Too delicious for words (Whittards Luxury White Hot Chocolate)

Member Name: the_oracle123

Product:	Whittards Luxury White Hot Chocolate
Date:	19/08/05 (1125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heavenly taste

Disadvantages: Price, high calorie content

I think I must actually like torturing myself. I really do. Let me explain... When it comes to chocolate, I am, unquestionably, your girl. I love the stuff so much, it's almost indecent - I know all the major shopping towns by their chocolate shops! And now I'm on a diet. (Well, you can't be a chocolate gourmet and not expect some kind of retribution in the form of extra pounds, can you?!)

So, denied chocolate and other delicious things, why have I decided to write a review of Whittard's luxury white hot chocolate? This is what I mean - glutton for punishment. Anyway, enough of my whingeing, on with the review. (At least you know you've got an expert speaking, eh?)

Let's cut to the chase and be frank straightaway about this stuff. It's good. Very, very good in fact, and a far cry from the processed, barely-chocolate rubbish that passes for hot chocolate so much of the time. From the moment the powder combines with the milk and you get the unique white chocolate aroma, you know it's going to be good. And from the very first sip, you know that you have got a cup of something fearsomely genuine and fearsomely chocolatey in your hands.

It says it's white chocolate - it actually IS white chocolate. White chocolate differs from milk chocolate in that it has a naturally sweeter, creamier flavour with a hint of vanilla, and you get all these subtle flavours and aromas in Whittard's Luxury White Hot Chocolate. When you place a square of solid white chocolate in your mouth, if it's good chocolate it melts fairly quickly and produces a really creamy texture on the tongue. Although much thinner, the drink manages to capture the thick creamy feeling - which is not something that I've found with any other hot chocolate drinks.

The flavour is very, very sweet and as I've said, genuinely chocolatey. I was pleased to note that it hasn't got any of the slightly fatty taste that you can get in cheap white chocolate; instead the only taste is of the pure chocolate. I've often wondered why there aren't more white chocolate hot drinks - white chocolate, with the highest milk content of all chocolate, goes so perfectly with hot milk that it just makes you wriggle your toes in delight.

It's really very easy to make as well. If you're feeling lazy, follow the instructions and heat some milk in the microwave then stir in 2-3 heaped teaspoons of the powder. However, if you've got some more time and you feel like having a really special cup of hot chocolate, you can use the method I always use: gently heat some milk up on the hob, then gradually whisk the chocolate powder in until it's frothy. (Sounds like a faff, but I promise you it makes a superior hot chocolate!)

Problems? Well...much as I'd like a drink like this to be absolutely problem-free, there's always SOMETHING, isn't there? Like all hot chocolates, it's really, really high in calories and fat. You put 3 heaped teaspoonfuls in, which is quite a lot, and once you've taken the milk into account, that's one heck of a lot of calories, although I don't think it would matter too much if you only had this as an occasional treat.

You can get Whittard's Luxury White Hot Chocolate from any branch of Whittard's (there are branches in lots of towns, so have a look in your town centre) or you can order from the internet. Go to www.whittard.co.uk and click on "Coffee" - the hot chocolates are listed under a sub-heading there. At £4.50 for 400g, it ain't cheap, although with these things you do get what you pay for...and Luxury White Hot Chocolate is so delicious, it's worth every last penny!

Summary: A delicious, really chocolatey treat...but it's best left as a treat - VERY fattening