Customer Reviews

Droste Cocoa (8.8o oz)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My experience is quite different to most other reviewers, so perhaps it will be a helpful counterpoint. I used Droste to make a test cake for my son's birthday, and it had no detectable chocolate flavor. I then just tasted the Droste cocoa and found it awfully bland. I picked up a can of Pernigotti cocoa from Williams-Sonoma: horribly expensive, but produced quite a good chocolate cake from the same recipe. For baking, if you are a foodie, Droste will be disappointing. If you are limited to supermarket selections I would look for a recipe that calls for melted chocolate, perhaps in addition to cocoa, and use Lindt chocolate: the result should be more chocolate-tasting. If you have more money and/or resources, Callebaut cocoa (from Amazon or another mail-order place) is terrific, Green & Black also performs well and is popular with pastry chefs (it is organic, so look for it at organic shops or at Whole Foods), and as mentioned I found Pernigotti to perform well (find at Williams-Sonoma or a gourmet shop). Hope this is helpful.

An earlier reviewer commented that Dutched cocoas will produce more flavor: Dutching is an alkalizing treatment used to bring the cocoa taste forward. All Dutch-processed cocoas are not the same, however, and have different pH levels as well as dramatically different flavors. For more on this see Rose Levenbaum's "Cake Bible" or hit the Cook's Illustrated website. Rose recommends Green & Black's on her blog, and Cook's Illustrated recommends Callebaut as the best cocoa they reviewed (they did find Droste to be the best supermarket brand), although of the three cocoas I suggest only Callebaut was included in the Cook's Illustrated taste test.

For those who wanted to use this chocolate for baking read below:

Dutch-Process Cocoa or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder:

Has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity. Because it is neutral and does not react with baking soda, it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used. It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids.

Unsweetened Cocoa:

Has a complex chocolate flavor while the Dutch-process is darker and more mellow. Its intense flavor makes it well suited for use in brownies, cookies and some chocolate cakes. When natural cocoa (an acid) is used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven.

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Get a tall mug, fill it 1/4 full with milk. Microwave till it is very hot. Add 1 extra heaping teaspoon of Droste. Mix till it dissolves completely - be sure to get the sides and bottom. Add a strong pinch of stevia for sweetening. Fill the rest with milk and heat. You can also use a pot to heat in if you want to share.

You can add sugar instead of stevia if you want, but why not save the calories for a second cup?

This cocoa is the best. Yes, it is three or four times more than supermarket brands, but it is worth it. When baking with it the end result is darker, richer, and, who can resist, chocolatier.

This is the best cocoa out there. It makes the best hot cocoa even if you don't use milk.

Just Droste, water, and touch of sugar. It's corn-free too.

... unfortunately, I was totally disappointed when using Droste. I looked high and low for it too, and paid $8/box thinking I would have an outstanding product. The finished 14" square X 4" high layer cake was very moist, but lacked the darker and richer chocolate expectations both in color and taste. In addition, it also allowed for the cinnamon taste to lean forward - which under the previous chocolate used, was considerably the faint surprise that flavor was meant to be. Droste may be wonderful for making devil's food, but did not hold up for the darker, richer chocolate that I was hoping for. I was very disappointed considering all the hype. But, I truly appreciate these posts. They are a source of helpful input, inspiration, and the kindliness of sharing one's experience. I appreciate all the information especially the comparisons to other cocoa powders.

I am a baker, and can tell you, this is VERY good. Yes, there are a few out there that are insanely expensive and probably taste better, but unless your the french guy from cupcake wars or a world famous chef, you aren't going to notice. What you WILL notice is the higher quality of your chocolate baked goods as opposed to that of say, hersheys cocoa. It tastes like a dark , rich chocolate. I top my cupcakes made with this, with a bittersweet (80% cocoa) chocolate ganache. It really brings out the flavor. Don't let poor reviews fool you, if you know what your doing in the kitchen, this product will not disappoint you.

Excellent product! This is a Dutch cocoa and is therefore ground finer than American cocoa. If you have never tried Droste's then what are you waiting for ???? It gives your recipes a whole new taste ! After drinking a cup of cocoa made with Droste's, you'll never make it with anything else. Definitely puts the gourmet into chocolate !

My favorite cacao for a hot chocolate.

recipe for a nice hot chocolate:

50% skimmed milk (1,5%)
50% milk (3,5%)
heat milk, then add
2 large spoons of cacao (size of spoons depends on amount of milk)
1 smaller spoon of unrefined brown sugar.
Stir, and you're done.
color should be dark brown - if not dark enough, add more to your taste.
Better than any ready made hot chocolate

I rate this on the same level as Hershey's Special Dark...
Both are nothing special.