5 Tips For Making Dark Hot Chocolate Taste Less Bitter

There's no mistaking the elegance and decadence of a dark hot chocolate. Rich and smooth, creamy and delicious, and ... bitter? The truth is that hot chocolate made from dark chocolate does have a tendency to bitterness, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying a cup of this treat to the fullest. You'll simply want to work with your recipe to create a hot beverage that has just the right amount of complementary ingredients to create a drink that is at once sweet, delicious, rich, and not overly bitter. It can definitely be done, as long as you have a little bit of knowledge up your sleeve, starting with what makes dark chocolate so bitter in the first place.

Cocoa beans contain polyphenols, compounds which lead to bitterness in the powder of the ground beans. Dark chocolate has a higher cocoa content than milk chocolate, so your cocoa is destined to have a bitter flavor — the higher the percentage of cocoa, the more bitter it will be. This is a good thing for a chocolate purist, as it means there is less milk and sugar blended into the chocolate, but it results in a taste that some palates don't always find appealing in a cup of hot chocolate. Instead, they are looking for something rich, decadent, and intensely satisfying, but also something that doesn't taste so bitter. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to offset the bitterness or even complement it so your dark hot chocolate tastes just right for your palate.

Hot chocolate is supposed to be a sweet treat when you want something hot and comforting, and making it with dark chocolate shouldn't be any different. A little extra sugar in your cocoa can help reduce some of that bitterness by masking the flavor with a more favorable one. 

You can easily achieve this result by adding a few teaspoons of sugar or honey (experiment with the amount to get the flavor that removes enough bitterness for your palate). Swirl it in during the cooking process so the sugar or honey is evenly distributed and has time to balance the chocolate. You can also add sweetness to your beverage after it is prepared by topping it with a marshmallow or two. Store-bought will work just fine, but for added elegance you can easily make your own marshmallows at home with just three ingredients.

Salt is a flavor enhancer that can reduce the bitterness of dark chocolate, diffuse some of its naturally strong scent and flavor, and enhance its sweetness instead. You have plenty of great salts to choose from and a couple of options for incorporating them, both of which will give you a different sensory experience. 

If you add the salt during the cooking process, you will balance the bitterness of the hot chocolate while it cooks, giving you a delicious and creamy beverage at the end. However, you can also wait until you've poured your cocoa into a cup and sprinkle a large flaky salt like a sea salt (not to be confused with table or kosher salt) on top. This will give a nice balance to the flavors while also creating a crispy crunch that will explode on your tongue as you enjoy the drink. When you add salt on top of sugar to balance out the bitterness, you've got a salty sweet combination that is an absolute winner.

Ingredients like milk and cream can have an incredible effect on the taste of your hot chocolate, particularly if you are working with dark chocolate. The fats they contain have a buffering effect on dark cocoa, calming and soothing it so instead of a sharp bitter flavor, you get a softer and less intense taste of the chocolate itself. 

The addition of milk or cream does create a more decadent beverage, but if you are in search of an indulgent cup of hot chocolate, the added richness will only serve to improve the experience. To achieve this, you can incorporate milk or cream during the cooking process, or add a hefty dollop of delicate whipped cream as a topper to your cup.

Chocolate and chili are an epic combination. While not everyone is a fan (maybe they just haven't tried it yet), chili brings out the fun and spicy side of chocolate that creates a delicious and complex experience. The chocolate balances the heat of the chili so your beverage doesn't have an overpowering spiciness and has a thick, silky texture, while the chili balances out the bitterness from the polyphenols in the chocolate. 

It doesn't just diffuse chocolate's bitterness by masking it with a touch of heat, it creates a whole new flavor that dances on your taste buds. You can incorporate this flavor into your hot chocolate by sprinkling some chili powder of course, but also by adding half a seeded chili pepper while you are making your beverage and letting it simmer for a few minutes before removing it. You can expand on this flavor profile with additional complementary flavors like cinnamon and vanilla.

Wine and chocolate are no strangers, and if you've ever experienced a wine and chocolate tasting, then you know they are actually good friends. Particularly a dessert or port wine. Certain wines help counteract the bitterness of the chocolate, while some will bring it out even more. 

The reason for this is that red wines and dark chocolate both contain tannins, so combining the two can actually increase the bitterness. But if you infuse a fortified port wine, the full-bodied flavor and sweetness are strong enough to perfectly balance the bitterness of the chocolate. Experiment with your favorite wines, ports, and dessert wines, and once you've settled on a winner, you'll find wine to be the perfect boozy upgrade for your next cup of hot chocolate.