2026 YYC Hot Chocolate Festival
Happy March!
Another hot chocolate festival has come and gone, and I’m now recovering from my monthlong sugar rush 😂 There were so many delicious-looking hot chocolates and I really wish I could’ve tried them all. I managed to try a bunch thanks to my pass, though! 25 hot chocolates total! My top 4 were from Phil and Sebastian, Apprentice Cafe, Maven, and Love at First Scoop. Without further ado, here is a comprehensive list of all the ones I tried.
1. Boogie’s Burgers: Nutty by Nature
This tasted a little bit watered down? It didn’t come with an entire Ferrero Rocher. Instead, it came with a slice of chocolate cake. The cake was pretty yummy so I was happy with that substitution. They updated the change on the website so they served cake for the remainder of the festival. For some reason, the hot chocolate also tasted a little bit like coconut.
Price: $8.50
6/10⭐
2. Maven: Golden Miso Hot Chocolate
OMFG this was absolutely delicious. This hot chocolate was so velvety and creamy. It had a great flavor and you could taste a hint of miso without it being fishy. I wasn’t a fan of the shredded coconut, but aside from that it was a perfect hot chocolate. It also tasted yummy cold the next day. I would definitely drink this again. I’m really glad I got this for free with the pass, though, because it’s quite pricey for the size you get.
Price: $10.50
9/10⭐
3. Analog: Miso Caramel Houjicha
I was so disappointed with this drink. I was so excited to try it because I love houjicha, but it did not taste too good at all. You could also taste a hint of cardamom which this drink also included in the ingredients. The drink tasted like seafood and made my taste buds very confused 😅 It tasted slightly better when it was cold, but not by much.
Price: 12 oz. $9.50
4/10⭐
4. Ollia: Marzipan Hot Chocolate
I love marzipan so I was really excited for this hot chocolate. It came with a small piece of chocolate-covered marzipan that was super yummy! I think this was worth the price because of the chocolate addition. The hot chocolate had a very strong marzipan flavor and it tasted even better cold. I would definitely drink this again.
Price: $7.00
8/10⭐
5. The Coup: Beet the Cold
I was very intrigued by this because I’ve never had beet in hot chocolate before, or in any type of sweet capacity. It gave the hot chocolate a bit of a rooty undertone which tasted ok when hot but even better when cold. When the hot chocolate cooled down, the beet flavor was even more pronounced. The drink came with a beet chip that would’ve been perfect if it was a little bit crispier. It was overall a pretty good vegan drink!
Price: $8.00
7.5/10⭐
6. Aggüdo Coffee: Dubai Latte Hot Chocolate
This was such a delicious and creamy hot chocolate. It was topped with a piece of Dubai chocolate, and the hot chocolate was mixed with espresso so it was like a super elevated mocha. This was a delicious drink but wasn’t too fancy or unique as many contestants have made Dubai chocolate replicas during this festival and previous ones. The portion was great for the price because that cup felt bottomless 😂 I would definitely drink this again, although probably without the espresso.
Price: $8.99
8/10⭐
7. Sammie Cafe: Brown Butter Apple Crisp Hot Cocoa
This hot chocolate was pricey. It was a very small cup but I’d say they had a better ingredients list. This tasted like a milky apple cider with yummy spices. It came with a cookie that was so soft and chewy. It was such a comfort cookie and went great with the hot chocolate!
Price: $10.50
7/10⭐
8. Master Chocolat: Bernard’s Creme Brûlée
For a chocolate shop, this hot chocolate wasn’t as rich and creamy as I expected. The drink itself tasted average, but the additions were delicious and made it well worth the price! The creme brûlée topping was great, and the drink came with a chocolate and a chocolate spoon. The chocolate was super yummy that even my bf who doesn’t eat sweets wanted more. I’d definitely go back here for more chocolate.
Price: $10.00
8/10⭐
9. Flower & Wolf: PB & J Hot Chocolate
The hot chocolate itself was very basic, but the toppings were super yummy! It came with a little PB&J sandwich, big and small marshmallows, and a chocolate sauce and crushed peanut rim. This drink was just as creamy as Master Chocolat’s. I would definitely drink this again if I wanted a fun hot chocolate.
Price: $10.00
8/10⭐
10. Brekkie: Dad’s Hot Chocolate
This hot chocolate was a re-creation of the Dad’s cookie. They topped the drink off with their own version of the cookie and it was so delicious! They also topped this off with a good amount of thick whipped cream. This was probably the thickest whipped cream I’ve ever had. You had to drink it quickly because once it mixed with the drink it turned it into almost a pudding-like consistency. The flavor was good, though.
Price: $10.50
7/10⭐
11. The Bullet Coffee House: Honeycocoacomb Hot Chocolate
This hot chocolate was topped with a really delicious whipped cream and such a yummy homemade crumble replicating the Crunchie chocolate bars. The hot chocolate itself was nice and creamy and had a nice cocoa flavor. The whipped cream was definitely the highlight.
Price: $7
7.5/10⭐
12. Alenn Sandwich and Coffee: Toasted Houjicha
I was so excited for this one because of the houjicha, and the fact that they made their own houjicha syrup. However, I didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped. The houjicha had an intentional smokey flavor but I wasn’t too big of a fan of that. The drink was topped with a Lotus biscuit which was delicious and made for a great dipper. I got a sandwich with my drink and that was spectacular. I’d definitely go back to try more of their menu.
Price: $7.40
6/10⭐
13. Euphoria Cafe: Second Breakfast
I loved the concept of this hot chocolate as someone who has multiple mini meals in a day 😂 The hot chocolate was nice and creamy and had a butterscotch base that you could taste. I wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor combination, but it was a decent hot chocolate. I almost choked on the crumb-dust topping when I tried to inhale the whipped cream, though 😂 That was a memorable experience.
Price: $7.00
7/10⭐
14. Egg & Spoon: Strawberries and Cream
This hot chocolate was definitely one of the pricier ones out there, but it was topped with waffle bits that kind of helped ease the pain of the price. The waffles were coated in white chocolate and berry syrup. I wish they were only coated in the berry syrup because they were way too sweet and overpowering with the white chocolate. The hot chocolate itself was creamy and had a decent strawberry flavor, but it’s not one I’d have again because of the sweetness level.
Price: $12.00
7/10⭐
15. Oolong Tea House: Matcha White Hot Chocolate Cheesecake
This cheesecake-esque toppings on this drink were so yummy, and they made their own berry syrup! The reason I rated this one lower was because it felt more like a matcha latte with white chocolate rather than a matcha hot chocolate. This was so creamy and delicious and would make a great matcha drink on their menu, though!
Price: $9.25
6.5/10⭐
16. Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters: Passion Puff Cocoa
This was HEAVENLY. This was perfection. The torched marshmallow topping was so delicious and it worked so well with the passionfruit. The cookie topping was quite yummy, too. The highlight was the hot chocolate because it was literally liquid chocolate. It was so dark and rich and was exactly what I’d expect from a quality hot chocolate. This was definitely a pricier drink, but I’d say it was worth it. I would definitely want to drink this again.
Price: $11.50
9.5/10⭐
17. Apprentice Cafe: Dubai Hot Chocolate Affogato
This was tied with Phil and Sebastian’s for my favorite hot chocolate of the season. This was absolutely amazing. They made the pistachio ice cream from scratch and it was the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever had in my entire life. I need more of it. The toppings were so great and the hot chocolate itself was liquid chocolate. Again, another hot chocolate that was perfection. If I’m ever craving good ice cream and I’m in the mood to drive, I’ll definitely be stopping by here again.
Price: $9.95
9.5/10⭐
18. Good Trade: Tres Leches Hot Chocolate
This was a reasonably priced hot chocolate and it even came with a sponge cake ladyfinger. The hot chocolate itself was very underwhelming, though, and tasted more like a steamer.
Price: $6.95
5/10⭐
19. Calgary Heritage Roasting Co.: Mad Tea Party
This was a very reasonably priced hot chocolate that actually tasted good. The shortbread cookie from Canela’s that came with the drink was quite good. The flavor of the drink was really yummy! It was topped with little petals and I was scared they’d be hard to avoid drinking because I dislike floaty florals in my drinks, but they were super easy to just block so I was very happy with that. It was an enjoyable drinking experience!
Price: $6.50
8/10⭐
20. The Big Buns Club: Brown Butter Hot Chocolate
This was quite a good deal for the price of this hot chocolate. It came with a mini cinnamon bun that was delicious, but I wish it was gooier. I definitely want to go back and try more of their bun flavors, though. The hot chocolate itself was very rich and creamy!
Price: $8.50
8/10⭐
21. Fenyk: Jamaican Bobsled
This hot chocolate was inspired by the Jamaican bobsled team in the Calgary winter Olympics. It was a mix of banana and coconut flavors. The whipped cream had such a great banana flavor and I loved it, especially with the sprinkles! The hot chocolate tasted very basic so I wish the banana and coconut flavor was present throughout the entire drink and not just in the whipped cream.
Price: $6.95
6.5/10⭐
22. Pie Junkie: Coconut Cream Pie
If you’ve been following me for a long time, you’d know that I hate shredded coconut. I let my fiancé try this hot chocolate so he could give his honest opinion since he actually likes coconut. He thought it had a decent coconut flavor, and he liked the cookie. There was a LOT of shredded coconut on that hot chocolate and cookie. I tried a bit of the hot chocolate without the coconut pieces and I really liked it. If I didn’t have to avoid the shredded coconut like an obstacle course, then this would’ve been perfect for me 😂
Price: $9.50
8/10⭐
23. Community Natural Foods: Miso-Kissed Tahini
I was excited to try this one since it was also a miso hot chocolate. It was topped with a crumbled sesame snap. This was good, but the sesame snap flavor overpowered everything so I couldn’t really taste much of the hot chocolate itself. I do know that it didn’t taste as fishy as Analog’s, so I’d say that was a win 😅
Price: $6.99
7.5/10⭐
24. Qamaria: White Chocolate Saffron Silk
I really liked the whipped cream and toppings. For some reason, this hot chocolate tasted like a DQ cone to me—not the ice cream but the cone itself. It was delicious! The hot chocolate wasn’t too rich or sweet, so this is something I could see myself drinking every morning.
Price: $9.95
8/10⭐
25. Love at First Scoop: Candy Apple Hot Chocolate
I’d say this was tied for second place with Maven’s hot chocolate. This was absolutely delicious. I loved the apple flavor and thought it was really strong. The hot chocolate came with a baby scoop of any ice cream flavor you wanted, so I chose the ube flavor. It was quite good and tasted more like actual ube and not the sweetened artificial flavor of it. Overall, I would definitely drink this hot chocolate again.
Price: $9.95
9/10⭐
Out of all these hot chocolates, which one would you want to try? If you participated in the festival, what was your favorite hot chocolate? Let me know in the comments!
Happy sugar-high recovery 😅
