We profiled over 85 different cocoa beverages from around the world – both milk and water formulas. Each drink was tested for aroma, color, taste, mouth feel, and aftertaste. One product had a great cream profile, another an excellent aroma and another a fine taste, but no cocoa mix had all the qualities we were looking for in a single product.
Mass Product Findings
During our profiling, we found that the majority of mass cocoa products utilize artificial colors, flavorings, and fragrances to create the illusion of gourmet cocoa.
Because milk has a tendency to go bitter when heated at or above 140 degrees, it is a perfect compliment to espresso but not to chocolate. Water formulas are better for taste as well as preparation convenience; however, the majority of the water formulas we tested separated instantly turned into a pudding consistency as they cooled. In some drinks we could actually smell a chemical note in the product’s stabilizer; not appealing for a gourmet formula.
OUR RECIPE
Our recipe contains a blend of gourmet and carefully selected cocoas to create its amazing flavor. It consists of only 1% natural and artificial flavoring, which we use to round out the blend and maintain a consistent flavor profile. We like to think of these flavorings as a pinch of salt and pepper in our favorite recipe: they accentuate the taste, but they do not create it.
We spent six months developing our powdered cream base. We refined the recipe’s stabilizer to be strong enough to keep the cocoa suspended: we wanted our drinks to keep a natural consistency as they cooled. We also endeavored to create a base that was creamier than anything mixed with milk, since we knew this was the taste that most customers preferred. With its frothy head, its creamy base and its pleasing consistency, we are confident that our efforts in creating CUPofCOATM have resulted in the highest quality cocoa available on the market.
