A Hot Chocolate and Horchata at Santa Catalina, Valencia, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
11M ago
I love Valencia. There is just something so warm and inviting about this city. It is easy; easy to get around, easy to talk to people, easy to eat good food, easy to find good chocolate. I don’t know what it would actually be like to live there but I’m willing to give it a try. Now I just need to convince my partner… Hidden in a maze of narrow pedestrian laneways is my favourite, Horchateria de Santa Catalina. This is where you come to enjoy a typical Valencian drink called a Horchata. A horchata is made by with locally grown tiger nut. The nuts are left to soak in cold water for 12 hours the ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Xoco & Vero, Valencia, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
11M ago
Chocolateria Artesano Xoco & Vero was founded by a family that has been making chocolate since 1823. They are direct descendants of chocolate family Torrent-Valencia and continue to make their chocolate following the formulas and techniques of their ancestors. Their specialty is to make bollos or bollet which are cylindrical chocolates wrapped in paper which are native to Valencia. The recipe is based on the first recipes of modern chocolate here in Spain and include cane sugar, cocoa paste, rice flour and other flavourings. The chocolate is not refined so you notice the sugar crystals on ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at BomBon, Madrid, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
Bombon is my local in Madrid. I don’t actually live in Madrid, so I don’t have a local bar/cafe either, but if I did live in Madrid, I’d probably start my apartment searches around this area because of Bombon. I love everything about this tiny cafe; the location, the decor, the vibe and, of course, the chocolate. In addition to a wall selling a range of really good single origin bean to bar chocolates from around the globe, they offer a range of hot chocolates made with organic and fair trade chocolate, a blend of beans from Peru and Sao Tome. With these, they can create all sorts of drinks f ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines, Madrid, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
What you need right now is a warm mug of thick, dark chocolate with 3 or 4 crispy, golden, still warm churros to dip into the chocolate. At least this is what I need right now. You can find these all around Spain, but Madrid had my favourites. But it seems that I am not the only one that feels this way judging by the long lines outside Chocolateria San Gines. Open and serving since 1894, Chocolateria San Gines first became famous serving chocolate and churros to people as they exited the theatre nearby. At the time there were bunolerias (shops making churros) everywhere and it was a very popu ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Parador de Cuenca, Cuenca, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
Mid way between Madrid and Valencia is the historic walled city of Cuenca. The UNESCO World Heritage city is famous for its “casas coladas” or handing houses with wooden balconies that hang straight out over high cliffs. If you walk over Puente de San Pablo footbridge you get excellent views of these. We only partially visited though to see the city; we also visited for the chance to stay in the Parador de Cuenca. Paradores are state run hotels that are set in restored castles, monasteries, convents and fortresses. This one is located in a 16th century convent just opposite the hanging houses ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Chocolates Valor, Salamanca, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
There are some cities that I visit, where I find I will stop, look around and sigh. It is just so beautiful to the point that I considered enrolling in a class at the University of Salamanca just so that I could stay a while. The Cathedral, Casa de las Conchas, Casa Lis, the city is filled with architectural marvels and food, lots of good food. Sit and enjoy a drink at Plaza Mayor, one of the largest squares in Spain. If you do stay the night, Parador de Salamanca offers stunning views across the city and historic rooms. When you are ready for your hot chocolate, visit Chocolate Valor. Chocol ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at La Cepedana, Astorga, Spain
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
I just realised this morning that I hadn’t finished sharing posts on my trip exploring the history of chocolate through Spain. I left you high in the mountains in Sotres, siping hot chocolate and eating Cabrales cheese. I know that isn’t a terrible place to be left, but it has been far too long and it is about time I finish telling you about this chocolate fuelled trip that dates back to pre COVID years (remember those?). From Sotres we drove to Astorga, 277km away. Park in one of the parking lots located around the outside of the historic centre and then make a short walk up the hill to reac ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Rey Amargo, Seattle, USA
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
It’s always exciting to visit a cafe that is dedicated to hot chocolate (at least for me), especially one that makes their own chocolate. Rey Amargo was therefore high on my list and definitely worth a detour. There are dozens of flavours available, although most I only realised after the fact because the menu I found online didn’t seem to be available at the cafe. It’s a ‘choose your own adventure’, hot chocolate style. They have chocolate available in many different percentages, from as little as 32% (so quite sweet) to 72% (much darker). They will keep it traditional or add flavours such a ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Indi Chocolate, Seattle, USA
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
Indi Chocolates isn’t just a chocolate shop. Indi Chocolates makes their own chocolate, from bean to bar, and transforms these into a mind boggling range of products that are very difficult not to buy. Erin Andrews founded Indi Chocolates over 12 years ago. It all started with a trip Belize where she fell in love with chocolate and started a chocolate business there, making chocolate from bean to bar. After selling her interests in that company, she returned to Seattle and started again, but this time making lotions with cocoa butter, originally for her youngest daughter who had sensitive ski ..read more
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A Hot Chocolate at Seleuss Chocolates, Seattle, USA
Ultimate Hot Chocolate
by Giselle Weybrecht
1y ago
A visit of Seleuss is a moment of luxury. You need to ring the doorbell and wait for someone to let you in. Don’t worry, they will. No passwords are needed. But for that brief moment before he does open the door, we must all look like little kids with our noses pressed up against the glass window, drool starting to form at the corner of our mouths as we look at the spread of chocolate delights, all perfectly presented (they should have a livecam pointing towards the door…could make for funny watching). There are enough bottles of liquor displayed on the walls to turn this into a neighbourhood ..read more
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