Cheers to chocolate! Ecuador creates giant cup of hot cocoa weighing over 1,500 gallons

If the January blues have got you craving a warm cup of hot cocoa, then we know just the place to go – the coastal city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. 

To celebrate their region’s outstanding reputation as a cacao producer, the local governing body Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal del cantón Esmeraldas wanted to share their amazing product with the rest of the world last December by creating the largest cup of hot chocolate/cocoa in a humungous silver tub. 

Altogether, the cup of cocoa contained 1,680.6 US gallons (6,361.71 litres) of chocolatey goodness, creating thousands of drinks for eager onlookers and breaking a record that was held for over seven years by the Municipio de Uruapan in Mexico.

“We wanted to break the record for the ‘largest cup of hot chocolate’ in the world because Esmeraldas is a land recognized for the quality and exceptional flavor of its cacao – a true symbol of our identity, tradition, and community effort,” said the event organizers. 

“Achieving this record is a way to celebrate our culture, strengthen local tourism, and show that through unity and hard work, Esmeraldas can turn its natural wealth into history and international recognition.”

Read about more incredible culinary records in our dedicated Food and Drink section!

On the day of the event, 20 volunteers arrived at 10 a.m. to the central park in the city, and began assembling all the ingredients needed to create a cocoa of record-breaking proportions. 

For nearly five hours, they worked on the drink by depositing pasteurized milk, Ecuadorian fine-aroma cacao, sugar, and traditional spices into the container, following a predefined preparation process established prior to their attempt. 

Participants were seen bustling about in their white kitchen clothes almost all morning, bringing giant jugs of chocolate to the event stage, as well as breaking up huge sticks of cinnamon and stirring the milk mixture so it didn’t burn. 

And before long, the delicious aroma of luxurious chocolate began to fill the air, just as a curious crowd of spectators formed to watch the event come to a conclusion.

Finally, at 3 p.m. the delicious-smelling drink was ready to be measured – and the entire city was elated to find out that they had taken the record (and they could finally claim their cups of hot chocolate).

“This was a well-coordinated and culturally meaningful attempt,” said Natalia Ramirez, the Guinness World Records Adjudicator present on the scene.

“The strong sense of community and pride surrounding the preparation, combined with careful planning and execution, made this achievement particularly special and impactful.”

So congratulations to the government and people of Esmeraldas, and pass us a mug – because this hot chocolate is Officially Amazing!