Who here loves hot chocolate?

I definitely do, if you can’t tell by all the hot chocolates I tried during this year’s YYC Hot Chocolate Festival! Alas, my favorite time of year has come to an end. I managed to try 18 hot chocolates this year, which I am super proud about because I managed to try so many while working my butt off for the entire month. My favorites for this year were from Love at First Scoop, Popping Dragon Tea House, Fringe Coffee, and Hey Sugar. Each hot chocolate will be rated on uniqueness, flavor, and price. All ingredient lists were copied and pasted from the YYC Hot Chocolate Festival website.

1. Love at First Scoop: Mango Inferno

Ingredients: White chocolate sauce, mango syrup, red chili powder, milk, whipped cream, dried mango, chili-lime seasoning, mango ice cream

This was absolutely delicious! I thought the chili mango white hot chocolate was a very unique idea. The amount of spice was just right, and the chocolate level wasn’t too heavy, so I would definitely drink this again and again. I ended up going twice, so I really did enjoy it. I appreciated the scoop of ice cream that tops off the drink because it cooled down the hot chocolate so I could actually drink it right away (because I have a baby tongue that burns easily 😅).

Price: $9.50

9/10⭐

2. Social Grounds: Soda Popz

Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, milk, rootbeer syrup, monin chocolate sauce, whip cream, maraschino cherry & cotton candy pop rocks

This tasted exactly like a chocolate root beer float. I was very impressed and happily surprised with the flavor. This is quite a creative idea for a hot chocolate, so kudos for that! I didn’t get a maraschino cherry with my drink, but I got some candy marshmallows and gummy coke bottles instead, which was just as good. I’d say the price was pretty decent as well. I’d love to check out this cafe again because they seem to host lots of fun events!

Price: $6.00

7.5/10⭐

3. Patisserie du Soleil: Salted Caramel Brulee

Ingredients: House-made salted caramel ganache, salted caramel syrup, steamed milk, fresh whipped cream, brûlée sugar pieces and caramel sauce

This tasted so good. I loved the toppings. I’m a sucker for everything caramel, so I was very satisfied with this hot chocolate. It had a very light flavor, so I could definitely drink more. The drink wasn’t too creative, but it tasted great! I thought the price and size was pretty decent as well.

Price: $7.50 for large, $7.00 for small

7/10⭐

4. Hey Sugar: Cinnamon Churro

Ingredients: Mexican spiced hot chocolate, store made marshmallow fluff (V), cinnamon chantilly cream, fresh made churro dipper

The churro that topped off this drink was absolutely heavenly. I could see myself eating one the equivalent to my height because it was so good. It was perfectly soft too. I loved the marshmallow fluff and basically just all the toppings. The hot chocolate itself was perfectly spiced and wasn’t too strong. It had the perfect amount of sweetness. I would definitely drink this again.

Price: $7.00

8/10⭐

5. Good Bread: Brown Butter Banana Dream

Ingredients: Brown Butter, chocolate syrup, banana-infused whipping cream served with a buttery flaky delight

I was really excited to try this one because brown butter, but the banana-infused whipped cream ruined it for me. This is just my personal preference because I was traumatized by banana-flavored antibiotics when I was a kid. The banana flavor of the whipped cream tasted like the artificial flavor of those banana marshmallows, so I didn’t enjoy that. The pastry that topped off the drink was really yummy though! I highly recommend visiting this bakery because their baked goods are goooood!

Price: $6.75

5/10⭐

6. Pie Junkie: Banana Toffee

Ingredients: House-made caramel, real milk chocolate, fresh banana purée, freshly whipped cream, toffee syrup, toffee crunch bits, a crispy banana chip, and a heart-shaped chocolate cookie

Compared to Good Bread’s banana entry, I loved this one a whole lot more. This hot chocolate had actual banana puree, so it didn’t taste as artificial and antibioticky as Good Bread’s. I loved the flavor! It was just rich and creamy enough so it wasn’t overpowering. The cookie was yummy too. This drink was a bit pricier, but for the homemade ingredients and the cookie, I’d say it was worth it.

Price: $9.50

7.5/10⭐

7. Monki: Mayan Spicy Coconut

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Chipotle Peppers, Cinnamon, Coconut Milk, Marshmallows

I absolutely LOVED this one. The spice level was perfect and it was so creamy given that it was made with coconut milk. I would definitely drink this one again. In terms of creativity, I’d say it was so-so because spicy hot chocolates are a thing, but they executed it perfectly. I was so sad though because it was such a good hot chocolate, but the cup was only like half full of the actual chocolate liquid. If it was full, then I’d say the price was worth it.

Price: $7.00

7/10⭐

8. Community Natural Foods: Berry Bliss White Cocoa

Ingredients: White chocolate, blueberries, raspberries, strawberry syrup, vanilla cream cookie, whipped cream

This was such a disappointment. I loved the idea of the berry hot chocolate, but sadly you “berry-ly” got any berry flavor at all. The cookie was 100% the best part of this drink. Price vs. serving size was great, but sadly the drink itself did not make it worth it.

Price: $6.99

5/10⭐

9. Analog: The Black Forest

Ingredients: Chocolate, cherry, steamed milk of choice, coconut whipped cream, dusting of cocoa, topped with an Amarena Cherry.

I was happily surprised with this one. It tasted exactly like a Black Forest cake. I gave my fiancé the cherry and he liked it with the hot chocolate. I’d say this was a mildly creative drink, but it tasted great and I would love to drink it again. The price also felt fair.

Price: Small $6.25, Large $7

8/10⭐

10. Abbey’s Creations: Cocoa d’Amour

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Milk, Whipped Cream

This hot chocolate is the most basic hot chocolate you could have, but it’s so yummy because it’s just a classic. It was so perfectly creamy and rich! I also got it as a combo that came with a mochi cruffle. Omg it was so good. I could’ve had like ten of them. Now, I just want to go back for ice cream because everything here is so good! Plus it’s Filipino, so I already love it.

Price: $5.49

8/10⭐

11. Fenyk Coffee & Social: “First Date” Cheesecake White Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: Milk Base (or Milk Substitute), White Chocolate, Strawberry Syrup, Fresh Strawberries, Cream Cheese Whipped Cream, Biscoff Crumble

This was my first time at Fenyk. I tried their hot chocolate and thought it was underwhelming. It looked so yummy in the picture, but the drink itself was ok. The toppings were delicious, but the drink had a very mild strawberry flavor and I wasn’t a fan of the aftertaste/texture. I think the price was fair for the size. I would love to come back and try their matcha drinks because they have quite a creative drink menu in general!

Price: $7.95

6/10⭐

12. For Goodness Bake: Hoji-Cha-Cha

Ingredients: Non-dairy Hot chocolate base, hojicha tea syrup, sugar, & a vegan marshmallow

I’m so sad about this hot chocolate. I absolutely love everything hojicha, so I was really excited to try this one. However, this tasted like slightly flavored non-dairy milk. There was no hint of hojicha flavor, and it was just faintly chocolatey. The marshmallow was my favorite part. The cafe is neat since it has many baked goods and products from other locations, and there are lots of gluten-free options. I’d recommend visiting for that, but their hot chocolate left a lot to be desired.

Price: $7.00

3/10⭐

13. Popping Dragon Tea House: Golden Hive

Ingredients: Green Thai tea, white chocolate, milk, longan honey, honeycomb, chocolate, condensed milk, coconut shavings, crystal pearls

This was one of my favorite hot chocolates that I tried. In terms of creativity, this was a 10/10. I loved the combination of the longan and white chocolate. Who would’ve thought that a bubble tea place would have some of the best hot chocolate. I could’ve done without the coconut rim, but that’s just personal preference. I loved the honeycomb as well. I would definitely drink this again if it was on their regular menu. It was my first time at Popping Dragon, but I really want to go back and try more of their drinks.

Price: $10.10

9/10⭐

14. Master Chocolat: Bernard’s Taste of Dubai

Ingredients: Fair Trade Organic Milk Chocolate 46% (fair trade organic cocoa butter, fair trade organic cane sugar, organic whole milk powder, fair trade organic cocoa liquor, organic vanilla extract) • Fair Trade Organic Dark 70% Chocolate (fair trade organic cocoa liquor, fair trade organic cocoa butter, fair trade organic vanilla • Milk (2%) • Kataifi (wheat flour, water, corn starch, canola vegetable oil, dextrose, salt, wheat starch, sodium propionate (preservative) • Fair Trade Organic White Chocolate (fair trade organic cocoa butter, fair trade organic raw cane sugar, fair trade organic whole milk powder) • pistachios Contains: Milk • Pistachios • Wheat May Contain: Almond • Cashew • Hazelnut • Peanut • Pecan • Pine Nut • Soy

This hot chocolate was rich and chocolatey AF. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a chocolate store though. I love that it comes with a piece of their Dubai chocolate. We ended up buying the entire bar because it was so good. I personally wasn’t a fan of the pistachio chunks, only because I don’t usually like chewing small chunks in my drinks unless it’s boba. I wouldn’t say this drink was too creative because many other places did pistachio hot chocolates, especially with the Dubai chocolate hype, but it was definitely done well.

Price: $11.00

8.5/10⭐

15. Light Cellar: Mexican Drinking Chocolate

Ingredients: Heirloom Cacao Paste*, Heirloom Cacao Butter*, Heirloom Cacao Powder*, Mesquite*, Cinnamon*, Chili Powder*, Purple Corn Powder*, Reishi Extract*, Vanilla Powder*, Raw Honey*, Damiana Extract*, Sea Salt, Purple Corn Marshmallow* (Gelatin*, Marshmallow Root Powder*, Cane Sugar*, Free-Range Egg Whites*, Maple Syrup*, Lemon Juice*, Purple Corn Powder*, Hibiscus Powder*, Vanilla Powder*, Chili Powder*, Sea Salt) *Organic

Sadly, I was not a fan of this one. I loved their entry from last year, but this one was just too intense. The marshmallow was probably my favorite part. I found this hot chocolate was a bit too watery and the spice was overwhelming. Presentation was basic, but that tracks since it’s more of a health store. The price makes sense because of the quality of the ingredients. I ended up buying a Beehive truffle with my drink, and I loved that more. They have such yummy truffles made with healthy ingredients! If you check out their cafe, I'd highly recommend trying some.

Price: $10.00

4/10⭐

16. Vitaminboba: Sweet Charcuterie

Ingredients: Hot chocolate, salted cheese foam with real strawberry jam, almond slices

This hot chocolate was surprisingly yummy! The chocolate base was very rich, even with 50% sugar. I was a huge fan of the strawberry cheese foam. I honestly could’ve just eaten a whole jar of that 😅 I ended up saving half for the next day and found the flavor was even better, so that was a nice surprise. Presentation was pretty and price made sense for the size of the bubble tea. I really want to try other drinks from this shop!

Price: $9.99

7/10⭐

17. Fringe Coffee: Mom’s PB & J

Ingredients: Peanut butter (Vegan/Gluten free), Raspberry syrup (Vegan/Gluten free), Chocolate sauce (Vegan/Gluten free), Milk (Oat, Almond, Whole, 1%), Whipped Cream (Vegan or regular), Peanuts for garnish

I loved this one! The raspberry hot chocolate they did 2 years ago was my absolute favorite, and this one didn’t disappoint either. It tasted exactly like a PB & J sandwich. I like that they offer different options for different dietary concerns. I would definitely drink this one again. Presentation was a bit generic, but the flavor made up for that, and the pricier price 😅

Price: $9.50

9/10⭐

18. Telus Spark: Sparkusaurus

Ingredients: Milk, cocoa, chocolate milk, whipping cream, sugar, chocolate syrup, white chocolate, brownie (contains wheat)

I love dinosaurs, so this was such a fun hot chocolate to try. It wasn’t just a drink, it was also an experience thanks to the QR code on the cup. You could learn more about dinosaurs when you scanned it, and turn yourself into an AI dinosaur. The hot chocolate itself was pretty basic, but the presentation was fun with the dinosaur chocolate and whipped cream looking like an excavation site. I think the price was reasonable for what you got with the toppings and QR code experience.

Price: $7.00

7/10⭐

If you participated in the festival, what was your favorite drink? If you didn’t, which one would you have liked to try? Let me know in the comments!

Until next year!