Organic Hot Cocoa from Equal Exchange

It is cold! 

After a milder than normal December the cold had slammed into Indiana where The Chocolate Cult is headquartered and thus it was perfect time to try out this organic hot cocoa mix from Equal Exchange. This is the last of the huge sample of products this company sent us in January 2014 but don't worry, the cocoa mix is still good until May this year! This is just one of their cocoa mixes, we used their spicy version last year in baking and drinking, but for this mix we just tested it repeatedly over a cold week as a hot drink. Heads up: This does contain dry milk powder if that is an allergy concern for you. So without further ado, here is our results for the Equal Exchange Fair Trade Organic Hot Cocoa Mix.

In total seven people tried this hot cocoa over the course of a week; here is what we collectively experienced. Your Chocolate Priestess mixed it each time and found it had a rich color, a strong cocoa scent but with an edge of milk and sweetness; the powder was loose and did not clump together as some cheap cocoa powders do. Since dry milk powder is an ingredient I only added water as the directions stated; 6oz water per 2T cocoa powder which results in a maximum of 20 servings per canister. After heating the water I added the cocoa mix and frothed it up with a whisk; it frothed well creating a top of light fluff.  I made enough for the entire group ranging from 2-4 people at a time because I just find it easier to mix up well. The cocoa stayed mixed fairly well though there was some settling at the bottom of the mugs. Those who helped test it reported a strong cocoa scent, a smooth texture, and a lightly sweet flavor with just a hint of milk. Only one person thought it was too dark and he added a teaspoon of more sugar. Personally since I like darker chocolates I thought this was great and knowing what I do about Equal Exchange practices, I felt even better drinking it.

Equal Exchange has a wonderful social agenda that they promote and encourage with their chocolate, coffee, and tea sales. If fair trade, organic, sustainable agriculture matter to you, you need to check them out. If it is cold where you are or it will get cold at some point in the next year to year and a half (the "best by" lifespan of the canister I got), then you need to buy this Organic Hot Cocoa Mix. You'll be doing the world a favor by promoting good practices and be doing your family (and you) a favor with delicious hot cocoa.