Hot Chocolate and Hot Cocoa: There IS a Difference.

                Few people besides foodies understand the consequential differences which separate hot cocoa from the class of hot chocolate. This widespread ignorance only serves to hurt the consumers themselves and damage the reputation of hot chocolate everywhere, resulting in mislabeling wintertime drinks and an absence of the true joy which could be felt in wisdom.

            Contrary to popular belief, hot chocolate and hot cocoa are not synonymous titles. Hot chocolate has a long and noble past, one of hard work and effort leading to the creation of the drink of kings and princes, while hot cocoa is a watery substitute for the poorer masses of society, a con’s tool, one used to dupe the unaware into accepting less than they could have if they only knew better.

            The fundamental difference: hot chocolate is a work of art, while hot cocoa is a lazy caricature of what could have been. Hot chocolate, a skill: warm milk carefully mixed with pure, melted chocolate. Not too much, not too little—depending on the taste of the drinker. It is a balancing act. Hot cocoa: water and fake chocolate powder. Hot cocoa called chocolate is a disgrace to the honorable legacy of the drink. Hot chocolate has class, cocoa does not.

            Why do we as Americans insist on laying by the wayside a quality item for one of convenience, speed, and less work? The conflict of chocolate versus cocoa could be declared symbolic of the American dream—the discard of ethics and personal pride in favor of a quick climb to the top. The origin of hot chocolate dates back to a Mesoamerican people 3,000 years ago. Cortez introduced the drink to Europe through the Spanish in the 1500s. But now, the traditional North American version is instant, stored in superficial packets and mass-produced. We have torn down the glorious custom and reduced it to a tool for profit.

            We should be ashamed that we have let the lines between hot chocolate and hot cocoa blur. In the olden days, hot chocolate was studied by doctors, revered by explorers, and prized by rulers. Hot cocoa today has pushed that hot chocolate into the background, overshadowing and hiding the true drinking chocolate behind a mountainous pile of dissatisfying packets. As Plato’s characters did in the Allegory of the Cave, once a person tastes the enlightenment of true hot chocolate, he and she will be unable to turn back to the watery sludge of “cocoa” pressed into their hands by self-centric corporations. With awareness, hot chocolate can be recognized again and distinguished from the fraud hot cocoa. The terms “hot chocolate” and “hot cocoa” cannot be used interchangeably, no matter how the ignorant world thinks! Hot cocoa is an artificial king, who has shoved hot chocolate, the true monarch, unjustly from his throne, leaving hot chocolate to reside in the shadows.

            Why does Europe seem so much chicer than America? Because they do not cut corners to their own advantage. Let’s bring back hot chocolate; let’s restore class to our country.