‘Velvety’ hot chocolate sold in supermarkets crowned better than M&S and Knoops

The most ‘luxurious’ and ‘velvety’ drink has been revealed (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto) As cosy season gets underway, there’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a steaming mug of cocoa. And the more decadent the drink is, the better, in our opinion. But with so many hot chocolate options in the shops, it can be difficult to figure out which one is going to be worth your money. Thankfully, the results of a new taste test by Which? should help take the work out of it for you. The consumer experts had a panel of 68 people compare eight luxury dark hot chocolates from the high street, including M&S, Hotel Chocolat, and Knoops, in a bid to find the best. What’s the best luxury hot chocolate you can buy? Hotel Chocolat’s flakes were crowned the most ‘luxurious’ (Picture: Hotel Chocolat) A premium ‘velvety’ hot chocolate took the top spot in the test, scoring 71 per cent overall. The winning ‘best buy’ was the Classic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes by Hotel Chocolat (£9.95 for 280g), which was deemed a ‘great-tasting, luxurious’ drink. The sweet treat scored highly for its flavour and mouthfeel, with the majority of tasters saying it had ‘the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness’. While not the cheapest option, the flakes work out at just over £1 per serving, and the product was deemed a ‘lovely Christmas gift or stocking filler’ as a ‘high-end hot chocolate that still beats splashing out at a fancy coffee chain’. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. As well as being sold in Hotel Chocolat stores, you can find pouches of the flakes online at Ocado or in Tesco. The M&S hot chocolate was awarded a ‘best buy’ (Picture: M&S) Following closely behind, it was Marks & Spencer that scooped second place in the taste test, for its M&S Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes (£6 for 250g). These scored 69 per cent and were also awarded a ‘great value’ accolade, as they delivered ‘brilliant taste on a budget’, at less than half the price of most of the ones tried. The lower price did little to detract from this own-brand hot chocolate, with people praising its ‘perfect’ level of creaminess, as well as a particularly impressive mouthfeel. The packaging on this one isn’t quite as fancy as some of the others, but it’s still a ‘great choice’ if you’re after a taste of luxury. Melt just missed out on the top spot (Picture: Melt Chocolates) Melt 70% Dark Hot Chocolate (£12.99 for 250g) came in joint second place, as it also had a score of 69 per cent. It scored well on creaminess and was deemed one of the best-looking hot chocolates, with two-thirds of tasters claiming the colour was ‘just right’. While overall it was a ‘satisfying’ drink, some found the bitterness levels ‘too strong’, so this is definitely one for those who don’t mind a darker cocoa flavour. This product is one you can’t buy everywhere, but you can order it online or from Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill. How did other hot chocolates fare? Full hot chocolate taste test results: Hotel Chocolat Classic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes, £9.95 for 280g, 71 per cent M&S Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, £6 for 250g, 69 per cent Melt Dark Hot Chocolate, £12.99 for 250g, 69 per cent Chococo 70% Madagascar Origin Hot Chocolate Flakes, £14.50 for 200g, 65 per cent Knoops 72% Extra Dark Chocolate Flakes, £13.50 for 250g, 64 per cent Kokoa Collection Dominican Republic Flakes 70%, £9.50 for 175g, 60 per cent Cocoa Canopy Super Dark Hot Chocolate Melting Beads, £5.95 for 225g, 57 per cent Islands 75% Dark Chocolate Buttons, £11 for 200g, 54 per cent Chococo 70% Madagascar Origin Hot Chocolate Flakes (£14.50 for 200g) came in third place, scoring 65 per cent. The most expensive hot chocolate featured in the test, this one looked ‘good’ and was described as having a ‘nice flavour,’ but the mouthfeel wasn’t as impressive as the higher scorers. Next was high street favourite, Knoops, with its 72% Extra Dark Chocolate Flakes (£13.50 for 250g) which earned an overall mark of 64 per cent. The hot chocolate garnered decent points for its appearance and flavour, but just under half of tasters deemed it ‘not creamy enough’. Kokoa Collection 70% Dominican Republic Flakes (£9.50 for 175g) came after with a score of 60 per cent. It fell behind rivals on flavour, with over half of the hot chocolate fans agreeing the flavour was too weak and needed to be sweeter. At the other end of the rankings was Cocoa Canopy 75% Super Dark Hot Chocolate Melting Beads (£5.95 for 225g), which scored 57 per cent. This one divided tasters, with around two-thirds of people declaring it not sweet or creamy enough. Islands 75% Dark Chocolate Buttons (£11 for 200g) rounded out the test, with a score of 54 per cent. This one lost some points as tasters weren’t so keen on the ‘bitter’ flavour. This is one for those who like a bitter hot chocolate (Picture: Islands Chocolate) It’s worth noting here that a few hot luxury hot chocolates are missing from these results. Which? says Sainsbury’s 72% Dark Chocolate Flakes (£5 for 155g) and Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes (£5.75 for 250g) weren’t included as they were ‘unavailable at the time of testing’. Jessica Carson, Which? taste test expert, told Metro: ‘A velvety hot chocolate is the ultimate winter treat, whether given as a gift or kept all to yourself – though knowing whether to splash out on premium brands can be tricky. ‘Which?’s blind taste test separates the lacklustre cups from the cream of the crop. We’ve crowned a standout Best Buy alongside a brilliant Great Value pick – so whichever you choose, you know it’s well worth the whisk.’ Which hot chocolate is your favourite? Sign up to Metro's The Slice newsletter for your guide to what's on in London, with trusted reviews, offers and giveaways. How was the taste test conducted? Which? brought together a panel of 68 hot chocolate lovers, who tried more than 500 cups of hot chocolate between them. Each cup was blind-tasted in a private booth, so no one knew whether they were trying a cheap supermarket hot chocolate or a high-end one. The drinks were ranked across several categories, including flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture, rating everything from sweetness and bitterness to the creaminess of the hot chocolate. Deals of the Day The Orlando holiday deal Disney fans shouldn't miss We're adding this discounted NEOM gift set straight to basket Want an LED face mask for less? This Black Friday deal could save you hundreds This teeth whitening sale could save you up to 64% before Black Friday These Simba Black Friday deals are too good for tired shoppers to ignore The final scores were made up of 50% flavour, 20% aroma, 15% appearance, and 15% mouthfeel. More taste test results... Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Brits are getting the ick over ‘dystopian’ new shopping trend at M&S Arrow MORE: Quality Street makes two major changes to chocolate tubs for Christmas 2026 Arrow MORE: I spent a week cooking 70s meals for my family – they did not go down well The Slice Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.