The History of Hot Chocolate

We all know what hot chocolate is it’s a steamy hot creamy drink that is iconic to this day! You might have wondered how it was made!

The Start of Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate started as a cold, spicy peppery drink. It was made from cacao beans, water, vanilla and spices like pepper. The people who made this recipe were the Mesoamericans.

I cut Mexican Hot chocolate into 6ths and then I added warm milk and crushed the chocolate up with a whisk.

Moving to Europe

In the 16th century hot chocolate moved to Europe. People in Europe would serve it hot instead of cold, and they would add sugar and remove the pepper for sweetness!

Becoming More Modern

As hot chocolate evolved, it was used as a sign of wealth in the 16th century. After that in the 17th century Hans Sloane replaced the water with milk.

The 1800s

A guy named Coeenrad Van Houten made a press machine that would separate the cacao beans and cacao butter, leaving a dry powder. This overall made hot chocolate less messy and less greasy.

The Modernization of Hot Chocolate

In the 1950’s the first commercial hot chocolate brand was made! It was a sweet powder in a bag. The first brand was called “Brown Swiss” which in 2025 is actually known as “Swiss Miss” one of the most popular hot chocolate brand to this day!

I added a single packet to a hot glass of milk, after I added marshmallows and mixed it all up!

Pros and Cons

Pros of the ancient: Unique flavors, delicious, easy to find.

Pros of the Modern: Sweet, yummy easy to make

Cons of the ancient: Messy, Spicy hard to make

Cons of the modern: Sweet, messy, unhealthy

Overall

Overall, the modern hot chocolate is better! It’s better because it tastes better and it’s easier to find.