If in the recent past, in order to choose cocoa, you had to go to the store and buy a pack of the only product in the assortment, today the situation has changed radically. Different varieties and types of cocoa on the shelves of anyone can be confusing. What kind of drink do you need? How to choose it? There are two types of cocoa: cocoa powder, which needs to be boiled, and cocoa drink, which is simply diluted with hot water.
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Instruction manual
1
Cocoa powder is a paste made from the fruits of the cocoa tree, dried and ground. A drink from this product is prepared as follows: milk, water and sugar are taken, a small amount of powder is poured. The mixture is brought to a boil - everything, the drink is ready. The powder prepared from the fruits of the chocolate tree retains many useful substances, making hot chocolate very useful. It prevents aging, nourishes the body with vitamins and protects against certain diseases.
2
When choosing cocoa powder, pay attention to its aroma and structure. If lumps appear in the powder, this means that the mixture was not stored correctly or that the product expired. The same means that cocoa powder has lost its flavor. If the taste of a drink made from this powder leaves much to be desired, then it is already unsuitable for making hot chocolate. Although usually such a product can still be added to the dough, the natural cocoa tree powder serves as an excellent colorant and gives the baking taste and aroma of chocolate.
3
Cocoa drinks are easy to make. It is enough to take a few spoons of such a product, dilute with hot water or hot milk and cocoa is ready. The composition of the mixtures used for the preparation of cocoa drinks necessarily includes the powder itself from the cocoa fruit, sugar, milk powder and lecithin are also usually added - this substance does not allow insoluble precipitate to appear.
4
If you want to choose a quality cocoa drink, be sure to check the mass fraction of fat in the mixture, it should be more than 15%. This means that a lot of cocoa butter is included. A good powder for a drink can be very finely ground, if you rub a pinch with your fingers, then it should not crumble, but stay on the skin of the fingers. Grains and lumps are a flaw, indicating that the mixture was not properly stored, or that it is of poor quality. Such a drink can be tasted dry. If the tongue does not feel an unpleasant aftertaste, then everything is in order.
note
If you have trouble sleeping, do not drink cocoa at night. The substances contained in it contribute to the excitation of the nervous system, so that even after one mug of a tasty drink it can be difficult to fall asleep.
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