Hands up, I\u2019m a food snob.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m that person who walks into a caf\u00e9 and asks:<\/p>\n
“Do you have almond milk?”<\/p>\n
“Could I have my brownie warmed up a little bit?”<\/p>\n
“What kind of chocolate powder do you use?”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Okay, maybe it\u2019s annoying to some people. But if you deliver your question with a smile and a friendly face, the staff simply can\u2019t help but fall for your loveable charm.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a difference between asking and demanding.<\/p>\n
If they don\u2019t have it, no big deal, it\u2019s not the end of the world and there are other things on the menu. If they do, great\u2014you don\u2019t ask, you don\u2019t get.<\/p>\n
For example, on one of these occasions, I was in the newly-opened vegetarian on-campus caf\u00e9, Greenhouse. I had already gauged the staff as friendly and accommodating, since we happily chatted away about the delights of hand-roasted fresh coffee, coconut porridge and herbal tea. I knew they wouldn\u2019t mind me inquiring about the source of their hot chocolate.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for my daily chocolate intake (for the next year at least), Greenhouse now stock the award-winning brand of Kokoa Collection: A real hot chocolate, delicately made with cocoa beans from around the world.<\/p>\n
This is not powder, but little tablets of actual chocolate that are then swirled into hot milk and frothed in the machine for extra smooth whippedness.<\/p>\n
You can even have it as a mocha for a double energy boost and serotonin release.<\/p>\n
Actually, I recently discovered that chocolate contains the chemical \u2018theobromine\u2019, which is a natural bitter alkaloid found in the cacao plant. It\u2019s a slow release heart stimulant that\u2019s available in high percentage chocolate bars, which enables you to reap the pharmaceutical rewards without that sugar-anxiety low that comes from highly-processed branded chocolate.<\/p>\n
Theodore is also a brother of mine, but that\u2019s irrelevant to the review.<\/p>\n
High percentage is best, with a combination of the 82% Madagascan extra dark and 70% Ecuadorian my favourite. Music student and devout chocolate enthusiast Samantha Mayes describes the Venezuelan 58% milk as \u2018heaven in a teacup\u2019. It\u2019s also available in Ivory Coast White if you\u2019re less concerned about the health benefits. What more do you really want?<\/p>\n