VeganMoFo: Hot Cocoa Reviews!

We've got less than a week left of VeganMoFo, and I'm gonna try to go out on a bang with some good posts for this week...

Today I present:
A review of Vegan Hot Cocoa Mixes
(with a special side show of my cute mugs)

Cocoa is a wonderful elixir, but it's also a complicated product. A lot of human and environmental suffering can go into a chocolate bar or a glass of hot cocoa, so it's important to be an informed consumer. First off, many (most?) hot cocoa mixes have milk solids in them, so those ones are not vegan. Yes, I agree - that's very irritating. But vegans aren't just concerned about our four-legged friends. In my opinion, a truly VEGAN chocolate experience must be organic, dairy-free, and fair-trade. This way you can cover all your bases of potential exploitation, and truly enjoy your warm toasty beverage with a clear conscience and good digestion.

I am a big time Hot Cocoa fan... especially since I don't really drink coffee or tea much. I noticed that I have 7 different hot cocoa brands in my cupboard, so I did a scientific taste test for all y'all's behalf (shout out to Amanda!). For this experiment I used half hemp milk and half oat milk, although I also love making hot cocoa with soy milk, almond milk, or (especially!) hazelnut milk. Yum.

Cocoa: Omanhene Hot Cocoa Mix.
Mug: Kitty Mug made for me by my Mom when I was a little girl.
Review: This cocoa comes from Ghana. It has a mild flavor, that is amplified if you use more cocoa. Still though, the complexity of the cocoa is not really there. It's a thin cocoa flavor with a slightly odd aftertaste. There are a few cocoa chunks left in the bottom of the mug.

Cocoa: Dagoba Xocolatl
Mug: Doggies mug given to me by a yoga student
Review: This hot cocoa really packs a spicy heat punch. The chocolate flavor is pretty much secondary to the heat factor. I generally use this in addition to another cocoa mix. I do like the way that the spicy heat warms me from the inside along with the temperature heat of the hot cocoa. On its own though, the cocoa flavor was not pronounced enough to be satisfying. This could be, in part, due to the large amount of cocoa in the bottom of the mug when I was done. I guess it requires a lot of stirring, maybe even sifting?

Cocoa: Sweet Earth Chai Cocoa
Mug: One of my two Tintin Mugs. I love Tintin!
Review: My most recent purchase, I had never heard of a Chai Cocoa mix before. I love the combo of chocolate and chai flavors. Made with actual cocoa and chai spices, both flavors are clear and strong - don't buy this if you don't like cardamom - but the chai is perhaps slightly dominant over the cocoa. This is another cocoa that requires thourough stirring, as the cocoa solids do tend to collect at the bottom of the mug. I also found that I needed another scoop of cocoa compared to some of the others to get the proper flavor punch.

Cocoa: Lake Champlain Organic Fair Trade Hot Cocoa
Mug: My chicken mug from the thrift store
Review: This is one of my standards, a nice clear hot cocoa flavor. It's not too sweet, and has a great dissolvability factor, so that you don't discover all your cocoa flavor hiding at the bottom of the mug when you're done. The cocoa flavor here isn't terribly complex or spicy, but it is satisfying and chocolately.

Cocoa: Trader Joe's Natural Mint Cocoa
Mug: My dancing bugs mug
Review: I got this a while back as a gift. I don't use it often, but I busted it out for this testing experiment. It's not too bad, but it's noticably less chocolatey and less complex than the others. It is indeed minty, so for all you mint-choco folks, that's a nice element. However the sweet sugar presence is a bit too strong for my tastes, supressing the cocoa flavor a bit. It's a friendly and accessible mix though, and probably good for kiddos who might not appreciate the dollar per cup ratio of some of these other selections.

Cocoa: Dagoba Hot Chocolate Mix
Mug: My other Tintin mug, which is a little better because it has Snowy on it
Review: This Dagoba cocoa has a nice, full cocoa flavor. It's sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, and the sugar-cocoa balance seems perfect. Like the other Dagoba cocoa reviewed above, I do get irritated at how much cocoa is in the bottom of the mug when I'm done. It's like I spend the whole time wishing for a richer flavor and then the last couple sips are overwhelmingly rich. I'm not sure why this happens, or if constant stirring would solve it. Believe me, I try!

Cocoa: Whole Foods Allegro Organic Peruvian 68
Mug: My little Japanese Dog mug
Review: I was surprised how much I liked this one. When I first bought it, while travelling, I was desperate for hot cocoa. But I decided I didn't much care for it. This time around, it stood out as my favorite. The cocoa flavor was the most complex and intriguing of all my selections. The appearance was lovely, with little flecks of cocoa floating around in the mug. The dissolvability was good, and the taste was both subtle and appealing. Chocolatey and sweet, and I could really notice the natural spicy tones of the cocoa. Yum.

Hot Beverage: Inka Grain Beverage
Mug: My hand-painted mug with pictures of my childhood dog, JD
Review: Finally, this isn't a cocoa beverage, but it does bear mentioning. Inka is a grain-based "coffee substitute" that I really like. Recently I've started making "mochas" of sorts - mixing cocoa and inka into my milk. The inka has a strong flavor (which is yummy, but not really anything like coffee in case you're wondering), and so not more than a small spoonful is needed. Along with some cocoa mix, it's extra yummy and satisfying.

Hope you enjoyed the reviews!