Hot Chocolate. A fabulous winter warmer.

Winter is rapidly approaching. Whether you’re a fan of the arctic climes or you’re still pining after the summer, the fact is it’s only going to get colder from here on in. Such conditions are far from what’s required to help get you out of bed in the morning and into work, so you’ll need a little kick start once you arrive. Hot chocolate, anyone?

The background.
Hot Chocolate has an interesting story. The silky beverage derived from Mexico as far back as 500 BC, though it didn’t begin in the same fashion as how we know it today. As oppose to warm and sweet, hot chocolate started its life as cold and spicy (can you imagine it being like that now?). It was made using ground up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal and chilli peppers, and was always deemed as a drink for the wealthy.
It then made its way to Europe when an explorer named Cortez brought cocoa beans and the tools needed to make the beverage over to here. Once hot chocolate reached Spain, it was here that it became a lot sweeter by the removal of the chilli peppers. The Spanish deemed the innovation as ‘new’, and were extremely protective. It was over 100 years before it travelled elsewhere, and London was the first City to try it.
Up until the 19^th century, drinking chocolate was used for medicinal purposes: primarily treating stomach and liver diseases. Today, it’s a beverage of luxury. While it’s easily made by mixing hot water with cocoa powder, café’s, restaurants and now hot drinks machines can produce more authentic and gourmet styles.
Hot Chocolate – more than meets the eye.
As explained in a previous blog, hot drinks aren’t just a luxury. They’re a necessity. While the warming sensation is just what’s required on a cold, winters day, that ‘feel-good’ feeling equates to strong morale that you cannot put a price on.
It’s all too easy to get down during the working day. The stress can get on top of you, and that’s without feeling completely drained before you even start work. It concludes in a low productivity level.
The ability to head to your drinks machine and enjoy coffee shop quality in under 40 seconds is truly remarkable, and such a perfect hot drink can take the fight to low morale in the workplace.
Hot Chocolate – Enjoy one in your workplace.
All our machines can dispense quality hot chocolates, ideal for a bitterly cold start to the day. Many of our machines use cocoa powder from Cadbury, Suchard and Café Casa, which is our own brand.
Elsewhere, the likes of the Flavia, an incredibly popular tabletop of ours, uses Galaxy sachets to guarantee consistent quality.
Visit our entire range here, and soon you could be on the way to enjoying a gorgeous hot chocolate.