As we all know, hot chocolate, and what brand is our favourite, is a very personal thing – mainly because the “level of deliciousness” and cost varies greatly between brands, even when the ingredient lists look identical.
So, which brand should you buy? Well, we put seven brands against each other to determine just that! We asked our trusty tasting panel to judge each sample on the overall flavour, sweetness, and whether or not the sample was rich and creamy or bland and everything but dreamy!
After preparing each sample according to package directions – which meant hot water for all but one, which asked for only milk – the tasting panel sipped away, and here’s what we learnt.
Overall, most tasters found the samples to be seriously lacking on that yummy, creamy texture and flavour as almost all of the samples were made with only water, as per package instructions.
When asked in the questionnaire, tasters almost always use milk or a mix of milk and water when they make hot chocolate at home – proving that how you make your hot chocolate can seriously impact the overall enjoyment of said hot chocolate!
And, lastly, when it comes to the package instructions, ditch them or at least proceed with caution – that is, if you’d like to actually enjoy your hot chocolate. In our opinion, the amount of hot chocolate added should always be measured with your heart!
Results:
While none of the samples scored exceptionally well, there were some brands that managed to score ahead of others with a clear hot chocolate winner.
Woolworths Instant Hot Chocolate Drink: 5.8/10
Tasters praised this sample for its rich chocolate flavour, with comments such as: “Rich chocolate taste,” and “Well flavoured and rich.”
The rich chocolate flavour is a factor the tasting panel were clearly favourable towards when it comes to hot chocolate, as this was the sample that scored the highest in this taste test.
Tasters did, however, notice that the sample could have been creamier, which would have resulted in a more favourable score in the end. The sample itself could have been missing that lush creaminess as it was made only with hot water, as per the package specifications.
Other comments tasters left: “Best sample so far; it tastes like proper hot chocolate,” and “Not that creamy but really good flavour. Tastes like a rich darker chocolate though,” and “This is one of the better hot chocolates. It could be creamier and there’s a slightly artificial flavour, but definitely richer than the other samples.”
Cost: R73.99 for 500g tin
Lindt Hot Chocolate: 5.6/10
Coming in second was the most expensive hot chocolate, Lindt Hot Chocolate. This sample was made with only hot milk, as per package specifications.
Although most tasters found this sample creamy and delicious and were very happy with the amount of sweetness the sample delivered, same tasters felt that it lacked a little on the chocolate favour overall.
They noted that: “This is too milky; it overpowers the chocolate flavour. But the sweetness is at a good level,” and “Looked creamy and delicious but not chocolatey enough”.
Other comments tasters left: “Very creamy and rich but has more of a balance to it. Tastes like it’s a fancy one though,” and “Perfect balance between the taste and sweetness”.
Cost: R189.99 for 500g tin
Hug-in-a-Mug Hot Chocolate: 5.3/10
This sample seemed to divide the tasting panel. Some marked the sample down because they found it to be a tad watery, noting: “Tastes watery and I did not get the chocolatey taste that I was expecting,” while others found the sample to be rather delectable, noting: “So far, the most favourable,” and “This sample was delicious, creamy, sweet and chocolatey”.
One taster found the sample to be a bit too sweet, noting: “This is too sweet and the chocolate flavour is weak. The overriding flavour is more sugar than chocolate.”
Cost: R64.99 for 500g pouch
Nestlé Hot Chocolate: 4.8/10
Most tasters recognised this sample purely on its characteristic taste, labelling the sample as Nestlé in their comments.
While tasters were generally happy with the chocolate flavour, some found this sample to be watery, noting: “Chocolate flavour is okay. Again too watery,” and “Not rich or sweet enough. Also watery”.
Following the package instructions proved to be rather detrimental with this sample, at least according to most of the judging panel’s comments: “Recognisable… Could it be Nestlé? Just need to add one more scoop for perfection,” and “This is average. It tastes like Nestlé hot chocolate without milk. It’s almost there, but it’s just a bit too bland, a bit too watery, just a bit meh”.
Cost: R79.99 for 500g
Importers Hot Chocolate: 4.1/10
Tasters found that this sample had a somewhat off-putting aftertaste to it, a factor that proved to be rather detrimental to the overall scoring.
Tasters noted comments like: “There’s a weird flavour here… I don’t know what it is but it’s not chocolate! How disappointing,” and “It had an unpleasant aftertaste”.
Other tasters also took fault with the lack of chocolate flavour, noting: “Not creamy and tastes burnt for some reason. Not enjoying this one,” and “Also tastes like cinnamon. No chocolate flavour and a tad watery”.
Cost: R75.00 for 500g pouch
SPAR Hot Chocolate Drink: 1.3/10
This sample sadly left tasters searching for chocolate flavour, richness and creaminess.
Comments tasters left: “I really don’t like this one. It looks watery and smells sandy, and the flavour isn’t much better. I don’t taste chocolate at all. Just no,” and “Not good. Not creamy. Not enjoyable… almost has a maltiness to it but overall bland and basic,” and lastly, “Zero richness and flavour.”
Cost: R69.99 for 500g tin
Prices correct at time of publishing
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The rules of Food24 Taste Tests:
– All tasters tasted and scored all samples. Each individual taster’s preference impacts the score they give.
– The samples were tested without packaging and were not easily identifiable.
– The samples were not labelled and were tasted in random order.
– This article is not sponsored in any way, and Food24 was not paid to come to any particular result.
Our taste tests are always unbiased and intended for your information. You may, however, have come to this article through various paid-for advertising.