Day 3 - Chinese Cinnamon

So, I'm Chinese (basically). And Chinese people don't really eat a lot of cinnamon. It's in five-spice powder, but that's about it. Once when I was living in Shenzhen I brought some from Hong Kong to make French toast with a Chinese friend, and she had no idea what it was. Wikipedia tells me that Chinese cinnamon is basically the poor man's cinnamon, a very similar species called cassia that produces a less refined version of cinnamon. I did ask one person at City Bakery what the difference between regular cinnamon and their Chinese cinnamon flavor was, and he said, "Well, it's an especially sweet and fragrant cinnamon." But according to the Wiki entry, Chinese cinnamon is exactly the opposite: harsh, strong, and dense.

The hot chocolate itself wasn't harsh or strong at all though. I don't know if you've ever done the Blueprint Cleanse, which is a super popular juice fast/cleanse here in NYC, but the flavor of the hot chocolate bore a strong resemblance to the much-reviewed, much-loved last juice of the day in the Blueprint Cleanse, the cashew milk. (Ok, to be honest, I never did Blueprint. I did the poor man's Blueprint Cleanse, which is a small collection of juices from Liquiteria, leftover fruits snatched from the office break room, and cashew milk I made in my landlady's stolen Starbucks blender.) The Chinese Cinnamon Hot Chocolate had a distinct nutty, buttery flavor in addition to the cinnamon, which added a very slightly powdery mouthfeel. Steve's reaction:

But I think that frown was more for the texture of the chocolate than for the flavor of the cinnamon. Or it was probably my company.

On the left is the stay version of the full-size cup of chocolate with homemade marshmallow; we saw the to-go version yesterday. On the right is the shot glass-sized version, which for me was a manageable amount.

The bottom line: this was delicately nuanced and tasty, and I love that they frothed it up a bit before ladling it out. It made me feel like it was lighter and easier to drink. Of course, by the time I actually carried it back to my seat, it had sort of unfrothed itself, but still. It's the thought that counts.

Tomorrow (/today, since I'm blogging the cinnamon a day late): Espresso! I don't drink coffee, so this review will be an interesting one.