I’m a big fan of Hotel Chocolat’s hot chocolate flakes and I’m an almost equally big fan of apple pie, so when they announced a new limited edition apple pie hot chocolate flavour that promises to bring the two together, I just knew I had to give it a go.
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The Ultimate Comfort on a Winter’s Day?
According to the Hotel Chocolat website,
Apple pie. A best-loved bake that’s been gracing dessert menus since the 1300s. Apples, baked to perfection until they’re gloriously caramelised, encased in a buttery pastry crust. The ultimate comfort on a cold winter’s day? It certainly gets our vote. After some rigorous taste-testing of the real thing (all in the name of authenticity, of course), we reimagined it in drinkable form in this hot chocolate recipe.
So the first of Hotel Chocolat’s new autumn flavours aims to bring the comforting taste of apple pie, in a “not-too-sweet flavour that lingers on the palate”.
Try it For Free at Your Local Hotel Chocolat
For the month of September, participating Hotel Chocolat stores are offering free samples of this new flavour at the weekend.
And, seeing as I happened to be passing my local store on Sunday, I thought it would be rude not to pop in and sample this new creation for myself.
Apple Pie Hot Chocolate: My Impressions
My go-to choice for Hotel Chocolat’s hot chocolate flakes is the classic 70% dark. I like my chocolate with a bit of a punch.
Bear in mind that this was only a small sample sized taste but here are my first impressions…
The first thing that hits you is the smell – it really smells of apple pie. Not just a tiny hint but a really strong tweak of the nostrils apple pie burst.
However, for me, the taste just wasn’t there.
It was just too milky. I could taste the apple pie but it was missing the chocolate element.
It certainly didn’t look anything like the photo above. The colour was very much that of warm milk and, as it contains only 36% cocoa solids, that’s probably why.
On the Hotel Chocolat website however, the reviews seem generally more positive:
The Best Flavour!
These are delicious! I hope you keep them permanently. I will be stocking up on boxes.
Love this new flavour!
I was worried this would be too sweet for me as I usually go for the 70% hot chocolates but this is delicious. It really does taste like apple pie!
Tasty Apple Pie
A warming taste of apple pie, though no hint of chocolate.
Price Information
As with their other boxed hot chocolate sachets, the price comes in at a somewhat hefty £13.50.
With each box containing 10 sachets, that’s £1.35 per cup.
My Verdict
I didn’t buy any.
Instead, I bough another pouch of the Classic 70% dark.
I might be willing to give it another go but I’d have to mixed it with cocoa powder or a darker flake because it simply didn’t hit the spot for me. The assistant who served me in the store also preferred a darker hot chocolate and agreed that blending it with the 70% would be worth trying.
My wife was with me and she tried it and also thought it too milky, so I don’t think it’s just me.
Another of the seasonal specials Hotel Chocolat is currently offering both online and at their instore cafes, is the very popular pumpkin spice hot chocolate.
Try it For Yourself
If you want to try it for yourself, then pop on down to your local Hotel Chocolat at the weekend during the month of September and sample some for free.
Of course you can also buy it in store or online.
As with all of their hot chocolate flakes, it’s designed to work with their flagship product, the Velvetiser.
If you’re interested in my thoughts on that, then check out my long-term of review of the Velvetiser here.
Nutritional Values and Ingredients
| TYPICAL VALUES | PER 100G |
| Energy KJ / Energy Kcal | 2354 / 565 |
| Fat (g) | 36.8 |
| Of which saturates (g) | 22.4 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 50.6 |
| Of which sugars (g) | 48.7 |
| Protein (g) | 7.0 |
| Fibre (g) | 1.6 |
| Salt (g) | 0.2 |
Ingredients: cocoa solids (cocoa butter, cocoa mass), sugar, full cream MILK powder, apple powder (7%) (apple concentrate, maltodextrin, emulsifier (acacia gum)), skimmed MILK powder, caramelised sugar, flavouring, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin).
Caramel milk chocolate contains minimum 36% cocoa solids, minimum 26% milk solids.
For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in BOLD. May contain tree nuts, peanuts, soya, gluten, wheat, egg, sesame. (Hotel Chocolat)
