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Starbucks Chantico...wow! Now that's hot cocoa! (1 Viewer)

Shawn C

Screenwriter
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May 15, 2001
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I had one of these on Saturday. Phew! I didn't know that they only really served it in those small cups. I ordered a grande size and the kid looked at me like I was nuts.

"Ummm..have you ever had one of these?" "No, but I have heard about it" "We usually serve it in one of these small cups."

Ahhh..I see. It was OK, but I guess it's more of a novelty than anything else. I don't think I will be getting it again. I'll stick to my caramel apple cider.
 

Rob Gardiner

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2002
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2,950
Yes, this is very sad news. CHANTICO was easily the best drink Starbucks has ever served. (Yes, I realize it has no coffee in it. No, I don't find that ironic -- Starbucks treats their coffee in many non-standard ways, including roasting their beans one shade darker than industry standard, which is why their espresso has that "burnt" flavor that local coffee shops like B&O or Vivace lack.)

If you will allow a minor nit-pick, the terms "hot cocoa" and "hot chocolate" have been used interchangably in this thread. However, they are two very different drinks. Hot cocoa is cocoa powder in milk. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, is melted chocolate in milk. Hot chocolate contains cocoa butter, which hot cocoa lacks. That is what makes it so rich. CHANTICO is practically the only true "hot chocolate" that most Americans have the opportunity to taste.

If anyone knows of any other true "hot chocolate" (not cocoa) beverage that is readily available, please let us know -- I for one would be eternally grateful.
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
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Oct 31, 1997
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Holy thread revival, Batman!

Sad to see my beloved drink go :frowning:

But, I will say this, I have tried several Chocolat Chaud recipes and one is an easy amalgamation of several that I like:

2 1/2 cups milk (your call on whole, 2%, etc)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Scharffenberger)
50g dark chocolate bar (I use 70% Lindt dark chocolate, 1/2 the bar) - chopped finely w/ serrated knife
1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment:
2 qt saucepan (important that it has high sides if you use immersion blender)
immersion blender (hand mixer) or regular blender

Combine milk, sugar and vanilla in 2qt saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce to low heat and add cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, until only little dark flecks remain, and the big chocolate chunks are all incorporated. Remove from heat.

Then if using an immersion blender, make sure it is completely submerged and that you have really high sides on your saucepan (or else cocoa will fly everywhere). Use low (or the only setting) and mix for a minute. This will do away with even the little dark flecks of chocolate, and bring in air to the mixture which adds to the texture.

If you don't have an immersion mixer, you can pour the whole hot mixture into a regular blender, and use a low speed like Blend for ~30-60 seconds to get the air in (in my experience the immersion mixer is a little better, but potentially messier--the regular blender is easier).

This makes 4 6-8oz cups.

You can also adjust the chocolate to taste. If you like your cocoa less dark, use more cocoa powder and less dark chocolate. Also, one of the original recipes I read called for 100gm (the whole big bar) of dark chocolate...but that was a little overkill even for me.

Most importantly, use good quality cocoa and dark chocolate. That means you'll probably have to go with a European brand, not Hershey/Nestle.

I've preferred this to Chantico every time, ever since making it.

Chantico is dead! Long live Chantico! :)
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,385
No prob at all...always glad to feed the chocolate addiction.

If you really want the super thickness of Chantico, I suppose you could use whole milk or even substitute a percentage of the milk w/ cream (I'm guessing like 2 cups milk + 1/2 cup cream). And also, use the whole 100g dark chocolate bar.

But I will say how I make it above is plenty rich for me (and on one occasion I used the 85% cocoa bar by Lindt and found it to make a difference).

That being said, I'll admit that I do "skimp" a tiny bit by using 2% milk. Oh the shame! :D
 

Ravi K

Supporting Actor
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
707


Arrgh, I read this entire thread planning to go there tomorrow, and I read this. I'll try Carlo's recipe, though. Thanks for posting it.
 

Ron-P

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2000
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6,300
Real Name
Ron
It was a good drink, RIP Chantico. Hadn't had one in quite sometime though. I'm hooked on the Pumpkin Spice Latte but sadly, it's going away too.
 

Rob Gardiner

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2002
Messages
2,950
Ravi,


Check your friendly neighborhood Starbucks. The product has been discontinued and no more will be manufactured, but many stores still have their remaining supply of the drink in stock. The shop near my office has run out, but the location near my apartment still has some left.
 

Ari

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 3, 1999
Messages
202
I tried Carlo's recipe and it was very good considering I skimped on the ingredients. Being a diabetic, I had to use Splenda...and the only milk we had at home was 1%. Next time, I'll probably go with whole milk and perhaps use the whole bar (it was 70%).
 

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