So how did the chocolate drink get all the way from Mexico to Europe?
The next instalment on our brief history of chocolate, takes place in 1519. An explorer called Hernán Cortés pursued his dream of discovering the New World, where he would also find his fame and fortune. Cortés invaded Mexico with his Spanish army and stumbled upon the Aztec civilization. The Aztec emperor Montezuma welcomed Cortés with a strange dark drink. Cortés was told the drink was made from the fruit of the cocoa tree, which when made into a drink, was called Cacahuatl. He noticed that the Aztec people offered this drink to the Gods and noticed the Aztec people using the cocoa tree’s fruit as a form of currency. The cocoa tree’s fruit was highly prized and a valued commodity by the local Aztec people.
When Cortés and his army returned to Spain in 1958 to show everyone his findings, did he take back gold, silver or any other precious metal with him? Nope, instead Cortés took with him cacao beans, lots and lots of cacao beans! Upon his return Cortés introduced this Cacahuatl drink to the Spanish courts, with the drink being incredibly expensive, only the elite and wealthy could afford to drink it.
Instead of using spice like the Aztecs, the Spanish sweetened the bitter drink with cane sugar and cinnamon. This was the start of the sweet, delicious hot chocolate that we now enjoy today.
Drinking chocolate is one of life’s luxuries, and can be as simple as a powdered cocoa stirred into hot water or milk. But here at Choc affair, we believe that a hot chocolate drink should be a more luxurious experience than processed cocoa powder. This is why our delicious hot chocolate range is made with handmade flakes of our single origin, Colombian chocolate. The flakes melt into your hot milk, releasing an irresistable aroma, creating the most indulgent treat imaginable.
With a choice of 4 stunning drinking chocolates, 1 of which are is a plant based Oat M!lk, I feel pretty confident you will find your favourite amongst the 4.