HOTEL Chocolat’s Velvetiser is one of the most coveted Christmas presents – but it costs £99.95 to get your hot choc silky-smooth.
Hayley Minn tests cheaper alternatives, using Love Cocoa by James Cadbury choc flakes for all machines except Hotel Chocolat’s, for which she uses their sachets.
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She scores out of ten for taste and value.
Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, £99.95
SO easy to use. You pour in milk, sprinkle some chocolate flakes to taste, press a button and, after it beeps, pour your concoction into a mug.
The taste is incredible, with a luxurious texture. But it is so pricey, and the handle sticks out.
Taste: 10
Value: 5
Ambiano hot chocolate maker, £39.99, Aldi
ALDI’s hot chocolate maker does exactly the same thing as Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetiser – but is so much cheaper.
It doesn’t come with two mugs, while the Velvetiser does.
I used Love Cocoa choc flakes and it was so creamy and delicious.
Taste: 9
Value: 10
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Salter The Chocolatier £49.99
SALTER’s chocolatier works like the Velvetiser but has settings for hot, cold, thick and light frothing.
It is ideal for making iced lattes and frappes, rather than buying them.
It took just five minutes to make my hot choc – and it tasted fab.
Taste: 9
Value: 7
Petra Chocolisse £37.99, Amazon
LIKE the Chocolatier, the Chocolisse has a few different functions, so you can make both your cold and hot drinks frothy.
I found the hot choc more watery in this than some of the others, but it tasted good.
At under £40, this is an excellent option.
Taste: 7
Value: 7
Auto milk frother & hot choc maker, £31.99, Amazon
WHILE Amazon bills this appliance as a hot chocolate machine, it’s more of a milk frother.
It does a very similar job to the other hot chocolate machines but unfortunately my drink was more froth than chocolate.
Taste: 5
Value: 6
George Home milk frother, Asda, £25
ASDA’S version of the Velvetiser is so good as it does the same things as the more expensive models. It’s sleek and modern, too, and easier to store.
The only slight let-down is my hot choc wasn’t the creamiest. It’s excellent value though.
Taste: 7
Value: 8
B&M Heat And Eat chocolate maker, £25
B&M is also selling a version of the Velvetiser at a very low price.
Using it to make hot chocolate was excellent, as it tasted great and I could control the level of froth.
But I found the machine’s different options a bit confusing.
Taste: 8
Value: 7
