hot chocolate – creativity in motion

Back in November, my friend Lori and I decided to take on this Hot Chocolates to Try in Cleveland Top 10 List published by Scene Magazine.

Over the last 5 months we’ve paused our days to meet up almost every other week to take on one of the destinations featured (with the exception of Angel Falls Coffee Company in Akron, which we chose another Cleveland stop instead). Not only do I loooove drinking hot chocolate to keep warm in the winter, I’ve really enjoyed this adventure as a catalyst to slowing down, enjoying good company & conversation, as well as a great reason for me to get out and about more during these cold, exhausting months to visit some familiar places and get to know some new ones. Every stop was worth the trip!

This week-end Lori and I finally enjoyed our 10th stop, bringing this hot chocolate tasting tour to a close. Below are my reflections, rankings, and take-aways from each stop we made throughout our chocolate journey:

Hot Chocolate Adventures in Cleveland | creativity in motion — Root Cafe, Lakewood

The Root Cafe in Lakewood was an early December stop on this adventure. I’m pretty sure I have had the Root’s hot chocolate before when meeting there for special projects and work stuff, but this time I was taking in the experience through our hot chocolate challenge taste buds. I would suggest trying the Mexican Cocoa (Lori’s choice!) with cinnamon, cayenne, and vanilla for a kick in your cup!

Mid December was our trip to Blackbird Baking Company, (also in Lakewood)! Blackbird’s hot chocolate had a dark chocolate taste to it, which I think prepared me up for future stops on our agenda!

Another Lakewood destination, Fear’s Confections kicked off our tour in November right before Thanksgiving. I loved the gourmet homemade cinnamon marshmallow that came in my hot chocolate! Yum!

In mid January, Lori and I took on a Hot Chocolate Double Header and did two tastings in one day! Sugar high! One of those stops was at Civilization in Tremont, where I enjoyed this mug of chocolate goodness….Definite bonus points on the ranking system for whipped cream!

The finale of our adventure took place at Dewey’s in Shaker Square, which was a super comfy and inviting place to enjoy our creamy hot chocolate next to their fireplace! This cocoa was cinnamon good!

In January, we also visited Bonbon Pastry & Cafe in Ohio City who served up a really good cup of milky hot chocolate with friendly service… I also left a couple of my Creative Deeds there for finding on my way out! 🙂

Towards the end of our tour, we visited Downtown Cleveland’s Chocolate Bar, which was a.maz.ing. With a hot chocolate menu of over 10 flavors, it was hard to choose just one. We went with our server’s recommendation of the “Extra Dark” for the absolute chocolate experience and it did not disappoint, topped with thick whipped cream, chocolate stick, and shavings.

And here’s my Top 3:

Sweet Moses Soda Fountain and Treat Shop in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District was our first stop after the New Year started, and the first and only tasty hot chocolate on the tour that came with whipped cream and a marshmallow square! Yes! I reeeaaallly enjoyed their vintage hot chocolate recipe and their overall drink presentation was classic!

Our stop to Phoenix Coffee in Ohio City was a super snowy day in early February, which was perfect timing for hot chocolate drinking and worth braving the snowbanked street parking— this heaping cup tasted awesome! Phoenix also receives an honorable mention for the best looking hot chocolate on this list! And…. this came with a separate cup of real whipped cream for my perfect hot chocolate drinking experience….Win, win!

We added Lilly Handmade Chocolates as a random substitute and part of our Tremont Hot Chocolate Double Header in January and boy, I am glad we did! Wow— their Signature Drinking Chocolate, an European Style blend of milk, dark, and white chocolate with cream and Aztec spices was sooooo creamy good and rich. It tasted like old fashioned chocolate pudding, hot off the stove in liquid form. Even without whipped cream I adored it and savored each drop-! Love!

This challenge was so much fun! Thanks to all the places we visited throughout this winter and to Scene Magazine for the inspiration– a great way to support and get to know more local businesses in Cleveland area neighborhoods in the spirit of hot chocolate drinking! And support some emotional resilience related to the winter around us….

Now that our hot chocolate adventure has ended, Lori and I are seeking a tasting tour for the spring/summertime that we can embark on next. I’ll keep you posted…. 🙂

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Creative Deed 365 January Offerings

Firewalk Inspired Smashbooking

As fall gives way to winter and the year begins to finish out its final month, I find myself wanting to slow down while I adjust to colder weather, holiday anticipation, thinking ahead to planning for 2015, and reflecting on the adventures of 2014.

Here are a few things from this past week helping me take time out for some pausing….

I’ve embarked on a hot chocolate challenge 🙂 :

Hot Chocolate Savoring & Creative Pausing | creativity in motion — Fear’s Confections Hot Chocolate

My friend Lori and I have decided to enjoy this list of Top 10 Hot Chocolates in Cleveland by attempting to try each one throughout the winter. It’s a great reason to get together, warm up from the cold, and savor some chocolate. Win, win, win! Our first stop on this hot chocolate tour was Fear’s Confections. I recommend splurging for the gourmet homemade cinnamon marshmallow to accompany the drink- Yum!

I also started prepping the children’s board book I’ve chosen for creating a new revo’lution altered book, one of the creative rituals I enjoy taking time to reflect on as the New Year approaches… 2015 will be year/book #7 in the series…. Yay! If you’re in the NE Ohio area, I’ll be hosting a cozy Ready for Revo’lution art-making gathering (with hot chocolate available!) on January 7 that you can check out here.

Things are also winding down with this year’s 365 project, as my 3×5 art journey moves forward into its last month. Incredible that 11 months and have already gone by, with only one more to go…. It’s an ongoing reminder time and time again to slow down in each creative moment.