V​intage Treats: What is this Chocolate

Sometimes, I like Chocolate. It just makes me happy to eat a bit of the good Stuff every now and then. While I do not prefer any particular Kind of Chocolate, Dark always ranked a bit lower than the other Types.

S​cho-Ka-Kola is something else entirely though. It is Dark-ish Chocolate, with about 56% of Cocoa in it. But it also comes with a twist.

A​ Tin of Scho-Ka-Kola.

A​ Tin of Scho-Ka-Kola.

W​here as normal Chocolates maybe come with Cookies and Cream, Strawberries, or even Chilly Peppers, Scho-Ka-Kola comes jam packed with Caffeine. One 100 gram Tin actually holds 200 milligrams of the Waker-maker.

I​t is even in the Name. Scho-Ka-Kola stands for 'SCHOkolade mit KAfee und KOLAnuss', or Chocolate with 2.6% Coffee and 1.6% Cola Nut added into the mix.

S​ince one Tin is made up of 16 individual Bits, one of those contains 12.5 milligrams of Caffeine. According to Advertising, 8 Bits make one Cup of Coffee.

8​ of the 16 Bits. Each Tin has two Layers.

8​ of the 16 Bits. Each Tin has two Layers.

I​nventented back in 1935 in Berlin, Scho-Ka-Kola was first advertised as Sportschokolade (Sports Chocolate) during the 1936 Olympic Games. But those Times were also the dark Times of Nazi Rule in Germany.

A​nd so it was no Wonder that the caffeinated Treat would also make its Way into Wehrmacht Rations to increase Wakefulness. And of Course it was also used during the War. That is also the Time where my Grandma comes into play.

B​eing born in 1939, she was only a little Kid when all those bad Things we learn about in History today went down. According to Stories, People who had some Scho-Ka-Kola, like my Family, were the Hit in Air Raid Shelters here in Osterode. After the War, Allied Soldiers distributed Scho-Ka-Kola to the Poulation of Germany. But that is all I know about that.

For a while, there were even some Rumours that the so called Fliegerschokolade (Airmans Chocolate), named so because it was distributed to Luftwaffe Pilots during the Blitz, was actually enriched with Pervitin, an early form of Chrystal Meth, but that was not the Case. Even though the Germans did use that Stuff.

B​ut enough about that.

W​here my Grandma hid.

W​here my Grandma hid.

B​eing invented in 1935 also makes Scho-Ka-Kola one of the oldest Treats that I have ever tried out, with it coming up on 86 Years! And at least according to the Internet, the Recipe remains largely unchanged since then.

O​f Course the Taste is even more important than the History of the Treat. And I have to say, as an absolute Coffee-Hater, I actually liked my first Bites of Scho-Ka-Kola a lot. Luckily, I bought two Tins of it already. T​he Chocolate was not too bitter, but also not overly sweet. It melted nicely in my Mouth, and it is also very smooth.

E​verything has a History, and every Story has some dark Spots, but I am sure glad that Scho-Ka-Kola survived until now. It is even still made in Germany.

N​owadays, it is mostly enjoyed by Truckers, Hikers and Students who need the Kick to stay awake. It comes in Dark (Red Tins) and Milk Chocolate (Blue Tins), but I was only able to source some Dark Scho-Ka-Kola.