This is how NOT to do hot chocolate (Options Wicked White Choc)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Options Wicked White Choc
Date:	02/08/09 (124 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: doesn't taste awful, low in calories

Disadvantages: watery, isn't half as nice as dark chocolate, looks horrid

I was strolling down the hot chocolate aisle in Tesco a few of weeks ago when I came across a 2 for £4.00 offer on Options hot chocolate. Each jar of Options costs £2.24 so that's a 48p saving, not quite the amazing bargain I first thought.

I promptly picked up one of my favourite flavours, 'Mint Madness' (the person who first put mint and chocolate together is a god) and rather than picking another one of my favourites I decided to go for 'Wicked White'.

I figured this would be something totally different as I have never tasted white hot chocolate before. I was also drawn in by the the low fat content, enticing packaging and the fact I love white chocolate.

Wicked White comes in a 220g plastic, hour glass shaped jar. The jar is a light blue and white colour, and has written "I felt wicked, it was a white gold ring, choc full of huge diamonds..." across the front.

The chocolate is snow white and smells just like Nestle Milkybar. The directions state that you should put 3 teaspoons (11g) of Options into a mug, add boiling water and stir. I have followed these instructions a number of times and it seems far too weak and too watery, so I have to add another teaspoon or so. After stirring it looks awful and no matter how long I stir for it always looks like pale vomit or lumpy soup!

The taste is hard to describe. It does taste a little bit like white chocolate but I'd say it has more of a milky taste to it. It is quite rich but lacks creaminess at the same time. It's far too watery tasting and is very thin, I prefer quite thick tasting chocolate. By the end of the mug it does also begin to feel very sickly.

On the upside I did finish the whole jar so it couldn't have been that bad. Infact it wasn't really bad, it just wasn't would I could describe as good. Nor was it what I expected or wanted.

Suprisingly Wicked White is really low in calories - just 43 calories per mug (that's if you don't have to add extra, which you probably will) and 1.2g of fat. That's a very small amount of calories for a big amount of chocolate but I should point out that the other (and better) Options contain around the same amount.

I feel £2.24 a jar does seem quite expensive but each jar is supposed to make 20 mugs of hot chocolate which works out at just over 11p a mug which isn't too bad.

The ingredients consist of whey powder, dried glucose syrup, whole milk powder, vegetable fat, sugar, white chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder), stabilizer, lactose, salt, flavouring, emulsifier, sweetener, anti-caking agent and colour. It is vegetarian but not vegan, and it goes without saying that if you're allergic to any of the ingredients you should avoid.

I wouldn't recommend Wicked White but if you want to give it a go then I would recommend getting a small 11g pouch of Wicked White - they sell them in Tesco for 27p each.

Summary: I won't be buying this again.