The year was 1828 when the world of chocolate was forever changed. The father and son Dutch chocolate makers Casparus and Coenraad van Houten had invented a new way of extracting excess cocoa butter from roasted cocoa beans (Coenraad would later refine the resulting cocoa powder by treating it with alkaline salts). This mixture combined more easily with water, creating a milder, darker flavor. This “Dutching” process continues to be used today by just a few of the world’s greatest chocolate manufacturers. One of those few is Hollander.

Hollander Chocolate prides itself on manufacturing truly Dutch chocolates that complement the modern cafe’s many needs. Houston’s took notice of this and has now established a partnership with this new vendor to offer its superb products to our customers. Whether making the perfect powder for hot cocoa or crafting a sauce for a sensational mocha blend, Hollander takes care to pay homage to the generations of Dutch chocolate makers before them by ensuring every product follows strict quality standards. Here are just a few of the offerings available today:

Café Sauces

• Barista Sweet Ground Dutched Chocolate Sauce – Silky and sweet, easily blend this sauce with hot and cold drinks, all the way down to the last pump.
• Barista Sweet White Chocolate Sauce – Blended with real Wisconsin dairy, you can count on a genuine white chocolate that is smooth and delectable.
• Barista Koffiebar Caramel Sauce – Cane sugar, vanilla, Wisconsin dairy, and sea salt join forces to elevate a classic flavor and make it perfect for any recipe.

Café Powders

• Barista Premium Dutched Hot Cocoa Powder – Water soluble and perfect for hot or frozen cocoa beverages, this powder packs chocolatey nostalgia in every sip.
• Barista Sweet Ground Dutched Chocolate Powder – Featuring natural vanilla and cane sugar, this Dutched cocoa is of the highest quality, with no artificial flavors.
• Barista Sweet Ground White Chocolate Powder – Hollander’s proprietary method ensures that real cocoa butter is used in this powder for a true decadent flavor.

Of course, just because Hollander’s tastes are rooted in history doesn’t mean that its practices are stuck in the past. Hollander is committed to ensuring its products are 100% Trans Fat free, absent of High Fructose Corn Syrup, and completely free of Genetically Modified Organisms. Along with its commitment to providing a responsible product to consumers, Hollander is also conscious of its effects on cacoa sources. By allowing for clear visibility on its resource lines, maintaining strong relationships with areas that offer fair employment, and giving a portion of its proceeds back to at risk communities in cacao-producing regions, Hollander has created an environment where enjoying chocolate doesn’t need to be a ‘guilty’ pleasure.

Houston’s newly-established partnership with Hollander is yet another example of our dedication to providing you with access to a unique, quality, and forward-thinking product. Just like great flavor, trends surrounding health-conscious and socially responsible products show every sign of flourishing well into the future. And, of course, chocolate will never to go out of style.

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GCBC Staff

Early stages of the introduction to the domestic market had a slow start, but the Monbana brand is starting to gain some footing. As distributors across the country are beginning to stock either the Tresor (milk chocolate) or Supreme (dark chocolate) powders, we are beginning to see an increase in end-user interest. A large coffee chain, Maison-Kayser out of New York stocks Monbana’s Tresor Chocolate Powder. Within our own distribution territory, Houston’s employees recently stumbled upon Monbana in-use, and discovered a more Americanized recipe for the traditionally thick sipping chocolate powders at Grand Canyon Beverage Company (GCBC). Located on the Grand Canyon University campus, they purchase Monbana’s Supreme chocolate powder via our customer, Tradecraft Outfitters based in Chicago, Illinois.

Both recipes maintain the rich, indulgent flavor that is uniquely Monbana. The larger serving size and thinner beverage consistency is more in line with the domestic market demand, as opposed to the demand for smaller, richer beverages in Europe. “It is great we can take a premium product from overseas and use it in a non-traditional way to meet our needs, all while still getting supreme flavor” – GCBC Barista.

We are working with Monbana and IFM to develop more “Americanized” recipes for the remaining chocolate powders: Tresor, White Tresor, and Organic (milk chocolate), as we prepare to represent Monbana at the upcoming 2017 coffee-industry trade shows – Coffee Fest and the Global Specialty Coffee Expo. Our Regional Managers will be working closely with IFM and Monbana representatives to continue to build awareness of the Monbana brand and it’s exclusive availability through Houston’s.

Greg and Jarrod enjoying a Monbana hot chocolate!

Supreme Sipping Chocolate Recipe:

• 2 scoops Monbana Supreme Chocolate Powder
• 7 ounces whole milk

Supreme Hot Chocolate Recipe:

• 1 scoop Monbana Supreme Chocolate Powder
• 12 ounces whole milk

Preparation:

Steam the milk for 5-10 seconds, add in the Supreme Chocolate powder, and steam for an additional 20 seconds.

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Monbana Training!

Monbana is well-known for their chocolate and Houston’s will be selling a few of their featured items. First, we carry four of their gourmet chocolate powders. When it comes to the gourmet chocolate powders, they are much different than drinking a mug of American hot chocolate. These sipping chocolates have a unique flavor in which the chocolate taste comes first, followed by the texture and flavor of the chocolate, and at the end of the sip, you can taste the sugar. This is much different than American hot chocolate because the taste of sugar tends to come first and the chocolate second. The Monbana White Trésor Gourmet chocolate powder, (trésor is a French word meaning “treasure”) is made from 45% cocoa butter whereas the Trésor Gourmet chocolate powder, Suprême European Style chocolate powder and the Organic chocolate powder are made with 32% cocoa. The Suprême European Style chocolate powder is a thicker product meant to be heated in an espresso machine and you should drink it as soon as you finish making it for the best flavor and texture.

We also carry nine of their frappé flavors. These flavors include; vanilla, mocha, yogurt, chocolate, strawberry, lemon, lychee, mango passion fruit, and caramel. Never heard of lychee before? It is a floral flavor perfect for a summer treat. The best part about the frappés is that no matter how long they sit, they do not separate. That’s right! You can drink it for an hour and it will still be together until the last drop. Similar to the gourmet sipping chocolates, the frappé flavor is always forward and the first thing you taste. After that, the body comes and then the sweetness of the frappé is in the back. It is recommended that both the frappés and the gourmet chocolate powders are used with whole milk, but they also work great with a dairy alternative as well.

Interested in how the gourmet chocolate powders and frappés work? Check it out!

Gourmet Chocolate Powders:

Option 1- Steamer: Add 7 fluid ounces of milk and steam it for 5 seconds. Then add one heaping scoop of powder and steam for a maximum of 20 seconds. Voila! You now have a yummy chocolate drink.

Option 2- Chocolate machine preparation: Add 35-170 fluid ounces of milk and heat for 15-45 minutes at 149°. Then add five heaping scoops for every 35 fluid ounces Let the chocolate thicken and then serve the tasty treat!

Frappés:

Place 8 fluid ounces of ice cubes in a cup with 8 fluid ounces of cold milk. Pour the mixture into a blender with two scoops of the frappé mix. Blend the mix to your desired consistency of approximately 20-45 seconds and there you go! A delicious milkshake- like treat.

Want to try some Monbana products? Contact Inside Sales and let us know what you think!

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The Monbana & Houston’s teams at Coffee Fest Dallas (2016). Photo Credit: Franck Foulloy

Houston’s is proud to not only welcome Monbana to the U.S., but also to our vendor line-up. We have spent the last several months training with and supporting the Monbana team at various industry shows, including SCAA and Coffee Fest. All of our Regional Managers participated in a Monbana training seminar while in Dallas for Coffee Fest, in which they learned how to create tasty drinking chocolate, chocolate sauce, and various frappes under the tootlage of famed International Barista, Geoffroy Maubon.

Both lines are broad enough to provide ample flavor profile opportunities, but not so wide that they become cumbersome and overwhelming to deal with. The Gourmet Chocolate Beverage line includes Tresor (milk) Chocolate, Organic & Fair Trade (milk) Chocolate, Supreme (dark) Chocolate, and White Tresor Chocolate powders. The Premium Frappe line is a little more expansive, containing some unique and exotic flavors as well as the traditional: Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Mocha, Caramel, Lychee, Mango Passion Fruit, Lemon, and Yogurt – an exceptional base mix for any custom frappe.

While the frappes and hot chocolates are perfectly delicious and oh-so-simple to prepare following the directions on the canisters, Maubon has concocted several flavorful and indulgent recipes, morphing each product into superior beverages and dessert cocktails that one would be accustomed to finding at a high-end restaurant. How about a Saint Petersbourg that combines milk, Supreme (dark) Chocolate powder, rum, and caramels? What about a green Matcha’ Nilla shake made using Monbana Vanilla Frappe powder, Matcha Tea, milk, and ice? Or perhaps you would prefer adding an Indian-inspired flare to your beverage menu with a flavored lassi. According to Maubon, “This cocktail is inspired from the famous Indian beverage made with yogurt and fruits,” that originated in the Punjab region. We’ve included a Fruity Lemon Lassi recipe below for you to try out.

Geoffroy Maubon’s Fruity Lemon Lassi
Makes approx. 10 oz beverage

Ingredients:

• 1.5 scoops Monbana Yogurt Frappe powder
• 1.5 scoops Monbana Lemon Frappe powder
• 5 oz of milk
• 5 oz of ice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend for 20 to 45 seconds depending on the desired texture.
2. Pour into a highball or cocktail glass. Garnish with color sugar rimmer, and exotic flower, and a brightly colored straw.

Beverages made using Monbana products do not require a lot of added ingredients as the powders already include flavorful, high quality, natural ingredients including visible chunks of real fruit, caramel, etc.

As the exclusive U.S. importer and re-distributor of Monbana products, Houston’s is your go-to source for these versatile and premium frappe and hot chocolate powders. Log on to our website for additional information on all Monbana products, or visit our facebook page to see more pictures from Coffee Fest Dallas and other events.

 Ask your Houston’s Regional Manager for a copy of Geoffroy Maubon’s Monbana recipes to begin mixing flavors, textures, and ingredients that are sure to make you say, “Mmm…”

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DR. SMOOTHIE – Frappes & ADDins

Leafy Greens ADDins

As summer quickly approaches and temperatures begin to rise, frappes and smoothies are becoming more popular with customers. Dr. Smoothie has introduced four new frappe flavors to the Cafe Essentials line: Chocolate Mint Chip, Horchata, Java Chip, and Kona Mocha. Touting less sugar and truer flavors, these four new “gourmet specialty frappe” flavors offer added dimension to any menu, and are sure to please your customers with their authentic taste.

With healthy veggie trends continuing to grow, Dr. Smoothie has also introduced an easy way to get your “5 [servings] a day” with their new beverage blend-ins; Dr. Smoothie ADDins are available in Leafy Green and Veggie blends, as well as the per-existing customer-favorite, Yogurt Lover’s Plus concentrate blend. Add a single scoop of these nutrient-packed supplements to any smoothie concentrate for that daily dose of fruits and veggies that your customers are looking for.

TORANI® – Chai Concentrates

Torani Tradition Chai (left) vs. current category leader (right). Credit: C. Graiff

Keeping up with current trends, Torani® has introduced Chai concentrates to their product line-up, available now in both Traditional and Spicy flavor profiles. Made with all-natural spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, cloves and allspice, these concentrates provide an ideal upgrade from traditional mainstream chai concentrates and offer a “well-rounded and balanced combination of sweetness, tea, and spice.” Chai has year-round appeal as it can be served hot, over ice, blended, and even “dirty” with an espresso shot. Compare Torani® Chai to your current brand and you’ll be sure to taste and see the difference!

MONIN®- Hawaiian Island & Cookie Butter Syrups

Monin® released two new innovative flavors this spring made with pure cane sugar and natural flavors: Hawaiian Island and Cookie Butter. Blending the fresh tropical fruit flavors of passion fruit, guava, and orange, Monin® Hawaiian Island syrup is an on-trend flavor that provides an “authentic, multidimensional flavor for crafting memorable specialty beverages.” Perfect for specialty coffees, milkshakes, and cocktails Monin® Cookie Butter syrup provides an indulgent coupling of spices and speculoos cookie flavoring. This versatile syrup is ideal for hot or frozen coffee beverages or specialty cocoas, milkshakes and cocktails. Both syrups are Kosher, Halal, Vegan, GMO free, dairy free, and gluten free and are now available through Houston’s!

DAVID RIO – Cub Chai Super Concentrate

Jodet, of David Rio, discussing product with a show attendee at SCAA 2016. Credit: C. Graiff

Described as the “audacious extensions of the original Cub Chai line”, David Rio recently released their Cub Chai Super Concentrate. The new 5:1 concentrate utilizes the same high-quality organic spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and ginger) combined with organic Indian black tea for a super tasty, all natural, and vegan chai beverage. Already being served at the organization’s Chai Bar in San Francisco, Cub Chai Super Concentrate can be served hot or cold and “offers your customers a creamy, less sweet, and distinctively spicy chai latte that will have them raving.” Continuing their commitment to supporting animal welfare, David Rio has designed the packaging so that both the bottle and full shrink label are 100% recyclable. Contact us today to request a sample of this “chai perfection.”

SCAA 2016: You may have seen it…

As a redistributor in the foodservice industry, we at Houston’s like to utilize our time at industry shows not only catching up with vendors and customers alike, but also perusing the show as attendees – to see what’s new, what’s trending, and what the “next best thing” might be. At SCAA in Atlanta this past month we had the opportunity to taste new products launched by various vendors.

Add A Scoop (C. Graiff)

Crafted for those with an active lifestyle, Add a Scoop by Smoothie Essentials provides an alternative source of dailynutrients. Eighteen tasteless blends including Antioxidant, Probiotics, Energy, Protein and even a Matcha premix provide a wide variety of options that won’t affect the flavor of your smoothies, frappes, and oatmeals. All Add a Scoop supplements are tasteless as well non-GMO, gluten-free, and certified Kosher, Halal and Vegan.

Powdered frappe, gelato and specialty beverage manufacturer Frozen Bean debuted their latest project, Cocktail Lab, at SCAA. “At Cocktail Lab, we source the finest, all-natural ingredients from around the world to create rimmers that pair beautifully with your favorite beverages.” From coffees to teas, beers to cocktails, and even frappes – Cocktail Lab now allows your customers to experience their favorite beverages in new and exciting ways.

Not to miss out on the dairy-free trend, Frozen Bean also debuted a dairy-free version of their Belgian Hot Chocolate mix that substitutes coconut milk as the dairy alternative. The light coconut notes accent the sweet chocolate flavor without detracting from the creamy quality.

Industry leader in the non-dairy beverages segment, Pacific Foods, continues to promote their new Barista Series line of dairy-alternatives. Created to withstand the high heat involved with foaming, the Barista Series delivers a consistent and smooth micro-foam while complimenting the flavor of your coffee or espresso making the line “perfect for latte art.”

Making their U.S. debut, France-based Chocolaterie Monbana® (Monbana®) created a stir with their indulgent beverages in the gourmet powdered frappe and powdered chocolate segments. Started in 1934, Mobana® is now on its third generation of family owners, all of whom have had a deep passion for premium-quality chocolate. Their continued success has been attributed to respect for European traditions, the use of high-quality ingredients, and continuous innovation.

International Barista, Geoffroy Maubon, discussing Monbana with an SCAA Show attendee (C. Graiff)

Mobana® offers a wide range of extremely versatile products and flavors, providing for the needs of all establishment types in every season. From lucious frappe, to indulgent drinking chocolates and delightful dark chocolate accompaniments, Monbana® has a product to please any demographic. “This isn’t you mother’s Swiss Miss,” one attendee stated after tasting the decadent Trésor Hot Chocolate served up by famed International Barista Geoffroy Maubon. Maubon has been crucial in the development of Monbana®’s product line, developing unique recipes (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that highlight the versatility of these premium products, showing that frappe mixes and hot chocolates are not just for coffee shops anymore.

If you didn’t attend SCAA, or didn’t get a chance to stop by the Monbana® booth, we heavily suggest you stop by their booth (#819) at Coffee Fest in Dallas, Texas. With the help of Brandenburger-FBG, Monbana® products will be available for U.S. distributors to purchase in late-May or early-June. For more information, contact Brandenburger-FBG.

SCAA 2016 provided attendees the opportunity to experience a wide variety of new products and flavors like those discussed above. Did you attend SCAA 2016 in Atlanta? Which vendors or products were of interest to you?

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Today, there are three main types of trees used for chocolate—the Forastero, the Trinitario, and the Criollo.   The Forastero tree is native to the Amazon basin region of Africa and is responsible for the largest amount of cocoas produced around the world.  It is a hardy variety with a high yield of beans, but typically produce a quite bland chocolate.  The Criollo, from Central America, is the rarest of the cacao trees, but the output is a delicate, complex bean that is favored among chocolatiers.  The Trinitario tree is a hybrid of the Forastero and the Criollo, with some of the complex taste of the Criollo but with the disease-resistant qualities of the Forastero.

Specialty chocolate makers derive their creations from a single type of bean.  The Criollo beans are the desired ingredient in specialty recipes, but the cost and availability is often a deterrent.  Specialty chocolates can be made from other trees as well—the key is in the use of just a single bean.  The beginning process of chocolate-making is the same from manufacturer to manufacturer:  even with all of the progress in machinery since ancient times, the harvesting, fermenting, drying, cleaning, and roasting of cacao beans is still done by hand. Machines then take over to do the grinding.  From there, each chocolate maker has their own process that makes their chocolate different from others on the market.

And it’s not like you might think it is.  That is to say, if you ask people what makes a really great chocolate you will not get a standard answer.  In much the same way as coffee roasting, there is a craft involved, and everyone has perfected their own roasting manner.  The key, according to modern chocolate makers, is “not getting in the beans’ way.”  Before this approach, chocolate makers roasted beans dark and the finished product reflected that process.  Now, though, chocolate beans are roasted according to their variety and where they are grown.  Today, you’ll “taste the bean itself, which can present flavors as varied as red berries, lemon, and tobacco” for example.

In the coffee industry, this boils down to a pairing process that requires much thought about how to marry the flavors.  It is more than a simple recipe of coffee and chocolate.  Alex Whitmore, owner of Taza, encourages “deeper roasts or low acidity coffees” for mochas made with modern chocolates.  But Jamie Fey, café manager for Dogwood Coffee, claims that “many single-origin coffees open up in the presence of chocolate.”

Pairing specialty roasts of coffee with specialty roasts of chocolate opens up numerous doors for flavor experimenting in the coffee shop.  The flavor potentials are seemingly endless, and this makes for a lot of fun coming up with the best concoctions.

I don’t know about you, but I think I will go out and get a mocha!

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As medical researchers learn more about the health benefits of the darker-roasted coffee beans, touted for their higher level of antioxidants, Americans are buying into the slightly bitter taste of espresso, for example. Consumers who used to brew pots of Folgers in their homes are now heading out to coffee shop where they are “more than willing to wait over a minute for their ground-on-the-spot, individually brewed cup of Joe,” states Katherine Sacks of CulinaryTrends.net. And customers are essentially putting their foot down when it comes to “waterlogged coffee made with over-roasted beans.

Chocolate, likewise, is gaining momentum in the world of healthy eating. The latest research backs up claims that dark chocolate, without being deluged with sugar, milk, and butter, is good for you, working well with exercise to strengthen your cardiovascular health, and thus lowering your risk of heart attack. And the chocolate that we reach for when we are stressed? Imagine our joy at learning that stress hormone levels are reduced as we indulge in a dark chocolate bar!

But what is bitter, exactly? Turns out it is more difficult to define, if not nearly impossible, because the taste is so complex and somewhat elusive. Often it is our tastebuds that determine a bitter flavor, but seemingly as often our sense of smell detects it before our mouth does. And, crazy as it may sound, it may be the texture of a food, or the temperature, that tip us off that a food is bitter. Even scientists are a bit baffled because the “compounds that are perceived as bitter do not share a similar chemical structure,” as concluded by A. Drewnowski in his article written about the science and complexity of bitter taste in an NCBI article published on PubMed.gov.

And this complexity and elusiveness is precisely what is causing the bitter trend expected in 2015. Try it out for yourself with a small piece of 65-70 percent dark chocolate; simply put the piece in your mouth and experience it on your tongue. Your tastebuds pick up many different flavors, and its texture is much more exciting than a bite of mainstream milk chocolate. The same complexity is found in hoppy, bitter beers; in cocktails with a splash of Angostura bitters; in foods that impart a touch of bitter with sweet or with creamy. “It adds a new dimension, and perks up the tastebuds,” says Jorge de la Torre, dean of culinary education at Johnson and Wales University. “It makes you want the next bite.” As Americans are exposed to more exotic tastes, you can bet chefs and brewers, chocolatiers and coffee roasters will continue to experiment with bitter as a means to entice their customers in 2015 and beyond.

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Chocolate Fudge Latte

1 ounce Monin® Chocolate Fudge Syrup
2 shots espresso
Steamed milk

• In a 16-ounce mug combine espresso and syrup. Stir and set aside.
• Steam milk in a pitcher.
• Pour the steamed milk into mug, stir gently,
  and garnish as desired.

Iced Chocolate Cherry Latte

1 oz Monin® Chocolate Cherry Syrup
2 shots espresso
5 oz milk
Ice

• Fill a 16-ounce glass with ice.
• Add remaining ingredients and stir vigorously.
• Garnish as desired.

Chocolate Fudge Frappe

1 oz Monin® Chocolate Fudge Syrup
4 oz milk
1 scoop vanilla frappe powder
1 shot espresso
Ice

• Combine ingredients, except ice, in blender. Fill a 16-ounce glass with ice and add to blender.
• Blend until smooth and pour into glass. Garnish as desired.

Chocolate Cherry Cocoa

1 oz Monin® Chocolate Cherry Syrup
½ oz Monin® Dark Chocolate Sauce
Steamed milk

• Combine syrup, sauce, and steamed milk in a 12-ounce mug.
• Stir and garnish as desired.

**All photos courtesy of Monin

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