The Good: Interesting flavor, Easy to prepare
The Bad: Environmental impact of packaging, Not the most incredible or distinct flavor in the line
The Basics: Lovers of Dark Chocolate will have finally found their drink with Land O' Lakes' Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa; I know I have!
As part of my birthday celebration, my loving wife picked me up a number of beverage packets for enjoyment and review. She is such a sweetie! There are some food franchises where she has a pretty amazing run of good luck as far as picking things I review highly. Generally, the Land O’Lakes hot chocolates have fared well with me. So, it was a pretty safe bet when she picked up the Double Fudge & Chocolate cocoa she did for my birthday. I love really chocolatey beverages and this one seemed like it would certainly fit the bill.
Land O’Lakes could have gotten away with calling this “Brownie” or “Brownie Batter” at that is the exact flavor of this cocoa. It is good, clearly stronger than a milk chocolate flavor and well worth trying.
Basics
The Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa mix is part of the Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics premium hot cocoa line. The mix comes in a 1 1/4 oz. sealed foil package and is a pretty delicious mix. Each 1 1/4 oz. packet is a single serving and these bear a relatively high price tag virtually everywhere I have found them of approximately three for two dollars. For a single mug of cocoa, this is expensive when compared to other make-at-home products, but about on par with getting a cocoa at a place like Caribou Coffee (reviewed here!).
Ease Of Preparation
The Cocoa Classics Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa mix is ridiculously simple to make. Having been given a packet just yesterday, it is evident that this has a decent shelf life, as the expiration date recommended using the packet before February 22, 2014. Because it is sealed and has some artificial preservatives in is, this is likely to last virtually forever unopened. A single serving is the packet and six oz. of water. There is no measuring of the product involved!
As a result, preparation is ridiculously simple. The top of the envelope has a perforated edge and one need simply tear open the top, which is quite easy, and pour the contents of the packet into a mug that is at least eight ounces large. Then, simply pour hot water, near boiling, over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of chocolate powder visible in the water nor resistance from the bottom. The beverage will have a dark brown color to it and will be uniformly smooth.
Taste
Double Fudge & Chocolate smells remarkably like baker’s chocolate, dark and rich. As the beverage cools, it begins to smell more like a batch of fresh-baked brownies.
In the mouth, the Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa actually tastes like a hotter, more liquid version of brownie batter. The flavor is chocolate through and through with a strong, dry aftertaste that is reminiscent of dark chocolate. The flavoring is not at all thirst-quenching, but there are multiple layers of the chocolate flavor, making it credible that Land O’Lakes calls it Double Fudge AND Chocolate. The chocolate flavor is sublimated to the richer, darker flavor of the main fudge taste.
This cocoa does have an aftertaste as well and that is simply a dry flavor that fills the mouth.
Nutrition
Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics are hot cocoa mix and therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world, though the Double Fudge & Chocolate flavor could be far less nutritious than it is. Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa has a few ingredients that cannot be easily identified. The primary ingredients are sugar, sweet dairy whey and cocoa. Because of the whey right at the top of the ingredient list, it is in no way vegan compliant.
And it is high in sugars. In each cup of Double Fudge & Chocolate Cocoa Classics, there are 130 calories, thirty of which are from fat. There are 2 grams of saturated fat, so while one might be tempted to curl up and enjoy this while resting, they are likely to pay for it later on! While there is no cholesterol, a consumer gets 10% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single packet of this beverage! There is a little protein, but not enough to live off this. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food product.
This product contains soy and milk and because there are no notations on it, one must assume it is not Kosher or gluten-free.
Storage/Cleanup
So long as one leaves the Double Fudge & Chocolate Cocoa Classic powder in its packet, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date over a year and a half away, one assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it. The packets, for those of us who consider the environmental impact of such things, are terribly wasteful and expensive. The foil/plastic wrappers are not recyclable anywhere I've been.
Cleanup is very easy as well. If the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into hot cocoa, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.
Overall
Land O' Lakes Cocoa Classics are expensive for what one gets, though the Double Fudge & Chocolate hot cocoa is worth every penny. This is the best chocolate flavored hot cocoa I have had and if Land O' Lakes ever repackages it outside the single serving envelopes, that would be a perfect product!
For other Land O' Lakes hot chocolate drinks, please visit my reviews of:
Chocolate Graham
Classic Dark
French Vanilla & Chocolate cocoa
7/10
For other food or drink reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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