Abuelita Chocolate

I cannot recall how I first heard of Nestle Abuelita...probably a family member. In any case, my mom bought a box of Abuelita several years ago and there is sat (probably still sits) on the pantry shelf, unused, pushed aside like a can of beets. Worse than that, actually, as my mom finds special enjoyment in seeing us cringe at the dinner table while we try to swallow the beets without letting the revolting taste touch our refined and sensitive tastebuds.

For those of you who do not know what Abuelita is, allow me to explain. Abuelita, to put it simply, is Mexican chocolate. To be more descriptive, this chocolate has the added flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. Intrigued? So was I. Cut to...

Two months ago I was shopping at my local Walmart where the world's cultures come and mix together in a jumbled mass of shopping carts, elderly, and lost children. I was minding my own business and there it was - Abuelita. It was by itself, clearly a reject from some one's shopping list, and I decided I would take it home with me and hopefully have a better use rate than my mom.

Some number of days later, I had the urge to create. Normally this urge results in a messy kitchen and 2 dozen cookies I "forget" to bring to the office and share. But this night, I remembered I had Abuelita. So, I followed the directions and made my first cup of Abuelita hot chocolate.

You know how some hot chocolate you drink tastes sweet...and that is about all? This is not that hot chocolate. It is rich and warm, the cinnamon giving this spicy undertone to the not-too-sweet chocolate. It was a cup of warmth that immediately relaxed me, like that first exhalation of breath after a long work week - the one where the first pieces of stress begin to slough off. In other words, really really tasty.

So mom, if you are reading this, stop buying beets and start using your Abuelita!