Independent, artisan chocolate makers in the US have actually taken to following the South American natives in how they produce their chocolate. Instead of processed white sugar, they use agave, for example. It's become quite popular, and it sells at a premium. It's quite delicious.
You, Sir, are quite right. I was surprised to discover artesenal (SP?) chocolatiers in L.A. two years ago as I decompressed for a few days after a 14-hour non-stop flight. And I was WAY impressed that they used 70 to 80% craftily roasted real caocao beans.
I admit to having twin nieces who both grew up in Switzerland. One has since moved on to Tokyo. However, they always would send me and everyone else in the world Swiss chocolate as a gift. I could never stand the stuff. Same with the German-style chocolate. In fact, regular and milk chocolate has always made my throat burn because it's just too damn sweet. Cadbury causes the same reaction. But I have a soft spot in my heart for Cadbury. It was only when I discovered Toblerone's extra dark chocolate and then Hershey's Special Dark -- not mixed with anything such as nuts or coconut, rice-krispies -- what have you -- that I began to enjoy chocolate once again.
My paternal grandmother was born in Monterrey, Mexico (actually, somewhere between there and Zacatecas) and her rendition of hot chocolate was an incredibly strong beverage that none of my friends could stomach when we were children. But I loved it. She basically just dumped Hershey's Coco straight from the can and made a thick, hot paste with boiling water. She'd toss in a enough real vanilla extract to soften the bite, and you could still taste the alcohol from the vanilla extract. And that was chocolate when I was growing up. Sometimes she'd find unroasted beans or some totally unknown brand of Mexican chocolate that had to be crushed up in a mortar and pulverized. But Hershey's Coco makes a good approximation of the real stuff when there's nothing else. I still buy "baker's" chocolate and gnaw on it. I'm addicted to the dark bitter taste.
Hot chocolate shops offering a variety of beverages that make your ears bleed or just make you smile because of the addition of black raw sugar and cinnamon are once again making a comeback in the upscale parts of Mexico City . . . especially in La Condesa. And the old, cramped and very tiny hot chocolate cafes in the Barri Gotic are once again offering black hot chocolate with the stuff they've been selling for centuries. In Spain, if the spoon doesn't stand up straight in your hot chocolate, the chocolate (not the spoon) is considered inferior.
Off topic: For those of you interested in losing a few pounds, put a big dash of ground cinnamon in your morning coffee or on top of the foam of a cup of cappucino. Turns out that cinnamon is a very strong natural appetite suppressant and it works for hours. Nutmeg has a similar effect. But if you consume to much nutmeg you'll start to hallucinate and have visions. :biggrin1:
