- Drinking Chocolate- Bestsellers

Hot chocolate drinks from Espresso Perfetto

The pleasure of coffee awakens the spirits, but how about a cup of wholesome drinking chocolate?
Did you know that drinking chocolate is one of the oldest drinks in the world? Its history is closely linked to that of cocoa:

Around 600 BC, the Mayan people cultivated the cocoa plant. However, the foundation stone for today's chocolate was laid by the Aztecs. They called the drink containing cocoa "Xocoatl", which means "bitter water". To give the drink a sweeter note, the Aztecs mixed ground cocoa, chilli and vanilla.
In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortéz brought the cocoa bean to the Spanish royal court and thus to Europe. By adding sugar, the drink eventually gained popularity. Other spices such as cinnamon and aniseed finally gave cocoa its typically European taste. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that a new form of chocolate production led to the widespread distribution of cocoa in Europe.

The industrial revolution finally made it possible to produce chocolate more easily: with the help of the chocolate press, the cocoa butter was separated from the cocoa - the birth of cocoa powder!

Today, cocoa beans, the basic ingredient of delicious chocolate, are only grown in a few regions around the world, around the equator. 70% of global cocoa production takes place in West Africa, in the main growing countries Ivory Coast and Ghana. The cocoa plant grows at a height of 15 metres under constant climatic conditions. It usually takes between four and eight months for the cocoa fruit to ripen. After harvesting, the ripe fruits have to rest for a few days to ripen. Then they are carefully opened and the cocoa beans are taken out.

Enjoy our delicious drinking chocolates. There's guaranteed to be something for every chocolate fan here!