We Tasted Every Instant Hot Chocolate We Could Find — Here Are the Best
PHOTO: MATT TAYLOR-GROSS
Perhaps it’s a variation of classical conditioning or a Pavlovian response, but the taste of instant hot cocoa conjures visions of searing my tongue on too-hot cocoa at the ice skating rink. Is it just me or did this happen to all 10-year-olds? While I’ve gained enough patience with age to wait until my cocoa cools, the sheer joy of sipping a warm cup of chocolatey goodness in the winter remains unchanged.
Despite the category’s obvious wide appeal, not all hot chocolates are created equally. You can make this delicious version with creamy coconut milk by spending time over a stove slowly integrating chocolate into simmering milk, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to enjoy your hot cocoa in mere seconds. We’re in luck, there are endless options when it comes to hot chocolate mix and we tasted as many as we could get our hands on. Read on for 5 outstanding hot chocolate mixes.
What is Hot Chocolate Mix?
Traditionally, hot chocolate is made in a saucepan by combining chocolate with warm milk and sugar. Hot chocolate mix follows the same basic combination of cocoa, sugar, and sometimes powdered milk, which all blend together when whisked with hot milk or water. Mixes lean on different types of chocolate; some blends have small chips or flakes of chocolate which slowly melt, while others use a cocoa powder for rich bitter intensity. Typically, drinking chocolate or sipping chocolate refers to cocoa made from melted chocolate, whereas hot chocolate is an all-encompassing term that refers to cocoa powder-based varieties as well.
We tested over 20 hot chocolates made with hot whole milk. Two tablespoons of each hot chocolate mix was whisked into the hot milk until melted and combined. Sadly for our tasters, no whipped cream or marshmallows were consumed, this is, afterall, for science.
Best for Dark Chocolate Lovers: Crow & Moss Honduras Wampusirpi Drinking Chocolate 70%
Specializing in thoughtfully sourced and crafted chocolate bars, it’s no surprise that Crow & Moss makes an excellent drinkable version, too. This 70% drinking chocolate is ultra-luxurious with rich notes of honey, aromatic coffee, and toasted nuts. “This is a very complex drinking chocolate,” shared one editor. “It tastes like if I melted a really high-quality chocolate bar. You get those sweet, nutty, banana bread notes, which is a nice surprise.”
If you are a lover of dark chocolate and care about thoughtful, sustainable sourcing, this is the pick for you. Made with cocoa beans harvested in North-Eastern Honduras, in a region called Wampusirpi that is only reachable by a two-day canoe journey up the Rio Patuca river, this cocoa stood out to our team for its flavor and aroma.
Price at time of publish: $18 per 10-ounce packet
