Yesterday on Tastespotting, I read about Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate. I was intrigued and bookmarked it for later, forgetting about it for the time being. I did not remember it until later, when I was standing in front of my tea cabinet searching for experiment inspiration. I remembered that the recipe called for powdered candy cane, and that we had a whole box of candy canes in the pantry! I rubbed my hands together with glee...ok, that part isn't quite true. But I was quite excited about this experiment.
I put a candy cane into a Ziploc baggie, and used the meat pounder to smash it to bits. Quite fun. I added about a teaspoon to my Ingenuitea along with a teaspoon of Irish Breakfast. In anticipation, I watched the timer count down. And then took my first sip as soon as it wasn't scolding hot.
Pure Irish Breakfast.
So I added more crushed candy cane, until I had maybe two teaspoons total. I managed to get a hint of peppermint flavor, but the Irish Breakfast was too strong. As much as I love the tea "a mouse can trot on," I wanted it to taste a little different for the sake of experimentation. So I added a teaspoon or so of dark cocoa powder. It did make it taste a little like hot chocolate. But it was not quite what I was looking for.
Alas, not every experiment can be successful.
