Next up was signature hot chocolate, which was rich and not too sweet. My white chocolate beverage was delicious. Barista Samantha melted white button chips placed in a Pyrex glass measuring cup in hot water and then added frothy milk steamed in a professional steamer and freshly whipped Cabot whipped cream to float on top. Inside, the small shop was filled with a huge assortment of chocolates of all shapes and sizes. An immediate text back: “Where should I meet you?” We embarked on a 130-mile tour of some of Vermont’s finest hot chocolate venues.Īt Laughing Moon Chocolates, located on Route 100 in Stowe Village, a chocolate graveyard with homemade dark-gray tombstones reading Kiss Chocolate, Sweets, Caramel and Fudge cleverly graced the entrance. I texted my most chocolate-obsessed friend to meet me the following morning at 8:30 and promised a fun adventure of hot chocolate sampling. This hot chocolate tasting tour was too good to do alone it needed to be shared with someone. Gary, who heads the retail operation, showed me a small tin of Old World drinking chocolate and explained that by using the recipe on the back, you could actually make this one at home. Old World sounded intriguing, and when Erika the barista asked if I wanted housemade marshmallows or homemade whipped cream, I chose marshmallows.ĭark chocolate melted into piping hot frothy milk offered a rich, aromatic, full-bodied and deeply satisfying experience. The last three were part of Blue Bandana-a division of Lake Champlain Chocolates that creates impressive chocolate from bean to bar using unique cacao beans roasted in their nearby facility. Under the Dark Hot Chocolate offerings included Old World, Peppermint, Guatemala, Tanzania and Dominican Republic. The Hot Chocolate listing offered Traditional and Aztec. However, I wasn’t prepared for the menu offering seven different flavors. With autumn’s chillier weather, requesting hot chocolate didn’t seem unusual. At the entrance, I was greeted by a large sign: a steamy cup of hot cocoa with three marshmallows floating on top, Our Take On Happy Hour, printed in bold letters. Naturally, my first stop was the headquarters and flagship store of Lake Champlain Chocolate, located on Pine Street in the Queen City. Owner Jim Lampman and his two children, Eric and Ellen, have led the charge since 1983, inspiring other smaller shops to refine their operations to deliver high-quality, rich, authentic hot chocolate.Ī week after the autumn equinox, I embarked on a “tour de hot chocolate” traveling to six Vermont towns, sampling some of the best-quality hot chocolate and meeting the fascinating people who create it. This first-class chocolatier boasts fair-trade certified, organic and non-GMO ingredients, homemade marshmallows and fresh whipped cream. Travel and Leisure recently recognized Burlington-based Lake Champlain Chocolates as one of America’s best sources for the beverage. Yet Vermont may soon find itself listed as one of the best places to find award-winning hot chocolate. Vermont’s focus on good local food and beverages provides the perfect backdrop.Īs beer lines form at places like Stowe’s Alchemist, Greensboro’s Hill Farmstead and Shelburne’s Fiddlehead Brewery, our state has gained a deserved reputation as the Napa Valley of craft beer. Made from freshly ground roasted cocoa beans or from some of the finest European chocolate, today’s hot chocolate landscape offers a wide range of flavors from Caribbean and African spices, house roasted cocoa beans, homemade marshmallows and locally sourced freshly whipped cream. A cup of hot chocolate, the often gritty sensation from the powder that settled in the bottom of your mug, has transformed into a rich, deep smooth flavor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |