolate.) Hot chocolate usually also contains powdered milk allowing it to be reconstituted using water.
So, stoke up the fire, stare out the window at the falling snow and take a deep sip of cocoa (or chocolate). The marshmallows are optional
Until next time – happy sipping.