1828 CE
Coenraad Van Houten invents a process that creates an easily prepared powdered hot chocolate

In 1828, Coenraad Van Houten, a Dutch chemist, patented his method for removing most of the cocoa butter from processed cacao and therefore creating a powdered chocolate. Van Houten invented a hydraulic press that reduced the amount of cocoa butter from untreated cocoa mass to about 27%, leaving a cake that could be pulverized into a fine powder. Van Houten treated the powder with alkaline salts to improve its ability to mix with liquid, a process known as "Dutching".

The introduction of cocoa powder not only made creating chocolate drinks much easier, but also made it possible to mold chocolate into bars and more elaborate chocolate confections

Source: Coenraad Van Houten (2007). Chocolate: Food of the Gods. Cornell University Library.