Hot stuff

Andrew Kopplin, a man obsessed with coffee, also knows a thing or two about hot chocolate.

At his eponymous St. Paul coffee bar, the mornings are all about meticulously brewed espressos, lattes and macchiatos. But by about the time "General Hospital" signs off -- well, at least during snow season -- Kopplin's Coffee customers' tastes turn to admirably full-bodied hot chocolates.

"In the afternoons, it just about all we sell," Kopplin said.

Unlike the shop's coffee beverages, which require the kinds of intricate equipment that few consumers would keep in their kitchens, the hot chocolates on Kopplin's menu -- all six of them -- are easily replicated at home. Here's his quick course on the art and science of perfect hot chocolate.

The hot chocolate backstory. "I'd been reading a lot about mochas," said Kopplin, referring to the period prior to opening his coffeehouse in 2006. "They were originally made with darker chocolate. I like dark chocolate, and mocha is how I got into coffee, it's my gateway drug. As I got into finer coffees, I got away from mochas, and realized that the reason why is because most mochas are so sweet. I mean, Hershey's syrup is the norm. So I wanted to make a mocha that a coffee lover would love. And of course, once you do that, you really have a great hot chocolate, once you take out the espresso."

Buy the best. Kopplin relies upon chocolate produced by Callebaut, Valrhona and Rogue Chocolatier. "Nothing at Kopplin's is cheap, but in the end, you get what you pay for," he said. "Callebaut is delicious, but Valrhona is amazing, and Rogue is out of this world," he said. "The 80 percent Valrhona [the higher the figure -- and 80 percent is fairly stratospheric -- the greater the percentage of cocoa mass, and the more intense the flavor] is so dark that it's almost savory."

Break it up. At the shop, Kopplin pulses the chocolate in a food processor, "Until it's basically a powder," he said. "But small pieces, or chips, will work just fine. The reason we chop it small is because we have to make the drink in less than a minute."

The secret ingredient. "The reason we add cocoa powder, and why we don't just chop up chocolate and put it in milk, is because cocoa powder helps the milk and the chocolate adhere to one another," he said. "You don't need cocoa powder if you heat up the milk and the chocolate super-slow, because then you can get the chocolate to incorporate. But it really doesn't want to attach to the milk molecules the way cocoa powder does. Chocolate has a richer taste, with unique, deep tones and complex flavor profiles, but cocoa powder makes hot chocolate feel thick, it has the mouth feel."

Doing the math. Kopplin's general rule is three parts chocolate to one part cocoa powder. "Except for Rogue, I use less cocoa powder," he said. "You don't want to cover up the nuance." But Kopplin also suggests taste-testing. "It's not like 4-to-1 will be horrible," he said. "My rule of thumb is that you should use as little cocoa powder as you can get away with and still achieve the texture that you like."

It's all in the milk. Kopplin relies upon two small Wisconsin dairies, Castle Rock Organic Farms and Crystal Ball Farms. "I would also totally promote Cedar Summit Farm," he said, referring to the Minar family's New Prague, Minn., dairy. "Our basic thing is grass-fed, organic, non-homogenized, delicious milk. It tastes sweeter and more buttery than other milks. They all use a lower pasteurization, so they don't burn off the sugar. I think of it as the difference between buying a strawberry in January, and buying a strawberry in June."

Keep it whole. "That's my No. 1 recommendation, whole milk," he said. "Let's face it: hot chocolate is not a health beverage. I also think that whole milk is a lot healthier than skim, but that's a whole other topic; we won't go there. But whole is a lot more delicious. Instead of ordering a 16-ounce low-cal skim-and-Splenda version of hot chocolate that you're not really enjoying, get an 8-ounce, made with great ingredients that's totally enjoyable."

Not too hot. "At home, I put the milk on the stove on medium-low heat," he said. "The lower, the better, and the slower you can heat it up, the better." The ideal temperature: 145 to 150 degrees, tops. "You never want to boil milk," he said. "As milk heats, the lactose breaks down into simple sugars, but after 165 degrees you start to caramelize them. The milk loses its creaminess, and you end up with burned flavors."

The measure. Minus an instant-read thermometer, there's a more casual way to monitor the milk's heat. "Don't wait for a bubble, because by then it's too late," he said. "Look for steam. You'll see steam at around 140 or 145 degrees."

Enlist the slow cooker. "If I'm going to get really fancy at home, I'll make my hot chocolate in the Crock-Pot," he said. "It's perfect for hot chocolate, because it heats so slowly. Besides, hot chocolate is one of those beverages that was really designed to be made at home, by mom, in a big pot, ladled out."

Topping it off. "I think marshmallows and whipped cream are both fantastic on hot chocolate," he said, with a caution. "It's like everything else: If you're going to put it in, make it good." Kopplin uses cream from the same dairies where he purchases his milk, and he relies upon peppermint-flavored marshmallows from St. Peter, Minn.-based Laura's Candy. "We were trying to do a peppermint hot chocolate and thought, 'Why, let's just put one of these on top instead,'" he said. "They're handmade, and while they are obviously quite sugary, you can put them on top of a savory chocolate, and it just sort of melts and mixes really well."

Does the shape of the cup make a difference? "Yes and no," he said. "Technically, does a mug versus a bowl make it taste any different? Not at all. But I fully believe that you taste with your mind. I say, pick your favorite cup and fill it up, because you're not only creating a drink, you're creating an experience."

Rick Nelson • 612-673-4757