When a company as large as Starbucks makes a bet on “Capturing the spirit of ancient drinking chocolate and the European chocolate house tradition” you can be sure they’ve done their marketing homework. Cast as a “drinkable dessert,” how does Chantico stand up to the competition?

Type(s): Drinking Chocolate
Style: French
Taste Rating: Good
Overall Value Rating: Very Good

Chantico (shan - TE - ko) was/is the Aztec goddess of home and hearth (fertility, too). Associated with volcanoes and a fire-red serpent, Chantico (which means “she who dwells in the house") represents the civilizing force of fire.

I tried Chantico on a number of occasions over the past couple of weeks, in part because the first cup I got was a disappointment on several levels: it was not hot enough and I could taste undissolved sugar crystals in the mix. Chantico is shipped in powder form to stores where it is mixed with milk to form a thick syrup. This syrup is refrigerated until ready to serve and then heated using the steamer on the cappuccino machines. This delivery system makes sense in that it ensures a slightly fresher product as the syrup is made as it is needed. It also adds some variability into the product (milk in Seattle tastes somewhat different from milk in Larchmont where I live); variability which probably lead to the undissolved sugar crystals I tasted in my first cup. (To be fair, I only tasted those crystals in my first cup just after the introduction of the product, so it may have been due to the newness of the product and unfamiliarity with it on the part of the barista.)

The past several cups have been far more consistent, but have reinforced the basic impression I formed on the first cup. Chantico is very much in the French style of extreme hot chocolate in the sense that it is quite thick. However, my overall impression of the drink is sweetness: there is a very strong sweet note in the nose when drinking Chantico and the aftertaste is surprisingly short and sweet rather than intensely chocolate. The initial taste in the mouth is quite chocolatey, but there is something not quite right about the mouthfeel, a distinct floury texture, as if there is some sort of starchy thickening agent (cornstarch is commonly used but I don’t know if it’s in Chantico) in the mix.

So, in comparison with the hot chocolate at la Charlotte de l’isle Starbucks got the thickness, missed on the texture, and aimed for a much sweeter taste. The sweetness of Chantico is hardly surprising. Most Americans, reared on hot cocoa mix, would not regularly choose the bitterness of a true French-style hot chocolate.

One surprising note is who is buying Chanticos, at least in my town: kids in the 5th through 8th grades. At $2.65 for a 6-ounce cup (with 360 or so calories), the Chantico is a relatively good deal compared with the kid’s hot cocoa (at a buck but on a par with Swiss Miss in terms of quality) and the adult hot chocolate on the menu which, according to my 7th grader, “is not very filling and you need to get a venti in order to feel satisfied”—in other words, comparatively expensive. Chantico is also being ordered by these kids as an alternative to Frappuccinos®. Chanticos are about the same price as most tall Frappuccinos and they’re hot, making them a perfect alternative during the cold winter season.

I don’t know if this pattern holds true in other communities, but from what I’ve heard in other locations, it’s not selling as strongly as originally anticipated. Why that’s so (if it’s true) is probably due to the fact that the majority of the Starbucks-drinking public really isn’t ready for where the Chantico wants to lead them.

I gave the Chantico a Good rather than a Very Good rating because of the (to me) floury texture and the fact that it really is very sweet: sweet on the nose and with sweetness as the predominant aftertaste. At $2.65 for a cup—if you like it—Chantico is a Very Good deal.

It would surprise me to see Chantico being offered year-round, and I suspect that it will be removed from the menu (or not heavily promoted) during the summer months, at which time we may see some tweaking of the formula and/or a variation on the theme (i.e., “Classic” Chantico and “Chantico Light” Cinnamon-spice Chantico") that will extend and the reach of the product and embrace a larger segment of the Starbucks-drinking public.

Company Information:

http://www.starbucks.com/
To find a location near you (probably within shouting distance of another Starbucks): http://www.starbucks.com/retail/locator/default.aspx