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A hot cup of cocoa is one of life’s great pleasures, especially for the feeling of sheer comfort and nostalgia it conjures up.

These days, there is drinking chocolate of exceptional quality out there, which just didn’t exist in my childhood. It’s made with some of the finest chocolate in the world: bean-to-bar, single-origin or even single-estate, and often made from grated bean-to-bar chocolate and nothing else.

Most of the mid-range and premium options in this taste test were genuinely impressive: minimally processed, well certified and responsibly sourced. But, unless you’re on a budget, it’s best to avoid instant hot chocolate, which often contains skimmed milk powder, whey, emulsifiers and stabilisers, all of which deliver a rather underwhelming experience.

For a great budget cup, mix Fairtrade cocoa powder, a little dark chocolate and a splash of cold milk into a paste, then add hot milk and sugar to taste; if you happen to have a splash of cream in the fridge, too, that will transform even the worst cocoa into something delectable.

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The best hot chocolate

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Best overall:

Willie’s hot chocolate

★★★★★

Single-estate cacao is the gold standard in bean-to-bar chocolate making, and this colourful bag of 52% cacao from Medellín, Colombia, shows why. Wonderfully complex chocolate with real depth and roasted hickory, hay and sour plum undertones.

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Best bargain:
Asda Extra Special indulgent drinking chocolate

★★★☆☆

Powdered chocolate made with just two ingredients: Rainforest Alliance 41% cocoa and sugar. A beautiful aubergine colour and a distinct, nutty almond flavour with tangy notes of blackstrap molasses. For a powdered product, this has a nice, weighty viscosity to it, too.

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And the rest …

Bare Bones 68% Dominican Republic salted hot chocolate flakes

★★★★★

Hands down some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. A beautiful, lilac colour and wonderfully thick viscosity. An unparalleled flavour, intensified by the sea salt, plus earthy notes of hay and salted caramel with a fruity tang. Worth the money, and my best splurge.

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Islands Chocolate hot chocolate flakes

★★★★★

A 55% dark chocolate made with directly sourced chocolate flakes. The recommended recipe calls for a 1:5 ratio of chocolate to liquid, which results in a rich, indulgent drink that’s very sweet but full of flavour, with floral notes of citrus, raisin and roasted caramel. Great Taste One Star award, and applaudable sustainability policies.

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Knoops 43% milk hot chocolate flakes

★★★★☆

Simple flakes of Venezuelan criollo milk chocolate made in Belgium. A warming, rich and rounded flavour with a thin viscosity. Very sweet, with nutty notes of vanilla and salted caramel.

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M&S Collection Belgian 72% dark drinking chocolate

★★★☆☆

Five individual sachets of Fairtrade chocolate pieces. A very rich, sweet and balanced hot chocolate with a thick, smooth viscosity. Subtle, bitter notes with sweet vanilla, spice and sour cherry.

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Morrisons the Best indulgent drinking chocolate

★★★☆☆

I was hit by distinctive vanilla notes that were then taken over by a delicious, bitter cocoa flavour; there’s a hint of soya in there, too. Contains emulsifier and flavouring. Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa powder with sugar and flavouring (and presumably vanilla).

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Clipper Fairtrade instant hot chocolate

★★☆☆☆

The only instant hot chocolate in this test, and made from sugar, milk powders and Fairtrade cocoa powder. Four heaped teaspoons in a small glass of hot water made a rich but very sweet hot chocolate. Without real milk, it lacked viscosity, but it was still rich with fudgy, caramel notes.

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