When Chowhound ranked the best and worst chocolate chips to be found at the grocery store, one brand rose to the top: Guittard Chocolate Company. Guittard’s semisweet chocolate chips were praised by online reviewers for being smooth with a well-balanced flavor — if a little pricey. So it may come as a shock to hear that this popular, California-based chocolate company secured a very different distinction when Chowhound ranked popular hot chocolate mixes: To put it bluntly, they were the loser.
Unlike the balanced flavor of the semisweet chocolate chips, Guittard’s Grand Cacao Sweet Ground Chocolate was “incredibly bitter.” Although the label promised a sweetened chocolate (and the ingredient list kicks off with cane sugar), Chowhound’s reviewer had trouble detecting any sweetness in the final beverage. This came as a particular disappointment because, during preparation, the beverage smelled incredible. Interestingly, Guittard’s hot cocoa mix is intended both “for drinking and baking.” If a recipe calls for cocoa powder, it typically specifies “unsweetened.” The company may have been trying to find a happy middle between drinking chocolate and baking cocoa, and just didn’t quite hit the mark.
Drawing on tradition
Another explanation for the bitterness may be found in the description on the back of the can. Guittard claims this drinking chocolate is inspired by the hot chocolate drink of the 1920s, which may have been far less sweet than what we are used to today. In fact, Guittard introduced its own sweet ground cocoa at the turn of the 20th century. This original sweet cocoa recipe was inspired by the tradition of Maya drinking chocolate, according to the Guittard website — and Maya chocolate was typically flavored with spices or peppers, but not sweetened.
Perhaps it’s important to adjust one’s expectations when approaching a cup of Guittard drinking chocolate. It’s reminiscent of the past, but not necessarily accessible — or at least not familiar — to modern tastes. Of course, if you do find yourself with a can of Guittard’s drinking chocolate and can’t get past the bitterness, there’s a surefire way to make a cup of hot chocolate both a little sweeter and a little creamier: sweetened condensed milk. Simply add a tablespoon or two to your beverage mix to smooth out the flavor and produce a perfectly delicious cup of cocoa.
