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Trinidad cocoa tea
Spiced cocoa milk
Cocoa tea: grated cocoa stick simmered with milk, cinnamon and bay leaf
In the cocoa-growing hills of Trinidad and Tobago, breakfast often starts with a mug of cocoa tea, made from home-rolled cocoa sticks or balls of ground roasted beans grated straight into the pot. Simmered with cinnamon, nutmeg and a bay leaf, then softened with milk and sugar, it tastes deeper and less sweet than shop hot chocolate, with a film of cocoa butter on top that everyone stirs back in. It is drunk with coconut bake, fry bake or hops bread. The mistake to avoid is a fast boil once the milk goes in, which scorches the bottom and makes it bitter. Chef's tip: whisk in a teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold milk for the slightly thicker cocoa tea of Tobago grandmothers.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz cocoa stick or ballfinely grated (or 40 g dark chocolate, 85% cocoa)
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaffresh or dried
- ¼ tsp nutmegfreshly grated
- 1 ¾ cups whole milk
- 3 tbsp soft brown sugarto taste
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 2 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 bay leaf in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes to flavour the water.
4 minStep 2: Whisk in 2 ⅛ oz cocoa stick or ball and keep simmering gently, whisking, for 5 minutes until it has fully melted and the liquid is dark and glossy with oil rising to the top.
5 minStep 3: Pour in 1 ¾ cups whole milk and add 3 tbsp soft brown sugar, ¼ tsp nutmeg and 1 pinch salt. Heat over a low flame, stirring, until steaming and just about to bubble at the edges; don't let it boil hard.
5 minStep 4: Take out the cinnamon and bay leaf, whisk hard for a few seconds to froth it, and pour into mugs.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does trinidad cocoa tea take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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