🍫 Hot Chocolate: Therapy in a Mug ☕️

Hot chocolate is not just cocoa powder plus vibes. It started as a very serious drink, thousands of years ago, with the Maya and Aztecs, who drank chocolate as a bitter, spiced beverage mixed with water, chili, and sometimes cornmeal. No marshmallows. No whipped cream. Just power, ritual, and the vague sense that something important was happening. When chocolate made its way to Europe, people decided it needed sugar, milk, and a softer personality, and honestly… fair. What began as a ceremonial drink slowly became what we now know as a warm hug in a mug, especially when it’s cold out and the Mountain View fog is doing its weird damp thing again ☁️

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Different cultures still do hot chocolate their own way, and they’re all right. In Mexico, it’s often made with cinnamon and sometimes chili, whisked until frothy. Spain goes thick—like “is this a drink or a pudding?” thick—and dunks churros straight into it (a flawless decision). France keeps it simple but intense: melted dark chocolate and milk, no nonsense, no joy, very chic. At Ava’s, we cover the entire spectrum: we’ve got local, organic, premade hot chocolate mixes for when you want excellence with minimal effort, and all the cocoa powder, bars, and milk alternatives you need to go full Cacao Mode and make it from scratch. Either way, you win.

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If you want to spice things up (emotionally or literally), there are options. Add cinnamon or vanilla for a classic Mesoamerican-inspired warmth. A tiny pinch of cayenne or chili powder gives you Mexican-style heat that sneaks up on you like a plot twist. Cardamom nods toward Scandinavian winter drinks and makes everything feel mysteriously expensive. Or go Italian-adjacent and thicken your cocoa slightly with a touch of cornstarch for that luxurious, spoon-coating situation. Pro tip: always heat your milk gently and never boil it: scalded milk is SO rank amateur.

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Final pro moves: use real cocoa or chopped chocolate, and add a small pinch of salt to wake everything up (this is science!). Whisking instead of stirring gives you better texture and a little foam, which tricks your brain into thinking you’re at a café instead of standing in mismatched socks on a cold kitchen floor. Top it however you want… marshmallows, whipped cream, oat milk foam, a dramatic sigh. Hot chocolate is here to quietly remind you that things could always be worse, and that you could always make another cup ☕🍫

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☕️ Coffee: Hot, Brown, Necessary

Coffee is the reason history happened this fast. It started in Ethiopia, where someone noticed that certain beans made everyone vibrate slightly and have ideas. From there it spread through the Middle East and Europe, birthing coffeehouses where people debated politics, art, and whether their hands shaking this much was still ok. Revolutions were planned over coffee. Empires rose and fell. By the time coffee reached modern America, it had become less of a drink and more of a support system with a handle. ☕

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At Ava’s, we embrace this fully and irresponsibly. We carry an obscene amount of coffee: decaf or regular, instant or ground, fresh or vacuum-sealed… options for every mood and major life crisis. But we urge you: Do not buy the same bag again like you’re afraid of change. Make this the year you honor that New Year’s resolution to “try new things” by doing the absolute bare minimum and picking a fair-trade coffee with a fun label. It has a bird on it. Or a volcano. Or both. Let it whisper, “You could be interesting… if you just tried.”

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Around the world, coffee gets even weirder (complimentary). Turkish coffee is ultra-fine, unfiltered, and leaves sludge at the bottom you can use to tell your future (spoiler: you'll order another cup). Vietnamese coffee is aggressively strong and softened only by sweetened condensed milk, like a kiss from someone who also yells at you. Italian espresso is taken standing up, very fast, because sitting down would imply vulnerability. Every culture looked at coffee and said, “Yes, but what if we made it intense?”

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If you want to fully unhinge your morning routine, try this some Cinnamon for warmth and false confidence, or a pinch of cocoa powder to confuse your brain into thinking this is a treat, not survival. Pro tip: if your coffee tastes bad, it's probably just you, but it might also be your water. Try filtered water and a different bean before spiraling into another seasonal depression. And remember: coffee is a daily experiment in how awake you can get without screaming.

🍷 Check Out Our New NA Section! 🍹

Big news at Ava’s! We’ve officially created a dedicated non-alcoholic wine, spritz, and spirits section, all together, right at the end of the wine aisle… because wandering around awkwardly reading labels is so 2025. Whether you’re Dry January’ing, Dry Living It, or just shopping for that friend who also deserves to be holding a fancy glass, this is your spot. We’re talking a shockingly large selection of NA wines, bubbly spritzes, and spirits that actually taste like grown-up beverages (not juice in a cheap tuxedo). Same ritual, same mouthfeel (somehow that's a word), with zero regrets. Come check it out, and enjoy feeling hydrated and smug. 🍷✨