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If you missed out on Part # 1 of the ChocolateMission Hot Chocolate Project then you should take a look HERE. If you didn't then sit back with that mug of yours whilst I take you through my reviews of the next lot of warming chocolate drinks.
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Weight Watchers Instant Hot Chocolate DrinkKcal 50 Fat 1.9g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 7.0g
'Instant Hot Chocolate with sugars and sweetner'
For those of you counting your Weight Watchers point this drink will knock one point off your total daily allowance ... I wonder how many points were in that Hotel Chocolat Mini Slab I had earlier :D Given the relevance of it being the start of the year I thought there was no way I could overlook the Weight Watchers hot chocolate offering. The mix came in a pretty unappetising looking 15.0g sachet (very medicinal looking if you ask me!!) that instructed I mix with 150.0ml of water. Ignoring this completely I used a combination of both warm milk and water, which created a relatively smooth textured, froth top drink. When it came to the taste test the initial sweet cocoa flavours delivered were surprisingly forthcoming though there was a high degree of what I would call taste wear out with the drink becoming progressively watery. It was better than expected given the uninspiring packaging, but under no circumstances would I advise mixing with water alone.
5.3 out of 10
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Galaxy Instant Hot Chocolate DrinkKcal 98 Fat 2.5g Carbs 17.3g
'Galaxy Instant Hot Chocolate made with real Galaxy Milk Chocolate'
This drink mixture came in a 25.0g pouch that was styled much the same as the Malteser offering that I reviewed back in the Hot Chocolate Project Part # 1. The vinyl matted pack looked smart on the eyes and released a decent set of familiar smelling Galaxy scents when I tore it open. Mixing the drink with the warm milk and boiling water produced a well blended, thick drink that had a decent layer of froth that lasted the duration of the drinking time. The ultimate smoothness that is so synonymous with Galaxy products wasn't quite replicated to the same high degree in this drink form, however the drinking experience was still on the whole very pleasant. In addition to the smooth flow mouth feel, I'm also pleased to say that the Galaxy chocolate flavour experience was created superbly. The distinct extra creamy cocoa taste was evident from the outset, and this dairy emphasis was more to my liking than some of the more sugar focused drinks I have been trying as of late. Galaxy fans will get a great deal of satisfaction from this drink.
8.1 out of 10
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Horlicks Malt Chocolate LightKcal 120 Fat 1.8g Carbs 23.4g
'Instant low fat chocolate flavoured malted drink'
One of my all time favourite drinks as a kid was a milky cup of Horlicks before bed time, and it had been shockingly long since I last treated myself to a big mug of the stuff. In order to change this I felt it only right I cover off the chocolate flavoured Horlicks for my hot chocolate project - the single sachet came filled with 32.0g of powder. Despite not being instructed to, I used mostly milk to mix this drink and I would advise you do the same if you are tempted by this mini review today. When mixed with the warm milk, the powder blended superbly into a frothy, smooth drink that had a sensuous mouth feel. Taste wise this was a little lighter in terms of chocolateyness, but the creamy, malt cereal taste was delicious and wholey comforting .... zzzzzz I'm ready for bed now :D I would recommend this as a nicer option to the similarly positioned Malteser Hot Chocolate.
8.3 out of 10
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Options Belgian Choc / White ChocKcal 40 Fat 0.9g Carbs 5.8g & Kcal 44 Fat 1.1g Carbs 7.1g
'Instant hot chocolate drink with sugars and sweeteners' & 'White chocolate flavour hot drink with sugars and sweeteners
Options hot chocolate is more positioned as an everyday consumed hot chocolate and offers a low calorie alternative to some of the more heavy duty branded powders. The Options hot chocolate range consists of many ever changing flavours so in the best interest of keeping this review relevant for years down the line I have chosen the two that have been ever present since I can remember - Belgian Choc and White Choc. Speaking firstly of the Belgian choc flavour, when mixed with the milk and water combination the drink produced managed to tick almost every box. Unlike it's low calorie alternative Weight Watchers, the chocolate hit was still relatively decent, though it has to be said the mouthfeel was thin and much lighter compared to say the Horlicks or Maltesers. The white choc was similarly forthcoming in flavour, however the degree to which I would call it 'white chocolate' per se would be limited. The drink produced by the white powder was more along the lines of a warm cup of sweet tasting dried milk powder rather than a creamy white chocolate. I still quite liked it myself, but white chocolate fans be wary it might not totally satisfy you. I would recommend the Options range as one of the better lower calorie hot chocolate mixes.
7.2 out of 10
6.9 out of 10
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As ever guys and girls your views are all very welcome. Please be sure to share them.
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48 comments:
No matter what I do I still cant recreate the hot chocolate that my mum used to make.
I have tried all different sort of mixtures and methods down the years but I just don't think I am ever going to get to anything close as nice.
Dx
There are a few in here that I think are better than the first few you showed the other day.
You can forget about the weight watchers one though. 0% interest from me.
I'm all over the Options. We get free sachets of it at work but they never choose the interesting flavours you can buy in the supermarkets. It's always the plain chocolate or if they are feeling extra generous the mint. I like them even though they are low calorie hot chocolate.
Where are the hot chocolate from hotel chocolate? I thought they would have been the first ones you would have reviewed.
They are defo the best homemade hot chocolates mixes that you can use at home that I have come across.
Can I give the Green and Blacks hot chocolate a shout out? That is the one that we use in my family when we can be bothered to make HC. Green and Blacks mix, a dollop of whipped cream on top and then a good choccie biscuit to have it with. Yummo!
You didn't review the best Options flavours Jim!!! By far and away the best ones are the toffee and cherry.
They have even started to doing these brownie and posher cherry bigger sachets that you might want to review. They have double the amount of calories as the normal ones though, Lol I know that wont concern you but its something I keep an eye on.
Jim I just re-read the first lot of reviews and realised you are making these with hot water? Come on mate who in their right mind would ever make a hot chocolate with water. That has to taste fowl. Milk all the way man.
Honestly why did you even bother with the WW one? It was always going to be pointless pitched up against these other ones.
@Midgley44
God Horlicks! That reminds me of when I used to be babysat by my nana. She always used to give us a horlicks and a biscuit (if we had been good lol) before bed. I had no idea that they did a chocolate version now. I will have to investigate next time I'm in the shops. Thanks lovely.
Rxxx
Chocolate Horlicks. I don't think you can classify it as a hot chocolate though. It's a malt drink is it not ;)
I think this post show pretty well, that saving calories very often does come with a reduction of flavour. That said, I do like options but only when made with milk not water, which raises the calories and taste - so, again, point proven. ;-) I don't think I ever had the plain Belgian chocolate one, prefer the flavoured ones. I have tried the white one, and agree that it isn't really like drinking white chocolate but somehow still nice. I actually like to put it into my porridge when I make that with milk. The topped with some dried cranberries, makes for a nice sweet creamy treat. ;-)
Ritter Sport voting update: as feared, "cookies and cream" has won.. Show you again how unadventurous most people are. There were several much more interesting flavours to choose from which would not have been a copy of previous products or stuff already on the market from other companies. Will keep you updated how the design/production of this bar will progress. Am sure, that seeing you are now on the RS taste panel, you will get to try it at some point.
http://www.ritter-sport.de/blog/?p=6654#comments
Btw. sorry for not commenting much lately, all a bit busy around here!
I had no idea that Options did a white choc flavour.
I like the idea of a hot white chocolate but looking at what you say it sounds like it could be one of those things that sounds great but it is flawed in practice. I will have to see make sure I buy some sachets and see.
This is embarassing to admit but I am a total hot choc addict, its very rare a day goes by when I dont have one. For my birthday I got this amazing hot chocolate kit (the make escapes my mind now!) that included this amazing new way of making it. Its hard to describe but it was bassically like a popsicle stick with a big lump of chocolate on the end. You had to heat some milk on the hob and then dip in the stick and stir it in until it was all melted. I wish I could remember what brand it was, it was so so good. It will be my mission for this afternoon to find it on the internet.
I can highly champion these http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Cocoa_And_Instant_Drinks/Moment_du_Chocolat_Hot_Chocolate_150ml.html
They aren't the same as the others becuase it comes ready made. In a way that makes them even more convenient lol.
For the first time in like forever we differ in opinion on something. The malteser hot drink is soooooo much better than the horlicks one =] The malteser one is more chocolatey by a factor of ten and is more honeycomb tasting. I find the horlicks one isn't sweet enough. Thats just me and my 2 cents, I still loved the reviews. Please do some more soon.
Life must be so hard eating (and drinking) all these chocolate marvels. How did you come up with writing this blog? Its a masterstroke.
I had the best hot chocolate the other day from starbucks. Extra cream + caramel syrup and a tiffin slice on the side. I think I might stop by again today. Have a nice weekend Jim x
Quit teasing with the hotel chocolat hot chocolate reviews. Where are they you said they were 'inbound' not to long ago. Chop chop.
Horlicks better than Mars? What planet are you living on :) Lol only joking Jim I respect your opinion. Its not as if you scored one significantly over the other anyway.
BTW have you seen the new frothy top Galaxy hot choc you can get? You can see a pic of it at this place http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/files/ImageGallery/Grocer.co.uk%20pics/galaxy%20frothy%20top.jpg
Have you thought anymore about buying some hot chocolates from the chain shops like Starbucks to see how they compare? Now that would be interesting.
I have always been a fan of Options because they are cheap and tasty. Sometimes you can get crazy deals like 6 for £1. Whenever I see them I always make sure I stock up on plenty for my cupboards. The best flavours by my reckoning are the mint, hazelnut and the new banana one. Lol I had two banana ones yesterday.
I don't want to sound as rude as some of these other people but it would be brill if you could review some of the hotel chocolat hot chocolates please Jim. I've been waiting to see them for ages now as I think I'm going to buy some one of the new double packs they do for a friends birthday. I just want to see what you make of them first.
There is nothing better than a warm mug of cocoa when coming in from the cold. Whenever possible I try to make mine with milk and cadbury drinking chocolate powder. I would happily settle for an options sachet though, its never ideal but it does the job for me.
PS:
Are you going to include a picture of you making the hot chocolate like you promised us you would? I want to see what type of mug you have remember ;)
Woop Im loving the hot chocolate reviews! Have you considered doing a similar thing for milkshakes? Do you even like them? Yazooo FTW.
Hot chocolates are what are keeping my diet on track at the moment.
Whenever I get chocolate pangs one of those cadbury highlights is enough to see it off. I haven't eaten a physical bar of chocolate since the turn of the new year :-) I'm so proud of myself, I only wish the results were more showing.
Cadburys cocoa + a cream top + a flake to dunk in = chocolate bliss.
I think you might be being a little harsh comparing some of these with each other because some are for meant to be low calories and the others are more for luxury.
I know the weight watchers one must seem bad but its not half as 'bad for you' as drinking a malteser one everyday. I think that they just suit different purposes. You should weight watchers if you want hot chocolate everyday and then like a Galaxy one if you want something for a treat.
Please dont tell me this is the last hot chocolate one you are doing. These have been the best reviews for ages in my opinion. I think I like them because I have tried all these drinks before. There are still a few others you haven't tried.
Dare I suggest you try the Cadburys Bournville hot cocoa? I think not lmao.
Lmao why did you try the weight watchers?
First you are doing less reviews and now you are on the weight watchers :) something you want to tell us Jim?
The original horlicks drink is the king of the hot beverages you can forget all the rest. Its awfully cliche but there is nothing like having a hot mug of Horlicks before bed. It sends me to zzzzzzzz land in an instant.
Btw its also good for settling a poorly tummy if you are feeling unwell.
A hot chocolate isn't a proper hot chocolate without marshmallows. We go through tons of bags of mini marshmallows in our house because we add them to almost any hot drink we have. I chaught my brother putting them in his tea the other day. Sounds gross I know.
I do like a nice hot chocolate on the odd occasion though im not fussed enough to pretend I have a favourite or anything.
I dont know why I would admit this but I think the mixture in our kitchen might just be the tesco branded one. If you swapped it for a cadburys one I likely wouldn't be able to tell the diff lol.
Another set of cool reviews :D The WW ones would never appeal to me, neither would the Horlicks (cant stand the stuff lol). I think we've tried the Galxy one before, but the one we buy most if Options, prob is, they have so many nice flavours but the supermarket (yes you Sainsburys!) always only stocks two or three lol. The best that I've had are orange, mint, chocolate.
That new jar of Galxy sounds cool, have you seen the other.. its a similar jar but it says its nmade with real Galaxy Chocolate. Unfortunately the heating instructions dont work in the slightest lol
Gosh Horlicks, massive nostalgia.
I still also like the plain Cadbury's drinking chocolate, although I think they've changed the recipe. 'Morrisons Organic (Fairtrade?) Hot Chocolate' also isn't bad, I originally bought it in desperation but it's great with some pie spice (both WITH MILK).
@David lol I was similarly horrified to read that the testing conditions included water! tsk tsk CM needs more (our) reader input before taking such drastic decisions ;)
@Colin lol abt Bournville! that's why I haven't requested a review of the biscuits though they're seriously good (and I say this as someone who relegated the rest of my Bournville bar to my baking shelf, where it's still sitting). agreed, these are almost better than the regular reviews.
@Claire Starbucks hot chocolate is disgusting. Costa coffee or cafe nero aren't bad.
I sometimes treat myself to one at Pret with my lunch if I have a healthier sandwich.
Are you not reviewing the Hotel Chocolat ones for any particular reason? I would of thought they would have been first on your list to cover off.
@Lauren: Choc-o-lait? Chau Colat? (Chau colat unwrapped)
First time I bought something like that, it was totally new to me, I didn't even know it was hot chocolate and I simply started biting out of it :)) And then, after finishing it, I started looking at the wrapper and I saw the instructions... oops! :))
@Jim: I've never seen any of these. It looks like you have quite a lot of hot chocolate options to choose from. I'd like to try the Galaxy one some day, because I really like Galaxy chocolate.
The most common hot chocolate we have is LaFesta. There's also Doncafe, Nesquick, Dr.Oetker - these are the ones that come in small pouches (powder). Then there's Whittard and Monbana (powder in big boxes). There's Dolfin - chocolate flakes that you have to melt. And Choc-o-lait and Chau colat for the "hot chocolate on a stick" category.
One thing that I find interesting is that you use both milk and water. For me, it has to be either water or milk. I usually prefer water (but less than recommended, so that the chocolate taste is stronger). But there were a few that tasted crappy and preparing them with milk instead of water the second time did manage to help in some cases.
PS - I usually avoid diet/ low calorie stuff because I fear it's going to taste bad.
Another BnB post!As I said last time, instant hot chocolates usually taste really weak so I don't often buy them, I'd rather treat myself to one full of flavour such as Starbucks. However, seeing your Horlicks review has reminded me that I do really like the Chocolate Ovaltine, if you' be interested in adding it to a future review, it would be interesting to see how it compares to the Horlicks. I'm not a lover of Horlicks but I might try the chocolate version. I tried the white chocolate Options about 6 months ago and couldn't drink more than 1 mouthfull, I really didn't like it. You should give the Cadbury Highlights Mocha a go, though you might not like the only subtle coffee flavour. Once again, cheers from the review and have yourself a lovely weekend.
@Ana I'm the same. I never bother with diet or low cal version of anything (apart from coke).
There is no point bothering with it. I would rather just have less of something that tastes better if I had to diet.
My mum used to give us a nice mug of good old Horlicks when we were little as well so I felt all nostalgic when I saw today's review :). Haven't tried the Malt Chocolate Light but definitely want to now! Thanks for another great review Jim - they really do brighten up the working day! Have a good w/e dude x
Hi All,
The weekend is upon us thank heavens - hot chocolates all round I say :D
First off thanks to all for the nice words about the hot chocolate reviews. I'm never to sure whether the majority of people want to see these reviews or not when they get requested. I'm all too happy to do them anyway.
A lot of you have posed the question about the absence of Hotel Chocolat from proceedings! Well my defense is that I will be giving them their only little feature in next weeks '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' so you can all keep your pants on for the minute haha :D I have a few of their flavours and it would have been excessive to post them alongside the four already that were in the post today.
Don't you worry you will get your Hotel Chocolat fix this weekend from my special Valentines Day (yes only ten days folks!) Hotel Chocolat review.
Questions.... questions ....
Paul - Of course you can give them a shout out. G&B hot chocolate is on the future hit list.
Anon - The real question is why not bother with the WW one? I like to be thorough in my research chap.
Anne - So the Cookies and Creme won out hey? Well what can I say, do people not think it will not just be the Stratiacella (Sp?) bar repackaged? If Ritter have some of those bars leftover from summer they must be rubbing their hands together. It's a shame people weren't more adventurous with their voting. It's always a delight to hear from you, please don't apologise :D
Lauren - I once got gifted a Kschocolat version of what you describe there. I gave it away to a friend before I tried it though. It sounds like a lot of effort to me :D
Alison - Haha I know I just said I don't like making an effort but ready made hot chocolate is just plain lazy :D
Abdel - Welcome to the site. Indeed it isn't one of lifes most laborious.
Darren - Not seen that froph topped Galaxy in the shops yet. If someone can report if it is any different to the one I have reviewed here then I will consider giving it a review.
Ed&TED - Again I will have a think about how I would write up those reviews. It sounds a bit detatched from the other sort of reviews on the site I think.
Emma - I will make sure I include a photo of a 'made-up' hot chocolate with my next lot.
Mysterio - Milkshakes could be something I consider for the future. I'm not particularly keen on them though.
Colin - Cadbury Bournville? I might save that for a day when I fancy a moan :D Haha no I'm sure the cocoa mix for Bournville wouldn't damage anyone.
Mark - Haha no I'm not on a diet :D Quite the opposite infact.
Alan - Do you think I should feature some more of these Options flavours then chap? It seems to me like I missed out all your favourites :D By the sounds of it the new Galaxy one isn't going to be worth me bothering with.
Thea - Well half the drinks I have been testing have been saying that I should make them completely using water so I had to sort of go by the rules. As for the Bournville biscuits .... I'm taking that as a not so subtle request :D I will blame you when I don't like them haha.
Ana - Those look exactly like the Kschocolat one I never tried. If I see one in the shops I will buy one again to see how it matches up to the sachet ones. We do indeed have a whole host of hot chocolates here in the UK. It's one that I dont think we can complain about not having enough of. I might stop by Whittards this weekend to see if they have anything fancy to try. Good suggestion :D
Ria - I don't think I have ever had an Ovaltine before. It will be a totally new experience for me :D You can also consider the Cadbury Highlights Mocha a marked man. Thanks for the suggestions.
Roxy - More like thank you for reading. Its been great hearing from so many people that the Horlicks review has brought back comforting memories.
Right you lot! Time for the weekend! :D :D Get in! Based on the feedback/requests/suggestions today it seems like my hot chocolate side project is only getting off the ground. I will take note of everything and put together some more very soon.
Don't forget there is a special Valentines Day Hotel Chocolat post tomorrow.
Thanks again.
JIM
As long as the Hotel Chocolat reviews come eventually I dont care. I was only joking around with you earlier. Thanks for your amazing reviews. I read the site everyday now.
Get reviews. I wouldn't ever bother with any of the low cal ones but I like the fact you are going over all the ones that are available. Have yourself a nice weekend there mate. I see one last Aussie victory in the cricket.
I always make Options with two sachets instead of one. It's much nicer tasting, especially when you mix the powder into a paste before adding hot water. I can't stand just using one sachet of any hot chocolate - always tastes too thin and watery.
Jimbo you bug tease. Just do the HoTel choc ones. Thats what we are all logging on to see my friend.
oh that makes sense, a sacrifice in the name of chocolate science.
lol! it wasn't meant to be, but now it is...because if you don't like them now you'll know where to send the rest :D
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