The Petrea plant at the entrance of the walkway to our home is in full bloom.The sight of the five petal mauve flowers in clusters ,amongst the thick ,rough foliage is most beautiful.The cloudy skies and constant showers have further enhanced the mood to linger and take in the sights.All that is left to complete the experience is a generous cup of a heart warming beverage and a comfortable spot to soak it all in.
A mug of hot chocolate has always been a go to indulgence especially when the weather warrants a bit of cosy warmth. When the children were very young, the hot chocolate would be topped with a bobbing heap of marshmallows.Being an Enid blyton fan , that was certainly one way to live out my fairytale food fantasy. The grown ups would get a dusting of ground cinnamon or sometimes a curled Srilankan cinnamon to be used as a stirrer. I would enjoy tweaking the flavours depending on who I was making it for. When making it for my nieces and nephews it’s almost like offering a big warm hug in a cup!
To make a good hot chocolate one must be in the possession of pure ,good quality ,cocoa.There’s a huge difference between cocoa powder and real chocolate powder.So for many years, visiting friends from abroad would carry back ,boxes of rich ,dark, cocoa known to impart a fudgy flavour and enticing aroma.Thankfully there is no longer need for that ever since a local brand launched an enticing range of drinking chocolate options.
Image courtesy : Soklet
A few years ago ,our part of the country became home to India’s first tree to bar chocolate brand.Regal farms managed by Harish Manoj Kumar and Karthikeyan Palanisamy ventured into making chocolate. While Manoj has been a cacao farmer for more than a decade,it was only recently that he got together with his brother-in-law (a passionate foodie) Karthi to produce a unique range of tree to bar chocolate products.
What this means is that the duo are involved right from managing the cacao plantation to the final packaging of the chocolate bar. They each have their designated roles to play and the brand has grown to win many accolades abroad after a great deal of time spent in developing the many products. While we all know that the food business is one which demands constant monitoring of quality ,that which is more challenging is sustainable agriculture and the many vagaries associated with this profession. The farm is pesticide free and is located at the foothills of the Anamalais.
They started off making (dark and milk) cooking chocolate under the Regal brand. Later came the ‘Soklet’ line, (name)derived from the Tamil pronunciation of a chocolate caramel sweet from them days. At The 2017 edition of The Gourmet Bazaar held here at Coimbatore, visitors walked in to the Soklet stall to taste their drinking chocolate. The name ‘drinking chocolate’ took me back to a time when my mother would make us a nice ,steaming cup of drinking chocolate and also use it as an ingredient for baking. So when I was handed a cup of spiced drinking chocolate at the Soklet stall,every sip brought back memories.
The spices infused in the drinking chocolate gave a mellow and yet persistent hum of heat and warmth in the background. I was most eager for this product to be sold in our local stores. They first started with a 55% pure dark chocolate flavour (drinking chocolate) in a resealable packet. Now there are three flavours in the market;The pure dark chocolate, filter kaapi drinking chocolate and the spiced drinking chocolate,non-alkalised and completely vegan. Karthi and (Manoj’s wife) Rathi were the ones who apparently came up with these drinking chocolate varieties. The unmistakable taste of south Indian filter coffee comes through in the drinking chocolate. Indian spices like cloves,ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and mace are also brought to the forefront. The addition of spices or filter coffee is made to enhance the flavour of the rich cocoa and not overpower it. A perfect gifting solution for loved ones overseas.
The brand follows a nutrition awareness wherein refined ingredients are not used. Similar to the ‘Soklet’ bars, the drinking chocolate also is sweetened only with cane sugar. Follow the instructions on the label and in no time you will be sipping a delicious satiny smooth ,chocolatey drink. And let me warn you …it could very well get addictive !!!
The initial packaging has been replaced by long metal canisters with the black and gold designs which showcase various traditional South Indian (saree) temple borders. The whole look is impressive and highlights a consciousness to the environment. The canisters when empty come in extremely handy for storage.
We are fortunate to be able to enjoy a product which has it’s source not far from where we live.The fact that the family works together in their individual areas of expertise to ensure that the products are worthy of competing in a global market is to be applauded.
On the Soklet instagram page, there is a visual of Manoj walking through a lush green cacao grove with a hoard of canine companions at his heels. This sort of connect with nature and the intention to sell ‘real’ food is what endears me even more to my hot cup of Soklet ! One cannot argue that this particular drinking chocolate is indeed for ,none less than, “the serious chocolate connoisseur”.
Available online at
www.amazon.in & www.soklet.com
In Coimbatore
Pazhamudhir
Nilgiris Supermarket
Nuts & Spices
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