Chocolate is delicious. A cup of milk, brought practically to a boil; a tablespoon of cocoa heaped as high as it'll go (probably 5 tsp); a little pinch of cayenne; a few drops of vanilla; a tablespoon of sugar or honey. Whisk to perfection and you have heaven in a mug. And if you like chocolate syrup on your ice cream or in your mochas, don't disgrace your food with storebought syrups like hersheys. You can make a much much better one at home. Start with a simple syrup, 3 cups sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water. Then add a 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup, and whisk in 1.5 cups of fully-dutched cocoa. Once that's dissolved, drizzle in a teaspoon or two of vanilla, and there you have it. Delicious chocolate sauce. And since its so much cheaper than buying it, you can spend the extra cash buying better quality cocoa (though even the cheap store brands seem to be better quality than the stuff hersheys uses in their sauce). And now for a few of my favorite chocolate quotes: Quote:“My chocolate addiction, like Thoreau’s economics, is a subject which admits of being treated with levity, but it cannot be so disposed of.”
-Jonathan Ott, The Cacahuatl Eater: Confessions of an unabashed chocolate addict Quote:“American chocolate is coarse – they skimp on grinding. My favorite is Belgian chocolate, the 77% kind. It’s business-like and to-the-point. The Dutch can do about as well as the Belgians, when they put their minds to it. German chocolate can be good as long as they are copying the Dutch. Swiss chocolate is too precise – they confuse it with their watches. French chocolate is pretentious – all frills and package with no substance. English chocolate is clueless, they have to add fruits and nuts to it. Russian chocolate should come with a wick and a candelabra.
-Dale Pendell, Pharmako/dynamis Now pardon me while I go gobble some chocolate 
|
|
|
im addicted to cocoa..like very seriousily..and i love it..its like my freaking ally..many many times a day.. Sitting here right now with my cup of cocoa tea and ginger that i always drink after the vilca.. I always take it vilca..before and after..and at the end of an aya brew..and mushrooms.. Long live the unwoke.
|
|
|
i enjoy alll chocolates, BUT i do occasionally like delighting my tastebuds and other senses with a strong dose of 100%. thatll get you in the true love for choco! I might also add: try taking your favorite hot cocoa drink and adding some peppermint schnapps to it for a refreshing york peppermint patty like drink! Who's this SWIM person and when do I get to meet them? They sound friken cool!
|
|
|
oh I eat nothing other than pure bakers cocoa or cacao..im allergic to dairy so none of the prepared stuff for me..I just dump in some powdered cacao and then some brown sugar or honey and some cocnut milk, some ginger and some boiling water. Long live the unwoke.
|
|
|
Cocao is wonderful! No wonders the Aztecs used it as currency once. The usual cacao people make is really far from what this beautiful plant has to offer. I make my cacao with pure, untreated powder, and often eat cereal with cacao nibs. Wonderful, just wonderful!
I once really enjoyed dark chocolate too, but nowadays it is just too much sugar for me. Yeah, even in chocolates with 70-80% cacao. But then again I am a weirdo when it comes to sugar, I never eat anything with added sugar. Glucose acts as a poison for my body. Maybe I should try make some chocolate with stevia? By the way, I recently purchased a 25x cocoa extract from LoveLeafGarden, really looking forward to try that!
|
|
|
There is chocolate that doesn't contain artificially added sugar. It's only sweet because of fruits that's been mixed through it. I don't know the brand names, but it must be available in america two.
|
|
|
Chocolate with stevia definitely works as long as an emulsifier like lecithin is added.
|
|
|
Chocolate is fantastic! 2 recipe suggestions... beat .5 cup of cooked porridge-consistency cornmeal into Entropymancer's recipe beat an egg white in for a protein boost! l "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard P. Feynman
|
|
|
Cocoa is heated, cacao is raw. They are different... Cacao is the powerfully trippy stuff.  Tonight I made hot chocolate: 10 oz. boiling water 2 tbsp cacao 2 tbsp agave 1/2 tsp cacao butter 1 drop peppermint essential oil pinch cayenne 2 pinches cinnamon 2 tbsp goji berries Blend... and... wow!! That was hours ago and I think I'm still buzzed.  Some things will come easy, some will be a test
|
|
|
ms_manic_minxx wrote:Cocoa is heated, cacao is raw. They are different... Cacao is the powerfully trippy stuff. Tonight I made hot chocolate: 10 oz. boiling water 2 tbsp cacao 2 tbsp agave 1/2 tsp cacao butter 1 drop peppermint essential oil pinch cayenne 2 pinches cinnamon 2 tbsp goji berries Blend... and... wow!! That was hours ago and I think I'm still buzzed. Wow... intriguing. where does one procure Cacao, ms_manic_minxx? In my vast ignorance, i have always considered cacao as interchangeable with coocoa... a shelterd existence, I know, but now I am deeply intrigued, and in need of educating  JBArk JBArk is a Mandelthought; a non-fiction character in a drama of his own design he calls "LIFE" who partakes in consciousness expanding activities and substances; he should in no way be confused with SWIM, who is an eminently data-mineable and prolific character who has somehow convinced himself the target he wears on his forehead is actually a shield.
|
|
|
Im so glad this thread popped up! I have a serious soft spot for chocolate (located near my belly)  . Anyway my girlfriend and I today on our ride back up the mountain were discussing Cacao and our eagerness to try out this magically delicous treat. Ms. Minx, your recipe sounds great! Adding the cayenne (also a very healing spice, and very tasty with chocolate) is a great idea. I echo Jbarks sentiment, where do you all procure your cacao? Is this something that should be ordered from trusted vendors, or is quality cacao something that is readily available? All statements made by Once have no basis in reality, if reality even exists.
|
|
|
Health food stores, and even some online ethnobotanical vendors will have it. Just make sure it is raw! I've gotten quite seriously ripped from this crazy heirloom Ecuadorian stuff... a quick Google search should return plenty of suppliers (but shop around for good prices!  ). Essential Living Foods (ELF) is into organic/sustainable/high quality products, my personal recommendation... (I am not affiliated, only addicted.  ) The powder has all of the fats removed from it, and I think it tends to hit me faster than beans/nibs. If you can manage to score beans with the skins still on them, they are even more nutritious! Edit: Sunfood nutrition is another very popular company (if I had to fight anyone, a la Fight Club, however, I'd love to fight David Wolfe. ). Nativas... Nujima... Ultimate Superfoods... there are literally TONS of vendors out there!! Some things will come easy, some will be a test
|
|
|
Ms. Minx, Thanks for your guidance! I am getting very excited thinking about this. I am a fricken crackhead, maybe I shouldnt. I guess if "where to score my next bag of cacao nibs?" is my biggest problem, I should be ok. Bring it on Chocolatey Goodness! All statements made by Once have no basis in reality, if reality even exists.
|
|
|
It's also amazing to throw some cacao powder, agave nectar, dates, coconut oil/butter together in the blender with fresh berries/spices/etc. to make a thick paste, and then put into some cute heart-shaped icecube trays and store in the fridge/freezer to make truffles (coconut oil and butter harden when cold: make sure to use enough so it becomes solid, but all ingredients are to taste). Add a little bit of hemp or almond milk to make milk chocolatey truffles for psychedelic cacao goodness... and possible some fumarates. Some things will come easy, some will be a test
|