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Haute Chocolate

When the weather outside gets frightful, hot cocoa serves up a decadent cup of comfort. We tested dozens of mixes to find the best, from chocolatier concoctions to supermarket brands that taste pricier than they are.

Written by Sajan Kuriakos

Cocoa vs. ChocolateHot cocoa is made of chocolate powder minus the cocoa butter. Hot chocolate, which contains cocoa butter, is richer, thicker, and more expensive (try diluting it for children by adding more than the recommended amount of milk or water). We found that, in general, the cheaper the mix, the more sugary it was—but, of course, that's just how the kids in us prefer it.

Taste-Test Winners: Our favorite hot chocolates, from creamy and comforting to spicy and sophisticated

Drinking chocolate began as a luxury: Two millennia before Swiss Miss, Mayan nobles invented the first cocoa-based cocktail, an elixir made of wine, roasted cacao beans, and chili peppers. When the bean crossed the Atlantic centuries later, the drink retained its aristocratic status in Spanish and French courts, where hot chocolate-and-wine recipes were closely guarded secrets; by the 1700s, the English had come up with the milky (nonalcoholic) version we relish today. Fortunately, by now hot chocolate has become a thoroughly democratized luxury, with varieties available for every palate and pocketbook. And while it's hard to have a bad cup of cocoa, some definitely rise above the rest. After assiduously taste-testing mug after mug of hot chocolate and cocoa (yes, there is a difference), comparing for flavor, texture, and simple enjoyability, we've rounded up our favorites.