Rating Hot Chocolate Syrups

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I love a hot chocolate on a cold evening, and I love adding different flavours too. I buy flavoured syrups each year. This year I thought I’d buy a couple more than usual and share my thoughts on how they taste.

I’m not able to splash out too much at the moment so I’ve bought four very reasonably priced syrups (nothing cost more than £5) and carried a fifth one over from last year. (I checked the date and it’s still fine to use.)

For the sake of the taste tests, I used Cadbury’s Instant Hot Chocolate made with a touch of milk in addition to the hot water. I tasted them without my usual marshmallows, glitter sugar, or anything else that might affect the flavour.

I’ll start with the carryover flavour from last year’s syrup buy.

Gingerbread (Tate & Lyle Cane Syrup)

I knew how this would taste as it was my go-to syrup last year. It feels warm and yummy and tastes very Christmassy to me.

You don’t need to add to add too much for a strong flavour and aroma, hence still having some left over from last year. (This is a large bottle; the other bottles in this post are smaller)

Black Forest (Simply Sugar Free)

This flavour inspired the idea for this blog. It’s a bit different from the usual flavours I default to, and I really wanted to try it as I like Black Forest Gateau. This did put a bit of pressure on this flavour, but thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.

I put an average amount of syrup into the mug and it tasted good. For my own tastes, I may try a tad more next time though. It’s reasonably aromatic, something that adds to the pleasure of the drink. Strangely the aroma seemed a bit stronger after I’d finished.

I found myself wanting the hot chocolate to feel thicker for this syrup; it’s almost like you want it to be chewy or something.

Cinnamon (Sweet Freedom – for drinks and drizzle)

Well…This was pretty much everything I wanted from this flavour!

I really like cinnamon-flavoured things, and again, I’d consider maybe adding a bit more next time. This is purely a personal preference though, and it won’t be too much as these syrups are quite sweet. They are also thicker than the two above, so they need a little more stirring.

I am very much looking forward to this one helping to evoke the Christmas spirit over the coming weeks.

Honeycomb (Sweet Freedom – for drinks and drizzle)

Sadly, this one was a little disappointing. I ended up putting a little more of this flavour in than the other,s but even then the honeycomb didn’t really come through.

It ended Hazeup being too sweet, and therefore adding extras like marshmallows may make it a bit sickly. It felt more like just a caramel flavour when I expected something akin to a liquid Crunchie.

However, since it can be used as a drizzle, I can see myself using it on ice cream in the summer

Hazelnut (Sweet Freedom – for drinks and drizzle)

This one was the right kind of subtle. A well-balanced flavour and sweetness for my taste.

It tastes nice and feels good. Familiar, like an old friend. I do love a hazelnut syrup and I think I’ll be adding this one to my milky coffees too.

In conclusion – Black Forest, Gingerbread and Cinnamon are going to see me through to Christmas, especially while watching festive films on chilly evenings. Hazelnut will double as a coffee syrup, probably throughout the rest of winter and Honeycomb is destined to accompany ice cream over the summer.