THE weather is, once again, rubbish, with lashing rain and bitter winds meaning it feels more like January than July.
So it is perhaps not surprising that sales of hot chocolate have been up by almost 30 per cent compared to this time last year as shoppers turn to the unseasonal sips to combat the unexpected chill.
Laura Stott tried a selection of the cocoa brews to see which offers the creamiest taste and the best value for your cash.
IF just the taste of the famous Dairy Milk bar will do, then this instant drink from the choccie giant will deliver the creamy flavour and milky aroma you want – but expect to pay a premium price in Sainsbury’s.
At a whopping £3.75 for just 300g, you won’t get that many mugs for your money, either.
However, this did smell delicious and create a lovely, thick cup to sip.
And because it contains 3.5 per cent real milk chocolate, alongside cocoa powder, you do get to enjoy the famous choc flavour too.
Does deliver, but at a very high price.
Rating: 2/5
DESPITE Lidl‘s hot choc coming in at the same price and size as Aldi’s version, value for money is where the comparison ends between the two.
While Aldi’s powder also contains real milk chocolate and whole milk, I was disappointed to find this was made with the more standard ingredients of cocoa and whey powder.
The end result still tastes good but it is rather watery and pale. However, it does require you to use slightly less hot water than most others I tried – 180ml instead of 200ml – which will make it last longer.
Rating: 3/5
THIS offering gives you a slightly smaller container of cocoa for your cash, with just 350g of powder in the pot.
I wasn’t very keen on the packaging, the orange-tinted plastic made the contents look a peculiar reddish-brown colour.
However, once the powder was diluted with hot water this was a fairly decent-tasting mug to glug.
Made with whey and skimmed milk powder, along with 13 per cent fat-reduced cocoa powder, it gave off a nice, warming waft.
Pity it’s not better value for money.
Rating: 2/5
DESPITE being decently priced in Tesco, it is worth noting that you only get 375g, smaller than some other options.
It also requires five whole spoons per mug mixed with hot water. That is more powder than some other drinks, which means it won’t stretch as much.
This is an OK option if you just want something chocolatey to sip on but it is missing all round oomph.
I found the flavour lacking and very watery and grainy too, probably as it only contains nine per cent cocoa powder, the lowest of all the drinks I tried.
Rating: 2/5
WHILE this is very simple to make, expect to adjust the amount of powder you start with depending on personal preference.
For me this was rather weak with just four spoons stirred up and didn’t have the greatest depth of flavour.
I found myself adding more, which did result in more cocoa taste.
When sipping you get a milky aroma and watery flavour, perhaps because the main ingredient is whey powder plus dried skimmed milk, which isn’t especially full-bodied. Not bad though.
Rating: 3/5
A PROPER mug of rich, creamy and utterly delicious hot choc which you can buy at Aldi and tasted exactly like the real deal.
The quality is clear from the indulgent ingredients. While some other options stick to only skimmed milk and cocoa powder, this also includes extra whole milk powder, cocoa butter and four per cent real Belgian milk chocolate. All that for a very low price too.
The drink was so creamy and smooth to sip, with a velvety texture of a melted chocolate bar.
A comforting drink that hit that happy choc spot.
Rating: 5/5
WITH the creamy, distinctive flavour of the famous chocolate, available at Asda, this is another tasty choice – but you do pay more.
This drink does deliver what it promises on the outside. With three per cent milk choccie, you get a smooth hit of the real thing. Alongside ten per cent cocoa, there is also a slight flavour and aroma of vanilla, which is pleasant and not too overpowering.
This drink is on the sweeter side, but so is Galaxy. You do need to heap quite a lot of powder into the mug to get a rich, warming liquid, but get the ratio right and it is enjoyable – albeit very expensive.
Rating: 4/5
I WASN’T a fan of this sickly-sweet brew from Morrisons.
It looked and tasted like a cup of hot brown water, and not much else. There was no discernible choccy flavour.
It had a mild cocoa aroma and a strong smell and taste of sugar, but not much else. I couldn’t even detect much milk when I glugged and the liquid was thin and unpleasant.
The ingredients state the powder includes 12 per cent cocoa, so the flavour should have been better, but the end result – along with a higher price tag – means it sadly doesn’t offer much in the way of savings or taste.
Rating: 1/5
