5 Reasons to stop drinking coffee
Coffee can be lovely, but it’s also very overrated. Image by @zarakvg
Not many people have the courage to admit that coffee is a bit, well, overrated. First wave, third wave, it’s still just coffee. Many of us are familiar with the idea of a coffee shop, but many are not aware of chocolate houses that existed hundreds of years ago. And you didn’t go there to eat chocolate, you went there to have a sophisticated tall cup of drinking chocolate. If you had important business meetings, or wanted to change the direction of the economy, you didn’t discuss that over a cup of coffee. You discussed that over a cup of drinking chocolate. Unfortunately, coffee took over. Why? There are many reasons, but one could blame the invention of the electric light bulb. This encouraged people to stay up later, lose precious sleep, and feel the need for a caffeine hit in the morning that coffee provided. Please note that this idea may just have been made up here on the spot.
Regardless, there is plenty of research to suggest the polyphenols (catechin, epicatechin) found in dark chocolate and cacao improves short term memory and cognition. So, if you’ have an upcoming exam or important life decision, far better to prepare yourself with a frothy single-origin drinking chocolate than another cup of coffee that simply leaves you with a temporary high.
I know what you’re thinking: some tepid watery hot cocoa you had as a kid with some cavity causing marshmallows floating on top. No, true drinking chocolate isn’t made with a powder. It’s made by grinding up real chocolate and frothing it up into submission. Something with a rich texture, flavour that goes beyond just cocoa, and a warmth that satisfies on many levels.
Here are some more reasons to replace coffee with drinking chocolate.
1. Coffee has too much caffeine
You may think that is a selling point, but are we not all a bit over stimulated already? Dark chocolate does contain caffeine as well, but far less than a cup of coffee. You would need to eat a few few dark chocolate bars to give you the same jitters than a small cup of coffee. Learn more about chocolate vs coffee in regards to caffeine.
2. You had to be convinced to drink coffee
Your love for coffee grew out of peer-pressure, but chocolate allowed you to be yourself. Image by @christnerfurt
No one had to convince you to drink or eat chocolate. Chocolate is something we are wired to love. The unique way cocoa butter melts: not oily or greasy, just smooth and creamy. You were born loving chocolate, and likely gave a few extra kicks in the womb when your mother enjoyed some chocolate while you were growing into another chocolate connoisseur.
Coffee on the other hand was likely presented in a peer-pressure experience where you had to force down the bitterness just to seem cool and hip. Maybe you needed to impress your friends in school that you drank coffee now to prove that you were on your way to adulthood. You choked down sips of black coffee, or secretly shoveled in spoonfuls of sugar when no one was looking. Remember that chocolate was cool from the start, and you never made you prove anything to anyone. Chocolate allowed you to be yourself.
3. You like the warmth, not the flavour
One of the main reasons you love coffee, is because you simply love a hot warm comforting drink. Drinking chocolate offers the same soul hitting comfort. Image by @relentlessjpg
I think matcha latte is the case in point. Coffee snobs will kick their feet, but matcha latte is here to stay and has been taking over for a while now. Not everyone needs coffee. And now we have many other types of lattes as well that have taken off such as turmeric or red beet, tea lattes, and the list goes on. What people need in the morning is a hot warm beverage to get the brain and body going and lift their spirts and calm their soul before a big day ahead.
Hot chocolate is still not considered as sophisticated or good as one of these, but that is because most cafes have little to no chocolate knowledge. They are still pumping sweet chocolate syrups or using some generic powders. Drinking chocolate has come a long way. Once drinking chocolate takes off, you will see line-ups out the door of people seeking incredible single-origin drinking chocolates and flavoured ones such as speculaas or black pepper. An incredible drinking chocolate that is warm, frothy, and well balanced can very easily match even the best coffee lattes in the world. Get on board before it becomes trendy. You heard it here first!
4. Cheaper to make the best drinking chocolate than buying a mediocre coffee
Let’s face it, coffees are getting expensive. Now with tax and tip you’re looking at $7 for a decent latte or cappuccino. And what are you paying for really? Some milk that took a hot ride on steam wand with a minute essence of flavour squeezed from a coffee bean. Whoop-de-doo.
The perfect drinking chocolate is made by frothing your favourite fine chocolate with milk. Fine single-origin chocolate has a wider range of aromas than fine coffee. Image by @corey_untitled
A good drinking chocolate is made by frothing up some real grated chocolate. Chocolate with flavour that goes deep and can be just as varied in range as any single-origin coffee lineup. In fact, I would argue fine chocolate has greater range in aroma profile than fine coffee. Drinking chocolate has substance, depth, texture, and leaves you satisfied without unnecessary jitters.
The perfect drinking chocolate is simply a couple tablespoons of finely grated single-origin chocolate frothed with some milk or milk alternative, and would cost you less than $2 to make at home. In fact, in order to have a decent drinking chocolate, you would have to make it at home as 99% of coffee shops and roasters are still in the dark when it comes to understanding and using chocolate for drinking. And if you don’t have a steam wand or espresso machine, you can purchase a milk frother or simply blend the warm milk and chocolate in a small blender for 30 seconds and you’ll be in heaven for the rest of the day.
5. The 21st Century is for chocolate
For thousands of years in Mesoamerica, drinking chocolate was king. It was the way chocolate and cacao was taken, other than used as an ingredient in some cuisine. It was a very different style than today’s modern drinking chocolates (and even many “traditional” ones as tradition shifts), but much of the process of harvesting, curing, and roasting the beans still stands. Grinding it up into a delicious frothy drink is divine when using the right chocolate.
Gone are the days were we use low quality hot cocoa mixes, or cocoa powder and sugar for a flat typical hot chocolate you can find anywhere. Today’s drinking chocolate is as sophisticated as any expensive coffee made by people who grow angry when you ask for things like sugar, vanilla, or matcha. It can even be served in the same pretentious manner as most coffee roasters if that’s your thing. Take a look at the incredible drinking chocolates offered here. Made by small-scale independent makers from around the world using ethically sourced fine cacao.
