The two new products are flavoured versions of Nestle’s ubiquitous instant hot chocolate powder mashed up with popular chocolate bars: Peppermint Crisp and Tex. After the withdrawal of Cadbury’s hot chocolate powder from South African shelves, the market has been wide open for Nestle to muscle in with some big-hitting flavours.
READ MORE: Sad news for chocolate lovers: Cadbury hot chocolate discontinued in SA
Each box contains 8 x 20g individual stick sachets, which are increasingly popular in the hot beverage market in South Africa. The convenient sachets make them great for taking in your lunchbox or on holiday, but naturally, the added packing also adds to the price.
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Other popular individual-serving beverages are the Hug in a Mug range from Ciro and the flavoured cappuccino drinks from Nescafe.
Peppermint Crisp is one of South Africa’s best-loved chocolate bars, largely due to its inclusion in one of our national treasures: Peppermint Crisp fridge tart while Tex has a strong and loyal following for its biscuity crunch.
We purchased one box at a Checkers for R44,99, or R5,72 per serving while the original Nestle Hot Chocolate is priced at around R45 per 500g.
Peppermint Crisp
Naturally, this mug of hot chocolate does not have the original crispy and crunchy texture of Peppermint Crisp. The powder mixes with hot water effortlessly, and immediately there is a pleasant and distinct menthol small. The mint and chocolate are in balance with each other, with a nice fresh mintiness after swallowing. We didn’t add any sugar, but that is a personal preference so we would recommend tasting your drink first.
Tex
Once again and obviously, the hot chocolate doesn’t have the same texture of the original chocolate bar. The powder dissolves easily and has a nice creamy layer on top. There are strong biscuit flavours on the nose, that comes through on the taste. It tastes exactly like a chocolate wafer, it’s almost bizarre. The chocolate flavour is a bit low, so if you like a stronger chocolate taste perhaps add some plain Nestle Hot Chocolate powder. The Tex flavour seemed much sweeter than the Peppermint Crisp, and we thought it definitely didn’t need any extra sugar.
RECIPE: Chai white hot chocolate
The instructions indicate that each sachet should be mixed with 200ml boiling water and some milk (the exact measurement is unclear).
We all know the truth here: while you can make instant hot chocolate with only added water, it is always much better with some milk added. If you’re feeling particularly generous, you may even use all hot milk.
We found that the best recipe was 1 sachet mixed with 125ml hot water first to dissolve all the powder. Then add 125ml warmed milk (from the microwave is great) and combine to create a rich, creamy and delicious treat.
We have secret plans to add a little chocolate liqueur or whiskey to our mugs, but we’ll save that for the very cold nights!
RECIPE: Nutella hot chocolate truffles
Have you tasted the Tex or Peppermint crisp hot chocolate yet? Have you found the perfect way to mix them? Tell us in the comments below: