The Silver Spring Penguin

Editor’s note: Lactose intolerance prevents me from reviewing rich, creamy and oh-so-dreamy hot cocoa in milk. So I’ve delegated that task to an elite team of black-ops Penguin ninjas, specially trained in the art of sipping cocoa without scalding their taste buds. This chocolate-mustached crew goes by the name Team Cocoa Quest. Expect reviews to drop all winter long. — JD (Jan 14, 2009)

There’s nothing like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Whether it’s an after-work treat or a breather from the urban hustle, a cup of hot chocolate fixes things like nobody’s business. So after a busy day at the office, I wandered across the street to Kefa Cafe, on a secret assignment to sample their hot chocolate.

Now, I have to confess, I’ve never been in there. They’ve been around forever and folks speak highly of it, but I’ve never managed to get in there. Sometimes I’d walk by and see happy people sitting inside, chatting away, being all chummy. But I always felt too intimidated to walk in, like I wasn’t invited to the party.

But today, I conquered my neurosis and went in. It was only an hour until closing time, but I’d make it count. “Uh, do you have hot chocolate?” I stammered to the sweet lady behind the counter.

“Do I have hot chocolate? I make a great hot chocolate!” she smiled and winked. And she proceeded to whip one up, right then and there.

I sat down at a table and took the first sip. It reminded me of Mom’s homemade, and immediately, I was a kid again, sitting at the kitchen table, looking out the window at a snow-dusted bird feeder. I had to shake myself to remember where I was. I took another sip and was firmly back in Silver Spring. That sip established that this was better than Mom’s homemade.

Kefa prepares its hot chocolate with real milk, not water and powder thrown into a cup. There was a slightly granular quality to it, but not in a bad way. It was as if there were little bits of real chocolate floating around in it. Compare that with Mom’s, which was made with Quik.

This drink was not something to be gulped down, but sipped meditatively and savored. It was sweet but not cloying, and it was certainly hot. The chocolate flavor was superb, what hot chocolate is supposed to be. Kefa’s hot chocolate is a substantial beverage, not to be taken lightly.

The cafe’s early hours are a pain: Closing time is 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, 9:00 p.m. on Fridays, and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. (They’re closed on Sundays.) But that only makes the hot chocolate more special.

Kefa Cafe, 963 Bonifant St, Silver Spring, (301) 589-9337.

Photo by Michael Kent Cornett for The Penguin.

Michael Kent Cornett is a member of The Penguin’s 2009 Team Cocoa Quest. He also reviews horror and mystery fiction for his blog, Dust and Corruption. Michael works in downtown Silver Spring and lives in Takoma Park.