Call me the Cacaonquistador

Nearly every restaurant, cafe, pub, snack & juice bar in Cusco offers hot chocolate. Even if not on the menu, most places will gladly whip one up for you if asked. Inspired by a tiny hole-in-the wall chocolateria that serves the most delicious chocolate I've ever had in my life, I embarked on a culinary quest to find the richest, creamiest, tastiest hot chocolates the city has to offer. I learned very quickly that not all chocolates are created equal!

Chocolate is not indigenous to Peru; the Incas never tasted it. However, when it was introduced to the Peruvian jungles by Spanish colonists, it grew very well, and the industry quickly took off. It has since never stopped growing, and continues to be a major contributor to Peru’s agriconomy. Peru used to be South America’s largest producer of coca before Columbia claimed the title in the late 70’s. When the continent-wide effort to reduce South America’s cocaine production began in the early 90’s, the Peruvian government initiated a project which offered cocaleros in the jungles considerable incentives to convert their coca fields into cacao plantations. The project resulted in the exponential growth of Peru’s chocolate industry, and the sharp decline in the production of coca. Although Peru remains South America’s second largest producer of coca, it’s chocolate production continues to grow every year, as the demand (and price) of chocolate continues to rise in Europe, Asia, and North America. In 2007, a Peruvian brand of chocolate took first prize at an international chocolate convention in Paris, France, beating out chocolates from Columbia, Mexico, Asia, and Europe.

I doubt it was the hole-in-wall chocolateria that took the prize, but were there other places in Cusco that served a hot chocolate as good as that chocolateria's? If Peruvian chocolate is some of the best in world, and nearly every eatery serves it, why pass up this opportunity? I mean seriously, who can say no to a freshly-brewed mug of piping hot chocolate?

What I look for: To me, judging any food or drink is all about balance—how well the various ingredients work together as one to form the final product. For the chocolate, I take 4 aspects into account:
1) The quality of the chocolate & its flavor presence.
2) The creaminess & flavor of the milk (if made with milk.)
3) The presence of any other ingredients used (if any.)
4) How well all three aspects are balanced.
I look for more subtle flavor notes of the chocolate, as well as the quality of the aftertaste. I list the location of the restaurant, the price of the chocolate, whether it’s served sweetened or unsweetened, and whether it’s prepared with milk or water. The final grade is a scale of 1-5 stars (or chocolate bars,) no half-stars. I also make a brief note of the location’s atmosphere (which is not a factor in the final grade.)
IMPORTANT NOTE: When I said no two chocolates are created equal, I meant that for the individual establishments as well! At several places I've been to more than once, I've had different-tasting chocolates. During second trips to some of the higher-rated establishments, I had a quite poorly-made chocolate. Likewise, upon re-visiting some of the lower-rated places, I was served a chocolate of a distinctly higher quality. Every chocolate you get ant any establishment is unique, and the grades here reflect one, or at the most, two visits.

I dearly hope (yet frankly doubt) that you will enjoy reading these reviews as much I enjoyed writing them. Provecho!