This rich, dense beverage more commonly known as chocolate tea is served during breakfast, made from roasted chocolate balls or sticks, spices and sweetened to taste. My version of this beverage is totally plant based making it suitable for those who are vegan or dairy free.
This Jamaican hot chocolate is a true favourite of mine. I love this recipe so much that I think it's time that I shared my family method of making "tea''.
If you like Chocolate that is rich, dense and packs a punch then you need to seriously try some of this hot beverage.
I remember growing up my mother and grandmother used to whip up a batch of tea during winter. Living in the UK it wasn't so easy to obtain the chocolate balls/sticks needed to make this recipe.
When I did get hold of some it became a very rare diaspora treat. For some reason my most fondest memories of Jamaican hot chocolate was centred around Christmas.
We would serve our national dish Ackee and Saltfish with Boiled Green Banana along side a hot cup of chocolate tea. Right before we were allowed to opened our Christmas presents.
Living in the diaspora sometimes feels as if these old traditions like how to make traditional hot chocolate is becoming a dying trend.
This is the reason why I am even more determined to shared what little knowledge I have, thanks to the women in my family
Speaking of celebratory drinks Christmas is also associated with the following drinks although some of those aren't Jamaican you might want to try them anyway - Sorrel, Coquito, Ginger Beer and Mulled Wine.
**Update alert**
Since I first posted this recipe a few years ago I have updated the notes section and drawn some clarity on the recipe instructions.
I wanted to make them a bit clearer a long with giving the reader more control and options over how to prepare their chocolate drink to their desired taste.
What is Jamaican hot chocolate?
Jamaican hot chocolate better known as cocoa tea or chocolate tea is a breakfast drink made from chocolate balls (see picture below) that are either grated or left to dissolve when added to a saucepan with hot water.
The chocolate is left to simmer along with cinnamon (leaves or sticks) then sweetener and nutmeg.
Some people add milk to their tea, while others don't. This is a subjective ingredient and the amount (if any) is up to the individual.
It is NOT the same as Western hot chocolate that is in it's powdered form. They aren't remotely the same and the taste is a complete contrast to what you're probably used to (if you're not from the Islands).
There's this unique slick of oil that stay suspended on top of the chocolate when it's made, that let's you know this is the real island deal.
The process of making chocolate
In order to make the chocolate balls, the seeds are extracted from the cacao pods and left to dry out for roughly a week in the blazing out sunshine. This is done to not only increase the taste of the chocolate but also to remove it's moisture.
The seeds are then roasted and ground using a mortar and pestle and then moulded into golf balls sized chocolate and sold.
Once moulded the chocolate is typical grated, boiled in water, milk, sweetened and flavoured with spices - cinnamon, nutmeg
The rest of the Caribbean
Most of the Caribbean islands, more specifically the English speaking Islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada just to name a few also refer to it as Chocolate tea.
Some of these Islands tend to add a thickener such as flour and additional spices like star anise and bay leaves.
Another thing to note is that some people add the milk once the chocolate has simmered and the pot is removed from the stove. I like to add the milk and allow the chocolate to simmer just a little longer so the flavours combine via heat.
How to make Jamaican hot chocolate - vegan style
In order to make true chocolate tea, you will need to get hold of some chocolate balls. I got mine from here , you cannot use cacao powder or any other powdered chocolate as it won't replicate the results.
Grate the chocolate - Not every does this some people add the whole balls to boiling water but I grew up seeing the chocolate balls grated first. Two balls are more than enough and they are very easy to breakdown in a matter of minutes. I like to also grate my fresh nutmeg into the chocolate and mix them together.
Boiling the water - Before adding the fine chocolate, bring the water to the boil. I do this and add a cinnamon stick to the water. If you can get hold of some cinnamon leaves, even better, go ahead and use those!!
Milk and sweetener - As this is a vegan recipe my choice of milk is almond milk. You can use coconut milk if you wish and I also use condensed coconut milk with a small amount of coconut sugar and sweeten to taste.
Straining the chocolate tea - It's best to strain as you're serving the tea, just balance a small sieve over each cup as you're pouring out the tea to get rid of the grit.
Can you use regular chocolate to make this recipe?
No, Caribbean hot chocolate is unique in taste, there's this oil slick from the fatty pods that you cannot get from western cocoa. You need raw cacao that has been dehydrated and prepared into a stick/ball.
Cacao although is very similar isn't the same and doesn't have the high amount of fat that's in the raw cacao ball/stick.
Do you have to have this only at Christmas?
No, it's simply a time where most Caribbean people will serve it in unison. You can make this drink any time of the year if you wish.
Notes and tips
- If you don't want to grate the chocolate you can skip this step and simply dissolve the balls/stick in the boiling water on the stove.
- If you don't care for creaminess use only 1 cup or less of plant based milk. 2 cups make a very creamy chocolate drink.
- It is normal for the chocolate to destabilize, just give it a stir.
- Always do a taste test, as you may want to adjust prior to serving.
- If you can't get hold of cinnamon leaves, you can compensate by adding an additional cinnamon stick.
- Some people prefer to leave out the milk and just sweeten with condensed milk once the chocolate has boiled/melted.
- You may want to add your nutmeg once the tea is almost ready rather than the beginning stages - I add mine during the initial stages and some more after it's done.
- This particular chocolate is sold in the form of balls or sticks.
- Feel free to add any additional spices along with the cinnamon and nutmeg
- Use any plant based milk that you see fit - almond and coconut work best
- Discard the cinnamon leaves/stick(s) prior to serving
- You can add the condensed milk during or after the tea is ready, it's just a matter of preference.
- Don't forgot to strain the tea
- Use my vegan Condensed Milk if you want to.
- Suitable for vegans, paleo approved and free from gluten
The steps
Use a grater box to grate both of the roasted chocolate balls
Grate the nutmeg into the chocolate and add a cinnamon stick to a saucepan of water and bring to the boil
Pour and stir the chocolate and nutmeg into the pot of boiling water
Pour in the almond or coconut milk and sweeten to taste
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Jamaican hot chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 chocolate balls
- 3 cups of water
- plant based milk to taste coconut milk, almond milk depending on how creamy you want it, see notes
- ½ tsp of fresh nutmeg grated, use less if you don't care for too much nutmeg see notes
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks or leaves (use 2) if you have them
- Vegan condensed milk sweeten to taste
- 2 tbsp of coconut sugar optional
Instructions
- Grate both of the roasted chocolate balls into a fine powder on a plate.
- Also grate the nutmeg and combine with the chocolate
- Bring a saucepan of water along with the cinnamon stick/leaves to the boil.
- Once the water has boiled, add the chocolate and reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the almond or coconut milk to taste and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Once the tea is ready use a slotted spoon to discard the cinnamon stick/leaves
- Sweeten to taste with the vegan condensed milk (add additional nutmeg if required)
- Strain and pour the chocolate into a cup and serve
Notes
- If you don't want to grate the chocolate you can skip this step and simply dissolve the balls/stick in the boiling water on the stove.
- If you don't care for creaminess use only 1 cup or less of plant based milk. 2 cups make a very creamy chocolate drink.
- It is normal for the chocolate to destabilize, just give it a stir.
- Always do a taste test, as you may want to adjust prior to serving.
- If you can't get hold of cinnamon leaves, you can compensate by adding an additional cinnamon stick.
- Some people prefer to leave out the milk and just sweeten with condensed milk once the chocolate has boiled/melted.
- You may want to add your nutmeg once the tea is almost ready rather than the beginning stages - I add mine during the initial stages and some more after it's done.
- This particular chocolate is sold in the form of balls or sticks.
- Feel free to add any additional spices along with the cinnamon and nutmeg
- Use any plant based milk that you see fit - almond and coconut work best
- Discard the cinnamon leaves/stick(s) prior to serving
- You can add the condensed milk during or after the tea is ready, it's just a matter of preference.
- Don't forgot to strain the tea
- Use my vegan Condensed Milk if you want to.
- Suitable for vegans, paleo approved and free from gluten
Nutrition
I love the sound of this hot chocolate, it looks and sounds delicious! It's so important to keep your recipes from home alive. I always make traditional recipes from home for my daughter, I hope one day she will make them for her children too.
Thanks Michelle. Yes, I agree sharing traditional recipes are a must!!
Always great learning about something new. I was intrigued when you mentioned the use of bay leaf in chocolate! That is one flavouring I have always associated with savoury preparations, in particular meat, and I'd be intrigued to taste it with chocolate.
Thanks Eva. I believe it gives the chocolate a more earthy taste. I personally don't do this method but you will find a lot of Eastern Caribbean islands make their chocolate tea with bay leaves and even star anise.
Oh my, this sounds so delicious! I drink a lot of hot drinks in the colder months so might just have to give this one a try!
Thanks Bintu! I think you will enjoy this one.
I've heard of Mexican hot chocolate but not Jamaican hot chocolate and am so fascinated! Wow - chocolate balls and condensed milk together in one tall warm concoction sounds so heavenly to me!
Thank you!!
This looks so inviting! It's different from hot chocolate as I know it but l bet it tastes phenomenal.
Thanks Alice. Yes, it's more rich in taste and flavour!!
How big are the chocolate balls? I'm living in Hawaii, and occasionally get access to fresh cacao pods, and currently have some home-roasted nibs, and I'd like to try to adapt the recipe for what I have.
There are about the size of a truffle, so I would say about 2 inches diameter. I hope that helps!!
Thanks! I ground up some nibs today, and I'm going to give it a try.
Thank you for the recipe. I have chocolate balls that my mother-in-law gave me. However, I hope you can tell me if they are supposed to smell like detergent. Since I am not sure whether this is the way they are supposed to smell, I prefer to wait until I am sure. Thank you.
Hi Bea. No the chocolate balls definitely shouldn't smell like detergent. They yield a very strong smell of chocolate. I'm guessing your mother-in-law may have stored the balls near some detergent where the balls have drawn the smell. The only thing I can suggest to combat your issue is to rinse the balls in tepid water or leave them to sit for 15 minutes (they won't melt) and blot them dry. Hopefully this will remove the smell.
Thanks for this recipie. I bought Chocolate tea sticks on vacation as a souvenir. I had no idea how to utilize this product until now. I enjoy looking at my photos and sipping on a tasty souvenir of my travels. Thanks again for this recipie and I'm looking forward to another adventure in Jamaica!
Hi Tina. Chocolate tea is a true favourite of mine. You will certainly enjoy your tea when you make it, definitely evokes memories of the tropics. Enjoy!!