Cocoa Metro: Chocolate milk for the soul

Michael Dunford calls himself "Chief Chocolate Drinker" at Cocoa Metro. I like to think of him as the milkman, because he kindly left a 32 oz. glass bottle of chocolate milk on my step while I was at work. But he's also got a background in design, which shows itself not only in Cocoa Metro's clever packaging but also in its appealingly minimalist website.

The best part about Cocoa Metro, though, is not how it looks but how it tastes. I've never been a milk drinker, including chocolate milk, so I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed. But, wow.

The experience took me back to drinking Yoohoo as a kid--except as an adult, I don't want the watery consistency and the chemical-y aftertaste of a chocolate drink that's not allowed to call itself "milk." I want what Cocoa Metro has (and I didn't even know I wanted it until I took the first sip)--the full rich flavor of Callebaut Belgian dark chocolate, made liquid. It's not so rich and sweet, though--like some European hot chocolates--that you can't drink a whole glass.

You can drink a whole glass. Maybe even a whole bottle. And (especially at only 240 calories a cup) you absolutely should.

Dunford (soon to be a graduate of Babson's entrepreneurialism-focused MBA program) and his wife, Lizzy, started Cocoa Metro by mixing up batches of chocolate milk in their own kitchen. You can find a bottle (just $5 for 32 oz.) at Russo's, Formaggio Kitchen, Bread & Chocolate, and several locations of Whole Foods.