Hot Cocoa War

The last few days have been rather gloomy with the colder weather and rainy days.  At school, the classrooms have been either piping hot or freezing cold.  The only thing that has sounded good to me is being curled up in a blanket on the couch with a steaming cup of hot cocoa.  The thought of that made me think about all the hot cocoa my dad gets from his students for Christmas.  My dad is a teacher and every year his students always give him hot cocoa so we have a good variety.  In this post, I'm going to compare the many different types of hot cocoa to get us all ready for the holiday season.  Let the hot cocoa war commence!

http://www.swissmiss.com

Swiss Miss is a very popular hot cocoa choice.  It's easy to make, and it doesn't take too long.  The powder either comes in to-go packets or a large metal tin.  Each packet is added to milk or water, like most hot cocoa.  It tastes pretty good except when it isn't mixed really well.  When it isn't mixed well, little chunks float to the top and make the hot cocoa taste salty.  I'd rate it a 7/10.  It's good for on-the-go hot cocoa but not for good quality hot cocoa.

http://www.nestle.com

The next hot cocoa is Nestle hot cocoa.  Nestle hot cocoa comes in the same containers as Swiss Miss and is similar in that it is to-go cocoa.  Nestle is slightly creamier than Swiss Miss when mixed and also has a stronger chocolate flavor.  It tastes very good, but I would rate it a 7/10.

http://www.traderjoes.com 

Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate is the third hot cocoa that I tasted. It leans more towards dark chocolate than milk chocolate. I personally really like dark chocolate, so this is one of my favorites. It tastes a little more bitter than the Swiss Miss or Nestle, but I really enjoyed it.  It is very creamy (it is recommended to mix this with milk) and it has a very good flavor.  It is really good quality hot cocoa but if I'm looking for something sweeter, I wouldn't go with this one. It only comes in a tin like what is shown in the photo, and is only sold at Trader Joe's. I'd rate it 8/10.

http://www.ghirardelli.com

Next I tried the Ghiradelli Hazelnut hot cocoa.  The powder wasn't ground very finely making it hard to mix.  It contains artificial flavor, which is always a bad sign for me.  When I tried it, I couldn't really taste the hazelnut.  It was very bland and it wasn't very creamy.  I think Ghiradelli should stick to just making chocolate. I'd rate it 4/10.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com

The last but not least of the flavors that I tried was the William-Sonoma Classic Hot Cocoa.  All of Williams-Sonoma's hot cocoa is made with actual shavings of chocolate that are melted in warm milk.  It is extremely creamy and semi-sweet.  This hot cocoa takes a little longer to make and can only be made in a pot on the stove or cocoa maker.  It only comes in the can that is pictured to the left.  It is also very high quality and a very popular brand that many people choose for the holidays.  I would rate this a 9/10.

 In conclusion, I'd have to say that my favorite was the the Williams-Sonoma Classic Hot Cocoa for it's rich and creamy chocolate flavor.  This would be my ideal cup of hot cocoa especially on a cold winter evening.  For on-the-go hot cocoa, I'd choose Swiss Miss.  Hot Cocoa War Winner: Williams-Sonoma Classic Hot Cocoa.

Feel free to comment below your favorite hot cocoa.  Also, click the links under the photos to buy the cocoa!  :)

Photos:

https://www.truthinadvertising.org/swiss-miss-cocoa/

nprfreshair.tumblr.com

upcitemdb.com/upc/5000111879

gianteagle.com/747599620034.aspx

thingsiloveattraderjoes.com/2012/10/19/trader-joes-sipping-chocolate-cocoa-heaven

blogchocolate.typepad.com

Mitchell's Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream Sundae

Last night my parents and younger brother went to a Styx concert.  Afterwards, they went to an ice cream parlor called Mitchell's that is unique to the city of Cleveland.  At Mitchell's, they get their milk from grass fed cows that are from a farm one hour away from their shops.  I was so jealous when they said they were getting ice cream without me.  Luckily, they brought me home a doggy bag.  They got me the Pumpkin Patch Sundae.

The Pumpkin Patch Sundae is Pumpkin Spice ice cream with whipped cream, roasted pecans, warm caramel, sprinkles shaped like fall leaves, and a nice cherry on top.  I loved the Pumpkin Spice ice cream. It tasted like cold pumpkin pie with nutmeg and cinnamon.  It literally tasted like fall melted in my mouth.  There was a LOT of caramel in the sundae.  The ice cream to caramel ratio could have had a little more ice cream, and that goes the same for the whipped cream.  The caramel was salted to perfection, and it wasn't overpowering.  The whipped cream wasn't as thick as I would have liked it, but then again, not everyone likes thick whipped cream.  I didn't eat the cherry because I don't really like candied cherries very much.  The pecans were probably my favorite part.  They were cut to the perfect size so that they weren't too big, plus they were roasted and salted.  Having the salt from the pecans in the sundae gave more dimension to the flavor and it really made the other flavors pop.  At the and when you begin to run out of ice cream and there's mainly just pecans left, the pecans begin to over power the other flavors.

Overall this was a very good sundae.  I would rate this dessert a 9/10.  I think I'll be going back for more. :)





Sources

Photos:

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/13-nearby-places-to-get-incredible-ice-cream/Slideshow?oid=3615103