When It Comes To The Best Hot Chocolate, One Brand Reigns Supreme

Hot chocolate is one of those nostalgic treats that warps you right back to your childhood. Every sip reminds you of those cold winter months, coming in from the freeze to warm up with chocolate and love. You likely have a favorite hot chocolate mix from childhood you've stuck to no matter what, but there are other brands out there, brands that may be much better than your nostalgia.

To answer that possibility, Daily Meal tasted and ranked 13 hot chocolate brands. There were many top brands involved, including Swiss Miss (coming in at no. 8) and Ghiradelli (at no. 3), but the very best had to be given to Abuelita Mexican-style hot chocolate from Nestlé. Not only does it have a wonderful chocolaty flavor with a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness, but it also has an extra, special ingredient that elevates it.

That elevating ingredient? Cinnamon. No other hot chocolate Daily Meal tested added cinnamon, and few had any added flavors outside chocolate and milk. Those that did usually used vanilla powder or extract, though Dunkin's hot chocolate bomb had marshmallows inside, which is fun. But back to the cinnamon. It gives Abuelita's an extra dash of warmth and plays especially well with fall's common flavors. Cinnamon is a key ingredient in pumpkin spice, after all.

However, that wonderful warmth and fall flavor would be nothing without a delicious chocolate base, which Abuelita's also has in spades. We thought its chocolate tasted rich and deep, with just the right balance of sweet and bitter. Even better, we found its powder was more powdery, for lack of a better word, which helped it melt faster and smoother. There's also no small amount of extra points given because of how easy to find it is, plus its affordability. With today's grocery prices, the best hot chocolate not costing an arm and a leg is worth celebrating.