With the groundhog declaring an early spring, winter is coming to an end soon, which means less time to enjoy a cold season classic: hot chocolate. But before the season melts away, Bear Facts reviews the best place to indulge in the winter favorite.

Dunkin Donuts

Although Dunkin Donuts is dedicated to making the donuts that America runs on, I was pleasantly surprised with their hot chocolate.

Dunkin’s hot chocolate came out very hot and light in color; it was topped with some light whipped cream. It smelled very sweet and had an inviting scent, which reminded me of the hot chocolate I had after playing outside in the snow as a little kid.

Taste wise, the hot chocolate was the perfect medium between a pure dark chocolate and a watered down milk chocolate. Although the drink was very light (which usually equates to more sugar) in color, I appreciated that the drink was not overpoweringly sweet. The amount of chocolate in the drink was just right and it was not too milky.

The overall texture of the hot chocolate was very creamy and thick which gave the hot chocolate an added richness to it; the drink also stayed well mixed. Given the low price of $2.15 for a medium, the hot chocolate was a delight.

Overall I would give Dunkin Donuts’ hot chocolate a 4.9/5.

Starbucks

Knowing that Starbucks specializes in drinks, I went in with high hopes, but was very disappointed after tasting the drink.

The hot chocolate came out piping hot and was a dark brown color; it was topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate fudge as well. As soon as I opened the lid I was overwhelmed with the scent of dark chocolate. Even though the smell wasn’t as sweet as Dunkin’s, I was still excited to try it.

As soon as I took a sip I was disappointed with how bitter and extremely chocolatey the hot chocolate was. It was as if I was just drinking melted dark chocolate.

But what shocked me the most was the texture. Instead of a creamy, thick drink, the hot chocolate from Starbucks’ seemed watered down and very loose in consistency. The chocolate settled to the bottom. Although the drink itself was a let down, it had a very nice aftertaste. But for a medium drink priced at $3.25, it was not worth it.

Overall, I would give Starbucks hot chocolate a 2.1/5.

Jazzmans

Last but not least I tasted the hot chocolate from our very own Jazzmans and was satisfied with my findings.

The Jazzmans’ hot chocolate was a medium brown color and was topped with some whipped cream. It wasn’t as dark as the Starbucks’ hot chocolate or as light as the Dunkin’s hot chocolate. Like Starbucks’ and Dunkin’s hot chocolate, the drink came out piping hot. The drink smelled a bit like chocolate milk so I did not set my expectations very high.

I was soon proven wrong when I tasted the drink. I was surprised that the drink had a sweet taste, with a slight dark chocolate undertone. Although the drink was not as tasty as the Dunkin’s hot chocolate, it had a great flavor.

The texture of the drink was mediocre; it had a better consistency than the Starbucks’ hot chocolate, but it was not as creamy as the hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. Another plus was the drink did not settle at the bottom, and it stayed well mixed. For its moderately low price of $2.60, the drink is definitly worth it.

Overall, I would give Jazzmans’ hot chocolate a 4/5.