Jeovany Tzilin Gomez
Staff Writer
I can recall pleasant memories when my mother made hot chocolate during the cold winters. As a chocolate connoisseur and descendant of the Mayans, I always appreciate a cup of hot cocoa, especially when it’s made from scratch instead of out of a packet. However, it seems like hot chocolate is now an underrated warm drink that has become overlooked by caramel, peppermint, and pumpkin lattes. We’ve lost touch with the casual drink of sweetness as we crave something more energizing, stronger, and more conventionally known.
When it comes to hot chocolate, it is usually sold in packets containing the hot cocoa mix and instructions on how to make the sweet drink. It is rarely made with authentic ingredients like cocoa powder or quality chocolate. Hot chocolate is celebrated in Latin American cultures like Guatemalan culture for its emphasis in providing the natural chocolatey taste that was inspired by traditions traced centuries ago. Of course, each culture has its own drink that they cherish the most, but hot chocolate is the most accessible drink for its simple ingredients.
Recently, there have been other drinks that are trying to replicate the magic of hot chocolate.
The most popular and obvious choice we have is coffee. A well-known organic source of caffeine that eradicates a student’s laziness and makes their eyes as wide and vast as the ocean. A lot of people enjoy their coffee in the form of lattes laced with syrup. One of the usual syrups is the mocha syrup, which tastes like chocolate. The syrup for the latte tries to mimic the comfort of hot chocolate, but the coffee’s bitter taste lingers in your mouth, reminding you that you’re primarily getting energized. Hot chocolate is more tied to nostalgia and childhood because children have not yet graduated to be able to drink caffeinated beverages.
Herbal tea is the trustworthy friend you rely on whenever you have a cold, an upset stomach, or feel stressed. The smell of herbs like chamomile or mint reinforces the comfort the tea provides. However, it is seen as a natural remedy rather than a treat to enjoy, unless you genuinely like drinking tea, perhaps by adding honey. Personally, tea is not the warm drink that reminds me of childhood memories as the sweetness in hot chocolate carries a warm sensation of hugs and kisses.
For most of the time, matcha is not supposed to be sweet, and people don’t think of it as a typical hot drink. Given the fact that matcha is facing a shortage, it would be best to get something that you can easily obtain at any cafe like hot chocolate. Matcha has become a trendy drink recently, partially thanks to the performative males. Jokes aside, matcha has been a drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold. However, hot chocolate is only hot; you can make a cold chocolate drink, but it is less associated with the winter months. We’re talking about a drink that slightly burns your tongue, but warms up your body like a sweater.
Overall, hot chocolate is a delightful experience that never fails, with only hot water or milk being the main ingredient alongside the necessary ingredient: chocolate or cocoa powder. Its pleasure comes from the rich texture and the silkiness of the liquid that the cocoa is mixed with, whether it’s water or milk. No need to worry about it not being sold in different cafes or it containing caffeine. It’s a simple drink that will warm yourself up to get through the gloomy days where it’s too cold and gets dark early.