The things I do for you, dear readers. I’ve swapped my usual, delightsome mocha for its unusual caffeinated cousin: bone broth hot cocoa. It’s a line I never expected to write, yet here we are. Before we dive into the review, here’s a quick refresher on what’s happening.
Ballerina Farms recently introduced a caffeinated edition of their well-loved bone broth hot cocoa. Was it a hit with me? Not exactly. In fact, I hadn’t even known it existed until it crossed my desk, which made it noteworthy all the same.
Each serving of Ballerina Farm’s new caffeinated bone broth hot cocoa delivers 25g of protein per scoop, drawn from bone broth and collagen, plus 80mg of natural caffeine sourced from guarana. The remainder of the formula is built from cocoa, coconut sugar, and monk fruit. The aim is to provide a wakeful lift similar to a morning latte, but without the typical jittery rush. The question then becomes: how does it measure up?
Ballerina Farm’s Caffeinated Bone Broth Hot Cocoa
Pros: Surprisingly, and honestly in a way that surprised me, it tastes like Swiss Miss hot cocoa—a relief I didn’t expect. I can’t describe the flavor much more than that. The resulting mixture is a touch thicker than standard hot chocolate, which I suspect is the bone broth doing its job.
I was fully prepared for an off taste or an odd aftertaste, at minimum. I should have approached this with more openness, but I’m doing my best to be fair here. If nothing else, it’s a testament to Ballerina Farms that they could win me over. Let me phrase that carefully: I can see the appeal of this drink. Is it the right fit for me? Not entirely. Here’s why we’re at that point.
Cons: My body seems to crave the natural jitter of coffee. I reached for the caffeinated bone broth hot cocoa a few hours ago, and I’m already finding it hard to push through the rest of the day. It’s like my system is begging for that bean juice, and this isn’t satisfying that craving. You might adjust to using it as a daily energizer, but swapping it in for a single day isn’t ideal.
The powder itself tends to form lumps. While it does imitate the Swiss Miss flavor, it doesn’t dissolve into my water with the same ease. I was left with a sizable gulp of slurry at the end of the glass, which gave me a bit of a chill. The directions suggest mixing with one or two cups of liquid (milk, water, or another option). I went with a full two cups of water and still encountered issues getting the blend to settle, so I can only imagine how it would behave with just one cup.
