DIY Fairtrade Hot Chocolate

Make your own organic hot chocolate

Did you know that there are some amazing ways to indulge in a totally ethical and Fairtrade hot chocolate? Here’s everything you need to know!

With regards to hot chocolate, ethical options are few and far between on the supermarket shelves. When supermarkets do stock more ethical alternatives to the regular hot chocolate powders, there never seems to be much choice!

Ethical Hot Chocolate Options

Luckily, Babipur stock a few wonderful hot chocolate options, and lots of amazing bars of ethical, Fairtrade chocolate which are easy to make into a delicious drink. The Cocoa Loco drinking flakes come in several flavours and make a gorgeously smooth drink when melted into a saucepan of milk overheat. These also work really well in hot chocolate machines if you’re lucky enough to have one! The chocolate orange flakes are a good place to start if you can’t decide which option to go for first. Cocoa Loco also make Fairtrade hot chocolate spoons which are unbelievably easy to use – you simply stir them into a cup of hot milk!

Turn chocolate bars into hot chocolate!

In addition to the Cocoa Loco hot chocolate flakes and spoons, most of the ethical chocolate bars sold at Babipur work well as hot chocolate. A few particular favourites are the Cocoa Loco Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt, Tony’s Sea Salt Milk Caramel, and Tony’s Milk Chocolate Honey Nougat. If you want a really luxurious feeling drink with a bit of a kick to it, then get a bar of Cocoa Loco Chilli and Lime chocolate – you won’t be disappointed!

How to make ethical drinking chocolate

If you want to turn your favourite bar of ethical chocolate into a delicious drink then it’s a simple process.

All you need to do is:

• Grab your favourite bar and either finely chop or grate it up
• Add between a quarter and a third of a bar to a saucepan with a cup of your chosen cold milk
• Keep the whole mixture moving with a whisk as you heat it over a low heat
• Watch as the chocolate melts and your hot chocolate begins to take shape!
• When the milk is hot and the chocolate is melted, pour into your favourite mug
• Enjoy!

When it comes to the right quantity of chocolate to use in your drink, it’s largely down to personal preference. Dark chocolate bars will be richer in taste, so you don’t need to use as much of them to get a really rich flavour. You might like to use a little more of milk and white bars to get the desired taste!

Tried and tested!

Buddy Alex tried out some different hot chocolate options. Here’s what she had to say!

Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Caramel Sea Salt Hot Chocolate

9/10! This is one of my all-time favourite bars of chocolate and it was just as delicious when I made it into a drink. The salt and caramel pieces dissolved into the milk and chocolate mixture and left a dreamy taste with just the right amount of salt and caramel! Shop here.

Tony’s Chocolonely Almond Honey Nougat Hot Chocolate

8/10! When turned into a drink, the little nougat pieces in the bar dissolve and leave a flavour that’s just like that triangular bar of chocolate you find at the Duty-Free shops at airports. Delicious, and really sweet with some nutty notes from the nougat. Shop here.

Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Hot Chocolate

8/10! An absolute classic, the Tony’s milk chocolate bar makes a great drink. If you don’t want any added flavours then this is the one for you. Shop here.

Tony’s Chocolonely White Raspberry Popping Candy Hot Chocolate

10/10! I’m not sure what I was expecting when I turned this into a hot chocolate, but it was incredible! It was very sweet, and the popping candy had all popped by the time I got to drink it, but the white chocolate and raspberry combo is an absolute winner. Shop here.

Cocoa Loco Dark Chocolate Chilli & Lime Hot Chocolate

100000/10! This is the best thing I have ever drunk. I chopped up a quarter of the bar and then melted it in a pan with oat milk. It made the richest, most divine drink which felt like a real luxury. The chilli gives a real kick and the lime comes through just the right amount. Shop here.

Cocoa Loco Milk Chocolate & Orange Drinking Flakes

9/10! I tried these flakes out in my hot chocolate machine and the resulting drink was gorgeous – I love the orangey zing! Not having to grate or chop anything is a real bonus. Shop here.

Cocoa Loco Milk Chocolate Drinking Flakes

8/10! Another classic. Much like the Tony’s milk bar, you just can’t go wrong with these flakes. They’re easy to use and make a delicious classic hot chocolate. Shop here.

Cocoa Loco Dark Chocolate & Praline Hot Chocolate Spoon

10/10! I love the nuttiness of this option, and that fact that it’s so easy to use. Shop here.

Cocoa Loco Dark Hot Chocolate Spoon

8/10! The dark chocolate spoon is super tasty in oat milk and makes a really rich drink that feels like a real treat! Shop here.