May 14th, 2017
Over the years we’ve added a range of Single Origin Coffees and even went bottomless with our Lemonade and Refreshing Berry cold drinks. We took Bottomless one step further, with selected stores all around the country now even offering Bottomless Wi-Fi. Yes, if there is one thing we are passionate about it’s Bottomless. You know what they say: once you start… well, let’s just say we have no intention of stopping.
So, one thing led to another and in this year’s Winter Menu yet another member joined the Mugg & Bean Bottomless family.
What could be better that enjoying a cup of warm, frothy hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day? More frothy hot chocolate, of course! Yes, you read right, now you can enjoy this favourite amongst Winter Warmers at your nearest Mugg & Bean and in bottomless quantities.
A question we asked ourselves while creating the ultimate cup of goodness is: Where does hot chocolate come from? Where did it all start? How did it evolve? Who are the responsible parties? Alright, those are a couple of questions and in our quest to find answers we did a bit of research.
Hot chocolate can be traced back to Mexico, to ancient Maya culture to be precise. This winter favourite is around 2000 years old and was originally served cold. Back then, cocoa beans were ground into a paste and mixed with water, cornmeal, chilli peppers and other ingredients. The mixture was then poured back and forth from a pot to a cup until a thick foam developed. How did it taste? Very bitter and very hot (from a spice perspective).
The Spanish brought these beans back home and from there, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe, largely because members of the Spanish Royal Household married other European aristocrats.
In Europe sugar was added and so was heat (the temperature kind), but it was only in the 17th century that milk found its way into the mix. Around this time Hans Sloane, president of the Royal College of Physicians, visited Jamaica. Here someone convinced him to try hot chocolate. He found it nauseating, but felt more inclined towards it after he tried it again, but this time mixed with milk. He brought the recipe back home to England and the rest, as they say, is history.
Something to think about while enjoying a couple of cups at Mugg & Bean, right?
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