Chaga Hot Chocolate!

It's that time of year! The time of year when something cozy to drink is one of the best things ever!

Also the time of year where we have to be careful we don't get sick, make sure we take time for Self Care and try our best to keep our indulgences to what will help us not hurt us.

Enter: Chaga Hot Chocolate!

Not only will the amazing mushrooms and herbs in this help boost your immune system, but the creamy coconut mylk and honey will satisfy those seasonal cravings.

In the winter, and mostly all year round I have a Chaga pot on the stove. I keep a chunk of Chaga and a few strips of Reshi Mushroom in it and add more water whenever I need to. You can keep the same mushrooms steeping for over a week depending on their quality. When the liquid starts getting lighter it's time to switch it up.

I get my Chaga chunks for Chaga Mama, or harvest it myself when I'm on the east coast.

I heat up the Chaga Pot on it's own so it's ready to pour into the Hot Chocolate Pot when I'm ready.

I'm feeling a bit of an afternoon slump and I know i'm going to be out and about most of the evening so this afternoon i'm making the Hot Chocolate with a base of a caffeinated tea. The tea I'm using can be pretty difficult to find, but living in high altitude in Boulder makes me grateful to have it. It's Coco tea, which is make from Coco leaves. These are the same leaves that are used to make cocaine, which is why it can be difficult to find in stores, but it is legal* and great relief to altitude headaches. However mint tea is always a delightful alternative!

*Once the leave has been dried to make tea it can no longer be used to make cocaine, however it is still possible for it to show up positive on a drug test if you have to submit to those at work.

When I was trekking thru the Andes my favorite way to start the day was with a hot cup on Milo with a few Coco tea leaves in it. So Good!

Once the tea is steeped, pour in the Chaga Tea and get ready to add all the goodies!

I vary with what herbs and spices I add to the Hot Chocolate depending on how I'm feeling but of course the first ingredient is always Chocolate! I use raw cacao powder, ideally from Bali because I generally feel they have more of the cacao butter still in it which makes it a little richer. I add a few heaping table spoons.

Other ingredients I added today:

Chai Spices (for flavor).
Macca (for energy).
Macuna (for happiness).
A breakfast herb blend with chia and hemp and other goodies (adding thickness and depth of flavor).

For a sweetener I use Honey, but Maple Syrup also works, or of course, you could go without any sweetener. If you just want to take a little of the edge off the cacao you can add more Maca and include some Lucuma.

I then use a small whisk to blend in all the powders while it's still heating on the burner. Once it looks smooth I add a few tablespoons of Coconut Mylk.

Once you've added the Coconut Mylk don't let it get too hot! The coconut mylk makes the drink thick and creamy but that also means it's hard to cool it down and it's easy to end up burning the inside of your mouth.

I generally let it warm up for another 2 minutes or so.