Hot chocolate became a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century. Since then, hot chocolate has become one of the most popular winter drinks purchased in America. As winter rolls around and payments for hot chocolate increase, the question is, which hot chocolate is the best?
A survey of 25 students reveals which hot chocolates are most loved. In regards to boxed brands that can be bought in grocery stores, 50 percent of student chose Swiss Miss as their favorite brand. As Swiss Miss comes with several options of flavoring such as milk chocolate, milk chocolate with added marshmallows, dark chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch, they received half of the vote. “Swiss Miss is my favorite brand and I have been drinking it since I was very little. I like it because it has the most flavor out of all brands that I tried, and there is an endless amount of flavors that are all enjoyable,” junior Madison Linn said.
The runner up for favorite in-store brand is Ghirardelli, with 35 percent of the vote. This brand also has several flavor options such as caramel, double chocolate and mocha. “I have always loved Ghirardelli because it is very rich in flavor, and I have never really had any interest in trying anything other than it. I find that all flavors are good, and are able to top any flavor of any other brand,” sophomore Eleni Jones said.
Lastly, for store bought brands, Nestle receives the least of the votes, at 15 percent. Nestle hot chocolate comes with fewer flavor options, and seems to be less loved by the majority of the people. “I have tried Nestle and I didn’t like it because it didn’t have enough flavor and just did not compare to others I have tried. Regardless of the amount of liquid I add in, I always find there is a watered down taste,” sophomore Emma Hoffman said.
In regards to buying fresh hot chocolate, Starbucks received 74 percent of the students’ vote. “I have always preferred Starbucks over Dunkin for every drink, not just hot chocolate. I just find Starbucks to have better options and flavor, even though it may be more expensive,” junior Camryn Yi said.
Dunkin had the remaining 26 percent of the vote. “I like Dunkin over Starbucks because it is less expensive for a bigger size and I think it tastes better. The only downside is that it is much easier for me to access a Starbucks than it is a Dunkin,” junior Leah Kellert said.
