The winter season is upon us and days are becoming more frigid. If you’re like me, you might look to warm up with some hot chocolate. This drink brings me so much comfort, as it reminds me of home and coming inside from playing in the cold snow with my younger brother and being treated to my mom’s homemade hot chocolate. Now in college and living on my own for the first time, I’m looking for hot chocolate around Boston that will recreate what I enjoyed with my mom’s hot chocolate. Here are my top choices for hot chocolate in Boston.
1. Tatte Bakery & Cafe:
If you’re looking for a rich, creamy, thick hot chocolate, Tatte has the perfect cup. It’s made from 62% Valrhona dark chocolate and whisked together with steamed milk and completed with microfoam and more steamed milk. Its thickness is what makes this drink so delicious. When you can taste more chocolate than milk and feel the cocoa on your tongue, it creates a warm sensation. It’s not that pricey either for the high quality it’s at ($5 for 12 oz). I highly recommend it as an option if you’re in the mood for a high-quality cup of hot chocolate.
2. Blue Bottle Coffee:
When Blue Bottle comes to mind, I think of high quality beverages, even though it comes with a higher price tag. I first tried Blue Bottle during a trip to the Prudential Center, and I was instantly drawn to the smell of coffee coming from the sleek, open space of the cafe. I tried their hot mocha and it was thick and rich. The quality was high and so were my expectations for their hot chocolate. I was not let down. Their hot chocolate had the same thick, rich texture as their hot mocha and it was basically a mocha beverage without the coffee. It was creamy and tasted like dark chocolate without any bitterness. I appreciated the thickness and it’s $4.75 for a 12 oz cup, so the quality was well worth it.
3. L.A. Burdick:
You can’t call yourself a hot chocolate lover in Boston without having tried L.A. Burdick’s “drinking chocolate.” Located in Back Bay, this cozy little cottage of a shop looks like something right out of “The Polar Express.” It feels magical once you’re inside and looking around at the holiday decorations and listening to the warm chatter of friends and family as they enjoy their beverages and pastries makes the cafe feel like home. When it gets busy, as it usually does, and the line is out the door, it can feel squishy and uncomfortable at times, but the wait is well worth it.
This is by far the thickest and most authentic hot chocolate on the list, but also the most expensive at $5.75 for a small. I tried the dark drinking chocolate, which is made with shaved 69-71% cocoa, but they also offer milk drinking chocolate and white drinking chocolate. This was the most bitter hot cocoa I’ve tried on this list, most likely from how dark the chocolate was. Although the bitterness surprised me, it’s authentic hot cocoa that made me smile at the warmth it brought me. Readers may be surprised why I think Tatte deserves the number one spot on this list, but taking into account the price and the slight bitterness of the cocoa, Tatte is the best option in my opinion. Some may find the bitterness more enjoyable and some may not, but you can’t go wrong with either.
4. Oakleaf Cakes:
When compared to my mom’s homemade hot chocolate, this one comes the closest. Oakleaf makes their hot chocolate from in-house raw ingredients and according to their website, it comes in 5 variations — classic, Aztec, peanut butter, salted caramel, and peppermint — with the Aztec one including spices for an extra kick. For research and uniformity purposes, I only tried the classic version priced at $4.50, but I highly recommend trying the others, as they’re only 50 cents more than the classic..
Located on Westland Avenue across from Caffè Nero, Oakleaf is a cute little bake shop that specializes in custom and gourmet cakes. They’ve been featured on TV and in the Best of Boston issue in 2013 by Boston Magazine. I believe they also specialize in hot chocolate based on how good this was. It was both rich and creamy, with just enough thickness from the cocoa to not overtake the milk and just enough milk to not overtake the cocoa flavor. It has the perfect balance that instantly reminded me of my mom’s. Now I know this is not what all readers are looking for in hot chocolate, but bias aside, it’s still a great option and also close to campus, making it worth it to shortly commute in cold conditions to get that warm cup of cocoa.
5. Flour Bakery + Cafe:
Flour’s hot chocolate is very similar to Oakleaf Cakes’, just a little thicker, which I didn’t favor in this instance. It doesn’t have as many alternate options like Oakleaf does, putting this hot cocoa lower on the list. Flour’s closest location is by the Sheraton Hotel connected to the Prudential Center, which can be a walk for students, but worth it if you’re looking for more than hot chocolate. They specialize in a wide range of delicious pastries and sandwiches. Flour’s hot chocolate is worth the price of $4.10, in my opinion, and is a convenient option for students spending a day out at the Prudential Center.
Honorable Mentions (Starbucks vs Dunkin’)
Starbucks:
Located most closely in Curry Student Center, Starbucks’ convenience and availability for students to access before or after classes make it a go-to spot for any pick-me-up drink. However, its hot chocolate didn’t impress. First off, they have many options to choose from, including flavor, type of milk, pumps of syrup and the cup size. I got the peppermint hot chocolate because not many cafes offer a peppermint version. Also, the festive red holiday cups are nostalgic for me, and the peppermint hot chocolate satisfied my dreams of coming home for the holidays.
The hot chocolate itself had too much milk and not enough cocoa flavor. The mocha pumps made it taste artificial and not like a classic hot chocolate. The peppermint syrup was a little too sweet, so I would recommend putting less of that in there. It also has a lot of unnecessary added sugar from the mocha and peppermint syrup. For convenience and nostalgia, I’d recommend it, and it’s priced at $3.95. But for a true cup of cocoa, any other authentic hot chocolate would do, especially for the same price.
Dunkin’:
This hot chocolate is a lot thicker and more chocolatey than its campus rival, Starbucks. There’s nothing really special about this hot chocolate, and it’s a little sweeter than I would like. It may have a similar feel to your family’s hot chocolate, but not mine. Dunkin’ does have their own pink holiday cups to add to the festivity of the season, but there are better options out there. However, for convenience and a cheap price of $3.29, this is a quick option to get your hot chocolate fix.