The Bite:
No need to curb cravings if you've got fair-trade, organic cocoa lined up. It'll warm your body, ease your conscience, and maybe even get you a little sugar high.
Wanna control your dependence on hot chocolate?
11.05.2008
Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 1:49am.
The Benefits:
- Habit-forming tastes. We wouldn't typically say getting addicted is a benefit, but...
- Chasing the eco-dragon. In terms of pesticide use, nonorganic cocoa is second only to cotton; organic versions avoid them altogether.
- It's like crack for antioxidant fiends. Cocoa has twice as many antioxidants as red wine, and almost three times as many as green tea.
- A fairer fix. Fair-trade avoids child labor (sadly, more than 100,000 kids - many trafficked - work on Ivory Coast cocoa farms, where 40% of the world's cocoa comes from) and makes sure farmers get paid fairly for their crops.
Personally Speaking:
More than a few of us prefer our hot cocoa with a little kick - check our wintry cocoa cocktail recipe in the blog.
Wanna Try:
- Dagoba Xocolatl - spiced up with organic chiles and cinnamon. Also: plain ($9/12 ounces).
- Green & Black's Maya Gold Hot Chocolate - fair-trade cocoa with zingy orange zest ($7/5.3 ounces).
- Equal Exchange Hot Cocoa - tasty, classic hot cocoa ($7/12 ounces).
Cocktail Fact
In the 1500s, cocoa was included in dowries when Spanish royalty married other Europeans.
Bang For The Bite
If 10,000 Biters choose a pound of organic, fair-trade cocoa instead of a pound of conventional hot choc, farmers will make $1,500 more on those beans (since the middleman gets less).
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