Students go cuckoo for Morningside Heights hot cocoa

As winter casts a shadow over Morningside Heights, students turn to a beverage of childhood, one that delivers an overwhelming surge of sugar and caffeine: hot chocolate.

Unfortunately, the perfect cup of cocoa seems increasingly difficult to pinpoint around campus—cheap imitations and half-hearted hot chocolate knockoffs are the norm. But sometimes delicious chocolate drinks hide in the most banal and predictable of places.

One of the most discussed and venerable establishments near campus, the Hungarian Pastry Shop, prepares a traditional form of hot chocolate. Unsweetened, the cup of chocolate arrives super heated, unleashing clouds of heady steam. A frothy layer of milk floats gently on the drink’s surface, making the first few sips cappucino-esque. Underneath, a surprisingly thin liquid, near boiling, lies waiting to ambush unprepared tongues. The arrestingly bitter and earthy flavor of cocoa power coats the mouth immediately. The overall taste lacks a profound impression of chocolate. Instead, the predominate—and disappointing—cocoa powder notes make drinking more than a few sips unpleasant.

Similarly to The Hungarian Pastry Shop, Starbucks offers a signature hot chocolate that delivers a powerful taste, albeit with a better balance of bitterness and dark fruits on the palate. Representative of an unfortunate trend towards corporate homogeny and overpriced products, Starbucks nevertheless prepares a surprisingly tasty brew. Ample steamed milk and a precisely calculated temperature let the chocolate shine.

Occupying a spot of prime realty near The Hungarian Pastry Shop, Artopolis faces the opposite problem of its neighbor: not enough cocoa flavor. While the extremely sweet, creamy blend possesses an indulgently rich, almost custard-like texture, none of chocolate’s characteristic earthy or fruity flavors make an appearance. Perhaps Artopolis’s hot chocolate is more aptly labeled hot cream with sugar—pleasant in its own right, but not the drink in question.

Oren’s Daily Roast boasts the best hot chocolate in Morningside Heights. Classic chocolate flavor meets flawlessly steamed milk in this winter fantasy of a drink. Although the actual chocolate used tastes suspiciously akin to Hershey’s syrup, the end result fills the mouth with caramelized, buttery, luscious swirls of cocoa. Served hot but not scalding, the drink disappears quickly without threatening a trip to St. Luke’s.

Options to avoid include the cloying “Godiva” version Haagen-Dazs offers and the woefully thin Nussbaum and Wu premade concoction. Worst of all, Hot and Crusty’s hot chocolate tastes more like hot water. Stick to the similarly priced cup at Oren’s.

Never underestimate the capacity of a dining establishment to destroy a simple pleasure. In the end, it seems that there are more ways to mess up hot chocolate than previously imagined. Yet, at Oren’s Daily Roast, the best hot chocolate in Morningside Heights warms wintery hearts every day.