This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter.
Greetings hot chocolate lovers! I’ve always loved chocolate; milk, dark, white; you name it, I
love it. Hot chocolate is arguably my favorite way to consume ungodly amounts of chocolate
aside from ice cream. Since it’s beginning to get colder out, hot chocolate is the logical option,
but it’s impossible to go completely cold turkey from ice cream. I order hot chocolate
almost anywhere I go and like to think of myself as a hot chocolate connoisseur.
Since I have recently found myself with lots of time on my hands…I started researching benefits
of hot chocolate, not really expecting to find anything. To my surprise, I did! Cornell University
conducted a study and found that the antioxidant concentration in hot chocolate is almost twice
as strong as red wine! If that’s not a win-win situation, then I don’t know what is. It’s also three
times stronger than green tea and almost five times stronger than black tea. Well, it’s safe to say I
didn’t see that coming. Interestingly enough, hot chocolate also generally has much less fat per
serving compared to what is found in a regular bar of chocolate. And since we’re all student’s
who will no doubt be doing a ton of studying this semester, here’s a reason to drink some…the
American Association for the Advancement of Science found that drinking hot chocolate can
help you THINK BETTER! Yes, you read that correctly; apparently the flavonoids increase the
blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Who knew? Definitely not me!
Now I’m not saying you should be drinking hot chocolate 24/7 and nothing else, there are
obviously some unhealthy factors about it too, just like everything else in the world. But if you’re
as addicted as I am and want to skip trying to find the best on your own, take my word for it. Through my
experimentations, I have come to the conclusion that the best hot chocolate out there is made by
William Sonoma. Their classic hot chocolate is so rich and creamy you would
think you were drinking a pure chocolate bar. While the classic is my favorite, the salted caramel
hot chocolate comes in REALLY close to second and is worth a taste or two as well. Personally, I
am not a peppermint lover, but if you happen to be then you may have just found your heaven.
I have yet to try the gingerbread kind, but it is on my list and I’ll get back to you on the outcome.
You might be thinking that $20 is a lot to spend on a tin of hot chocolate but let me tell you it is
SO worth it. I think the packaging is cute and definitely helps keep it fresh. I’ve had a tin of it for
2 years and it’s still as delicious as the first cup! It’s a perfect gift for a chocolate loving friend but warning, if you try
it, you’re not going to want to give it away!