By: Devyn Nguyen
With the decrease in temperature, it is no wonder that students are starting to hunker down and stay warm inside of their houses. With every coming winter, one certain drink always peeks its head out from around the corner. Here are the best and worse hot chocolates in town.
Peet’s Coffee — 5/5
Peet’s brings back their hot chocolate in style. When I received my hot chocolate from the barista, I first noticed how visually appealing the drink was. The beverage came without a lid, showing off the generous amount of whipped cream. Sprinkled on top of the cream was a moderate amount of cocoa powder that increased the attractiveness and taste of the drink.
In taking my first sip, the first thought that came to mind was how well the ingredients complimented each other. The whipped cream added a nice thickness and did not bring down the chocolate flavor of the drink. The powder brought a burst of chocolate that leveled out the taste of the whipped cream, allowing the drink to retain its great chocolate taste. The drink came out at just the right temperature: hot, but not enough to burn your tongue.
The only qualm I had with this drink was its price. For a small hot chocolate, $3.10 had to be coughed up, burning through my already sparse funds.
Overall, this drink had the best taste, and I would definitely pay a bit extra for such an amazing boost.
In-N-Out Burger — 4/5
While looking for stores that sold hot chocolate, I found that In-N-Out sold Ghirardelli hot chocolate. Excited, I rushed over to the nearest In-N-Out to try out the drink.
The hot chocolate was quite good. A small plastic bag filled with tiny marshmallows came with the drink. The chocolate taste was very pronounced, which was expected as the color was much darker than the other hot chocolates I tasted. The marshmallows were just the right size to fit through the lid, adding an occasional burst of sweetness. Those with a sweet tooth will be delighted as this hot chocolate is certainly sweeter than the rest.
Sadly, this drink did not come with whipped cream, a staple in any hot chocolate. In return, In-N-Out gives customers marshmallows. Although inferior to whipped cream, the marshmallows still compliment the drink quite well.
The drink comes in one size, 8 ounces, and costs $1.60, easily being the smallest and cheapest out of all the hot chocolates on this list. For those looking for a cheap and quick drink, In-N-Out is the way to go.
McDonald’s — 2.5/5
McDonald’s hot chocolate was exactly as expected, cheap, but acceptable for those looking for a quick hot chocolate. The hot chocolate came in a McCafe cup and, to my chagrin, did not come with whipped cream. However, this can be fixed as long as the customer requests for whipped cream, which I sadly did not know and, therefore, did not do.
The drink was watered down and came out very hot, forcing customers to wait a while in between each sip. Although the chocolate flavor was diluted by all the water, there was still enough of a taste to keep consumers drinking.
Costing $2.39 for a small, McDonald’s is one of the cheaper options. Although worse than In-N-Out, McDonald’s may be more convenient, prompting hot chocolate cravers to head over.
Starbucks — 1/5
This hot chocolate was surprisingly bad. As one of the largest cafe chains, I came in expecting one of the best hot chocolates that the average consumer could easily obtain. Once I got my drink, however, I was quickly disappointed.
The drink came in the fashionable disposable Starbucks cup. Everything was contained inside of the cup, all capped off at the top. My first sip brought in a wave of a very watered down chocolate taste. I was surprised and took another sip thinking the whipped cream may have diluted the taste of the chocolate. However, I was wrong.
The hot chocolate had a very watered down taste that was worse than even that of McDonald’s. There was a scant amount of whipped cream which didn’t add any taste to the drink and served no purpose. The drink came out hot and had to be drank in moderation unless one risk burning their tongue.
Considering the cost of $2.95 for a small, I was certainly expecting better. Along with the fact that Starbucks is one of the most popular cafes in the world, I was thoroughly disappointed.
As one of the more costly options and worse tasting, Starbucks gets the worse rating out of all of the hot chocolate places I’ve reviewed.