February - Journey of the Hot Chocolates

So, February in Calgary is YYC Hot Chocolate Fest. It is a charity event held throughout the month to benefit Meals on Wheels. All participating vendors create a hot chocolate (spirited or not) and sell it the whole month of February. I think $1 of the drink goes to Meals on Wheels. There is a list of vendors and hot chocolate creation on the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest website. Anyone can participate and vote for their favourite hot chocolate. Last year winner was Black Pearl Hot Cocoa at The Bean Shop in Eau Claire Market. I know for a fact that they are selling that drink right now.

I started late (mid month), but I want to see how many of those hot chocolates that I can drink. I drove my butt downtown on Saturday and started on my quest. I had four in one day (and needed a break after all of that - couldn't drink any the next day). This is what I had...

Black Magic Hot Cocoa - The Bean Shop

My first drink of the day bright and early in the morning. It was a yummy drink with a hint of orange. I didn't really taste the cinnamon. They did add a lot of toppings to the drink and it looked pretty neat.

Red Velvet - Analog Cafe

This is my second drink that I had after lunch. I walked all the way to 17th Avenue to Analog Cafe. It was quite a busy place. I don't think this drink really classify as a hot chocolate drink since it is tea base. This drink is rooibos, caramel chocolate and milk. It didn't really taste like red velvet but the drink wasn't heavy like hot chocolate. I like this drink as a tea.

Salted Caramel Peanut Butter - Cococo

This drink is very sweet but good. I like the blend of peanut butter and chocolate together. By adding the salt, it really brings out the sweetness. Cococo is a Bernard Callebaut shop so you know there is good chocolate to be had. The chocolate they use is RFA (Rain Forest Alliance) certified too.

Red Velvet Love Story - Quickly

Last drink of the day was from Quickly in Chinatown. This hot chocolate had a very nice red velvet taste. Apparently, they use red velvet hot cocoa.