Hot chocolate is one of the simple pleasures that turns the cold weather more enjoyable. We found a hidden gem on the Buda side, a little cafe with wide selection of hot chocolate where you can also try the popular pumpkin spice latte and many other specialties.
The leaves are already falling, turning brilliant shades of red and gold, and the air is getting cooler in the early hours, so we’ll be taking our morning coffee indoors rather than out on the café terrace. There is one wonderful drink that also signals the arrival of autumn and winter, and that is hot chocolate. Whether sipping it from a paper cup after an outdoor adventure or sitting in an elegant café, it’s all about creamy, rich flavour, the kind of hot chocolate we imagine based on Willy Wonka movies.
The history of hot chocolate goes back to ancient Central American civilisations: the Aztecs and Mayans were among the first to make a drink made from roasted cocoa beans, which they considered a divine elixir. It was only in the 16th century that hot chocolate reached Europe, where it was initially consumed only by the elite because of the cost of importing cocoa. Over time, however, it became popular for the wider audience and is now a common drink in all European countries during the cooler months.
In Buda, there’s a special chocolate shop where every glass of creamy drink is the equivalent of a warm hug, a taste bomb that transports you to exotic Peru – where chocolate comes from. The inside of Galffis on Batthyány Square is reminiscent of the tropical rainforests of South America, but if we’re lucky, we can still enjoy the view from the terrace, the Hungarian Parliament.
In this lovely chocolate shop in Buda, we tried the famous hot chocolate, which comes in several different versions. You can choose between white, black, milk chocolate, strawberry, orange, caramel and hazelnut flavours. We tried the dark chocolate and got exactly what we wanted: a real flavour bomb, a rich, creamy hot chocolate with heavenly whipped cream, chocolate sauce and cinnamon.
The other favourite drink of autumn, the pumpkin spice latte, is also on the menu, which has exploded onto the national scene in recent years with the launch of a popular American coffee chain. At Galffis, you can also order a plant milk version.
Chocolate is not only available in liquid form, but also in chocolate bars and pralines. We can buy eye-catching and delicious chocolate assortments for Christmas, not only for family, friends and loved ones – business partners will also be sure to love a package that is sophisticated in both appearance and taste.
Of course, for those who like coffee, there’s still a fabulous range to choose from. Dezső Gálffi, whose name Galffis bears, couldn’t find a coffee he liked at home in Szeklerland, so he travelled the world to find the coffee he liked. Today, plantations in Latin America, Africa and South-East Asia pack bags of coffee beans and cocoa beans for him to make artisan chocolate. Fair trade and organic production, sustainability – these are key words when it comes to choosing a new supplier. Dezső Gálffi is now planning to buy his own coffee farm to really reduce to zero the areas he can’t see from planting the coffee bushes to running the coffee machine.
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