The Mexico Hot Chocolate we launched last month has been a surprise smash. We took a gamble when sourcing these beans (we're the first in the country to take them) as they're a 'washed' cacao, an old-school Mexican specialty which is not usually used by craft chocolate makers.
These unfermented beans are rich in all the good stuff that cacao is increasingly known for, including theobromine (it gives a serious buzz in a mocha).
The trade-off is a more bitterness than is typical of craft hot chocolate. But when you mix it with a ton of warm milk the sweetness of the milk balances things off beautifully and it makes a delicious drink.
The best way to describe it is deeply, deeply chocolatey. None of the fruit notes or acidity that craft chocolate has become known for - just an enveloping, intense dark chocolate.
When we made the last batch of hot chocolate flakes using this cacao, we knocked up a dozen bars at the same time. Tasted it, and loved it. Even though the bitterness didn't have any milk to offset it, it stood proudly bitter, with its chest puffed out. We thought it was good enough to throw around in the cafe and get some feedback on (talk about burying the lead - yes you get free test-bed chocolate if you come to the cafe at quiet times).
Anyway, you all loved it. From chocolate regulars, to our hardcore cookie lovers, through to Alice from Vanderlyle restaurant (who had a tasting flight with all our origins and ranked it first).
Turns out, people love the fact that craft chocolate brings a ton of interesting flavour notes you wouldn't expect in chocolate - but a lot of people just loved the uniquely intense chocolatey hit that only lavado brings. Different strokes for different folks
