Hot Cocoa isn't just Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa is produced from cocoa powder, whereas hot chocolate is produced from solid chocolate powder, which also contains cocoa butter and sugar. Hot Cocoa appears to be lower in fat than hot chocolate, but it also maintains the antioxidant properties of chocolate.

The roots of Hot Cocoa Mix date back to the first use of cocoa bean 3,000 years ago by Central American societies. The Aztecs used cocoa bean not only to make a chocolate drink, but also to use as a currency. Because there was no sugar in the Americas, the original Hot Cocoa drink had a bitter and sometimes spicy taste due to the inclusion of cinnamon, vanilla or chili peppers.

By the 1500's, this cocoa beverage was introduced to Europe through Spain, where chili spices were removed and sugar was added. And it was not until 1700 that the English had introduced milk to their cocoa drink.

In the 1800s, Coenrad Van Houten, a Dutch chemist, discovered a method that extracted cocoa butter from cocoa seeds, producing in a purer cocoa powder. Van Houten also found that changing the pH of cocoa powder made it easier to convert to a Soft Cocoa Mix in liquids. This technique has become known as Dutching.

It was also realized that the addition of cocoa butter and sugar back to the cocoa powder made it much easier to press the mixture into bars, so that the growth of Hot Cocoa Mix resulted in the creation of the cherished chocolate bar.

Today, hot chocolate variations made from Hot Cocoa Mix differ depending on where you are in the world. In the USA, dissolving Hot Cocoa Mix, which is made from cocoa powder, dried milk and sugar, into boiling water, is a popular method for preparing. Across Europe, hot chocolate drinks made from Hot Cocoa appear to be smoother, almost like coffee, whereas hot Mexican chocolate is also spiced and served for breakfast.

Who doesn't love this wonderful drink or bar.