Taza organic chocolate

An organic chocolate that's great for eating or drinking.

Thu, Nov 05 2009 at 12:30 PM EST

I was sent a sample of Taza’s Cinnamon Chocolate Mexicano. It’s a stone ground and organic chocolate disc that is just one of the many Mexican chocolate products that the artisanal company creates.

Stone ground chocolate has a very different texture than the creamy milky chocolates that we are accustomed to. It’s a little grainy, but I really liked the taste of the cinnamon chocolate and didn’t mind the different texture.

After tasting the chocolate, I decided to make the Mexican Hot Chocolate that Taza suggested on its website. It’s made with water, and it’s a very different tasting hot chocolate than anything I’ve made before, even any of the hot chocolates I made during my organic hot cocoa taste test.

Here’s how to make traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate using the Taza chocolate disc.

Grate the chocolate (or get your 7-year-old to do it for you!)
Heat 6 to 8 ounces of water until just before boiling.
Whisk the grated chocolate into the water – add any additions like rum, bourbon or vanilla. (I chose to try it without additions).
Pour into a mug and whisk or whip until airy and frothy – about 2 minutes.

No matter how long I whisked my hot chocolate in the mug, it never got frothy. Maybe I was doing it wrong. It was a very interesting hot chocolate. I had the boys try it. They both liked the taste but would prefer “real” hot chocolate, which means they want what they are used to.

This isn’t the type of hot chocolate I would serve a crowd after building snowmen or sledding. It is the type of hot chocolate I would serve guests after dinner. It’s different, takes a little getting used to, but it’s good.

The package I was sent that included two discs that were approximately 1.3 oz each retails for $4.50 on Taza’s website. I’ll be working on a stocking stuffer list for the sustainable foodie in a couple weeks. You can expect to see this chocolate on it.