Best Hot Cocoa Mixes To Buy

Hot chocolate is the ultimate cold-weather comfort, and thanks to a myriad of chocolate pots on the market, anyone at home can can whip—and, in some cases, heat—milk and cocoa into velvety pots of pillow-capped deliciousness. In our November/December 2012 issue, we highlight a few of our favorite hot chocolate makers, but equally important is the actual cocoa that goes inside the pot—here are nine drinking chocolates and some of the best hot cocoa mixes to buy this winter.

240 Sweet Extra Brute
Midwest marshmallow makers 240 Sweet recently introduced this Euro-style cocoa that combines powder-fine chocolate with Tahitian vanilla beans. $15, 240sweet.com

Askinosie Sipping Chocolate
Tiny pebbles of single origin chocolate (specifically from Davao, Philippines) combine with coffee from Intelligentsia for melty morsels of deliciousness. $15.50/6 oz., askinosie.com

Christopher Elbow Peppermint Drinking Chocolate
There’s something irresistibly festive about the combo of peppermint and chocolate, and chocolate craftsman Christopher Elbow subtly balances the two in this mix of dark drinking chocolate and natural peppermint oils. $16/12 oz. tin, elbowchocolates.com

Ghana 80
This shade-grown African cocoa is hand-harvested and sun-dried. The result is a dark, rich drinking chocolate with a delicious, lingering finish. $9.99/7.5 oz., allegrocoffee.com

Moonstruck Mayan Hot Cocoa
Inspired by a frequent truffle favorite, this cocoa wraps you in a blanket of cinnamon-spiced warmth and chocolaty goodness. And if you’re looking for on-the-go cocoa, it’s also packaged in portable, single-serving pouches. $12/9.5 oz., moonstruckchocolate.com

Sucre Extra Dark Drinking Chocolate
This extra dark drinking chocolate from New Orleans’ French-inspired sweet shop Sucre mixes in 65-percent Venezuelan bittersweet chocolate for an über-rich and decadent cup. $16/12 oz., shopsucre.com

Taza Salted Almond Chocolate Mexicano
A pinch of kosher salt adds a savory note to this stone-ground drinking chocolate, while raw California almonds help create a dense, rustic texture. $4.50/disc, tazachocolate.com

TCHO
San Francisco-based chocolatier TCHO direct-sources and oversees its entire chocolate production. This drinking chocolate blends cacao from Africa and South America for a fudge-like, crave-worthy cup. $13/300g, tcho.com

Voges Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa
Cocoa goes couture with this Aztec-inspired mix of chocolate, chile peppers, cinnamon, vanilla and cornmeal. $15, vosges.com