Planting Chocolate Trees Vlog Series Episode #3: Tablea Hot Chocolate Recipes

This episode is all about "Tablea" or "Tableya" and different hot chocolate recipes that you can make at home.

But before we run you through our recipes, here's everything you need to know about Tablea. 

Tablea is a Spanish word-meaning tablet, and tsokolate is a Filipino word-meaning chocolate. It is a thick hot chocolate specially made from groud cacao beans that is molded into disks. The tablea can also be a thick disk or flat, and even in square form. The paste is also called "Chocolate Liquor". This is 100% pure chocolate.

Unlike most European-style hot chocolates, the Filipino version is much stronger because it uses the whole roasted cocoa bean and not just cocoa powder or processed couverture.

And making tablea is surprisingly simple but sometimes tedious. It is made from roasting dried cocoa bean in a pan until those turn very dark or until you smell its chocolate aroma. Cooked beans are then set aside to let them cool. Each bean is taken from its outer shell. And then put them beans into a manual or electric grinder. This process will not just grind cacao beans as it would also release natural cocoa butter, which will result to a thick and tar-like substance. After the grinding is done, a tablespoon of ground cacao is scooped and formed into a tablet or small ball. This is set aside to harden when it cool downs.

And now, we're going to share with you our three different hot chocolate drink made with tablea:

Traditional Filipino Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients: (1 cup serving)

2-3 Disks of Cacao Culture Farms Tablea
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Milk
2 tbsp Sugar

Instructions:

1. Boil 1 cup of water
2. Add 2-3 disks of tablea and stir until fully melted
3. Once dissolved, lower the heat
4. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1/4 cup of milk
5. Simmer for 5 minutes or until consistency is thick
6. For a frothy cup of hot chocolate, use a batirol or simply whisk to aerate the hot chocolate before serving

Mexican/Spiced Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: (1 cup serving)

2-3 disks of Cacao Culture Farms Tablea
1 cup Milk
2 tbsp Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cayenne Pepper
Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

1. Simmer the milk and sugar over medium heat
2. Once you see tiny bubbles in the milk, add tablea disks and stir until fully melted
3. Once dissolved, lower the heat and simmer until the hot chocolate thickens
4. Then add the nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and vanilla extract
5. For a frothy cup of hot chocolate, use a batirol or simply whisk to aerate the hot chocolate before serving

Colombian Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: (1 cup serving) 

2-3 disks of Cacao Culture Farms Tablea
1 cup Milk
1 cup Sugar
Mozarella Cheese

Instructions:

1. Add 1 cup of milk and sugar
2. Add 2-3 disks of tablea
3. Stir until fully melted and the consistency is thick
3. Pour the hot chocolate over the mozarella cheese
4. Enjoy it using a spoon!

If you're interested about cacao and chocolates, watch our third episode down below, subscribe to our Youtube Channel, don't forget to like and leave some love on the comments!

JOIN US ON OUR CHOCOLATE JOURNEY!