The Options Awards, Hosted By AllyPally (Options Hot Chocolate Mini Sachets)

Member Name: AllyPally1991

Product:	Options Hot Chocolate Mini Sachets
Date:	18/08/08 (224 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low in calories

Disadvantages: quite a thin drink

Options hot chocolates are a great alternative to the calorie laden sachets that you can get on an average shopping trip. After discovering the drink last year after starting a calorie controlled diet, I can safely say that it is one of the few "diet foods" that has survived the transition from diet to leading a healthy lifestyle.

The drink has an amazing silky taste and texture, and tastes a bit like a watered down version of the "galaxy" hot chocolate. Available in both sachets and pots, all of the flavours contain less than 45 calories (per sachet), though if you go for a pot of the stuff there is a temptation to add in more of the powder, because the sachets are quite weak (indeed, I would say with the sachets they only make half a cup if you like your hot chocolate a bit thicker and silky)

There are a ton and a half of flavours (there is a reason it's called options!) and I've given them a quick rating and comment below.

OUTRAGEOUS ORANGE 6/10
This tastes a bit like Terry's Chocolate Orange, and is quite nice. However, I think that it is actually one of the weaker flavours in terms of thickness - the hot chocolate was virtually water.
33 calories per serving
5.1g Carbohydrates
1.3g Protein
0.8g Fat

WICKED WHITE 7/10
This is the flavour that most benefits from the weakness of the hot chocolate - I would recommend only making half a cup, because any more is actually really, really sickly. The drink has a nice white chocolate flavour at first, and if you only have half a cup it never gets sickly. It is also the drink with the highest amount of calories and fat. Booo, hisss.
43 Calories Per Serving
7.0g Carbohydrates
1.0g Protein
1.2g Fat

TEMPTING TOFFEE 6/10
This is the only one of the drinks that does not actually contain chocolate. It is, instead, pure toffee flavour, which is the most incredibly sickly thing I've ever tasted. However, if you combine 1 spoonful of tempting toffee with 2 spoonfuls of belgian choc, the overall result is really nice, and the toffee tang tastes good without being overpowering.
40 Calories Per Serving
7.7g Carbohydrates
1.0g Protein
0.6g Fat

CRACKING HAZELNUT 2/10
I was disappointed at the quality of this Options flavour. I love hazelnut, but this drink does not do the nut justice - it tastes like Belgian Choc, but has the most horrible smell and aftertaste imaginable.
33 Calories Per Serving
5.1g Carbohydrates
1.3g Protein
0.8g Fat

OOH LA LA VANILLA 7/10
This tastes alright, though its nothing to write home about. The drink has a hint of vanilla, though once again the main difference is the smell. However, the vanilla smell is much more appealing than the hazelnut smell, and there is no vile aftertaste.
32 Calories Per Serving
5.0g Carbohydrates
1.3g Protein
0.8g Fat

BELGIAN CHOC 9/10
This is my personal favourite. It is just a classic flavour, and tastes like a more traditional flavour of hot chocolate. It is very similar to many of the flavours, but without the added synthetic flavours.
37 Calories Per Serving
5.8g Carbohydrate
1.3g Protein
0.9g Fat

MINT MADNESS 8/10
This is my second favourite flavour after belgian chocolate, it is quite minty, a bit like an after eight. I like the entire taste and smell of this one, but still don't think it quite tops the classic chocolate flavour.
34 Calories Per Serving
5.2g Carbohydrates
1.3g Protein
0.9g Fats

JAZZY GINGER 5/10
This is a limited edition flavour (the previous limited editions have included turkish delight, which is surprisingly nice). It's alright, but not as good as some of the classic flavours.
34 Calories Per Serving
5.2g Carbohydrates
1.4g Protein
0.9g Fat

The disadvantage of drinking hot chocolates from sachets (in general, not just Options) is that they in general contain a lot more artificial products than plain old Cocoa. This applies sevenfold with Options, as the low calorie nature of the drinks means that products such as Aspartame and E numbers have had to be used to produce the sweet taste of the drink. The list of ingredients is pretty horrific, and if you drink more than 2-3 drinks in a day, you will almost definitely be very, very ill (I speak from experience here!!)

However, as part of a balanced diet, I think that this drink can be a nice little addition if you're looking for something sweet. It is *only* 40 calories, so its not like it will take up much of your daily calorie allowance.

OPTIONS AWARDS

Best taste - Belgian Chocolate
Worst taste - Jazzy Ginger
Best Smell - Mint Madness
Worst Smell - Cracking Hazelnut
Lowest calories - Ooh La La Vanilla (32 calories)
Highest Calories - Wicked White (43 calories)
Lowest Fat - Tempting Toffee (0.6g)
Highest Fat - Wicked White (1.2g)

Summary: Good, low cal alternative to Cocoa