Drinking Chocolate

I like chocolate quite a bit. I'm not willing to name my first born Xocoa or anything, but I am more than willing to make character judgments about people based on their chocolate preferences. Personally, I like dark chocolate. The darker the better -- up to about 85% cacao. Milk chocolate is for wimps. Or people who like milk. I don't like milk. I'm lactose-intolerant. I also like chocolate *without* nuts and funny crunchy things mixed in it. I don't like anything that breaks up the texture of the chocolate. I do like spices -- cayenne, cinnamon, and even anise, all taste quite good with dark chocolate.

I had this drinking chocolate in a chocolate shop in Portland some time ago. I loved it. It was thick and creamy and it is to your regular hot chocolate what Peet's French Roast is to Foldger's Instant Coffee. I think I'm a little late to the party, though. A quick search on the web tells me that drinking chocolate has been in fashion in the States for at least 2 years now. Even Starbucks tried to sell it! I don't know how it's possible that I didn't know about it. Oh wait, I do -- because I've been stuck in the South eating pulled pork instead!

So when I saw this at the store, I really just had to buy it. (Check out the rest of Kekau's savory chocolate collection. Yumm!) I followed the stove-top directions at first. But now I've gotten the process down to under a minute in the microwave. And it tastes delicious with regular soy milk -- all the better for those of us who are lactose-challenged!

I tell myself when I drink this that it aids my "recovery" from my runs.