Vosges – Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa
January 20, 2008 - chocolate
Mmmm… another hot chocolate mix! These is a premeasured packet for 4 oz of hot chocolate (is this enough to satisfy most people? I need at least 8 oz to make me happy…).
On first taste, what really stands out is how well-rounded it is: not overly sweet, not over doing it with too much chocolate, and it has just enough heat from the ancho and chipotle to complement the cocoa and cinnamon. Interesting also is looking through the ingredients – dark chocolate shavings is the lead ingredient. This, plus the ancho, gives this a nice solid taste that develops into a creamy, cinnamon-laced delight.
A final note – I wonder if this is from an interpretation of the original recipe, or for production reasons, or both, but this contains a minute amount of cornmeal. Presumably to assist with the dissolving of the chocolate shavings? Or to act as a natural dessicant?
Being that it is such a wicked cold day outside here in the Northeast, it seemed only fair (and self-serving) to compare this to the Lake Champlain we reviewed earlier:
Summary: these are both delicious, but have distinctive differences. The Lake Champlain is a bit spicer and probably to offset that, a little sweeter. Its taste leans more to the cocoa end of the spectrum, where the Vosges leans more into chocolate. The Vosges is not as spicy, but has a nice creamyness and complex flavor.
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