With snow falling and temperatures plummeting, there’s not better time to pop the stove on and brew up a cup of hot chocolate.

But with every supermarket – and many boutique retailers – offering a cup of sweet cocoa, which ones are worth splashing out for, and which leave something to be desired?

Consumer experts Which?sipped their way through than 700 cups to find the best-tasting hot chocolates, including options from Hotel Chocolat, Marks & Spencer and Tesco.

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But they found that the majority of big name brands actually left a bitter taste in their mouths compared to cheaper supermarket hot chocolates.

Premium hot chocolate from Knoops took the Best Buy spot with judges praising ‘right balance of creaminess, sweetness and bitterness’.

The hot chocolates were judged on flavour, aroma, appearance and texture, and 78 testers rated them based on how sweet or bitter they were, as well as the creaminess of the drinks.

The overall score was based on flavour (50%), aroma (20%), mouthfeel (15%), and appearance (15%).

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A 250g can of Knoops hot chocolate is priced at £14.50, making it a pricier option but not the most expensive of all the brands tested.

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Which? testers said it was ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest and awarded it Best Buy for its flavour, aroma and mouthfeel.

They described it as having ‘just the right balance of creaminess, sweetness and bitterness’.

It was also rated as one of the best-looking hot chocolates, with two-thirds determining that the colour was ‘just right’.

Knoops’ hot chocolate comes in a stylish pack and is a great option for those looking for something ‘extra special’, said Which?.

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Hot on Knoops’ heels – and much friendlier in price – was Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, which scored 70% overall.

At only £5.75 for a 200g pack, this supermarket own-brand hot chocolate is less than half the price of most of the brands tested by Which?, yet rated much higher.

It was praised by testers for having a ‘delicious flavour and satisfying mouthfeel’.

While Tesco’s hot chocolate lost out on appearance as two-thirds thought the colour was too dark, it was still awarded Great Value for offering consumers ‘a taste of luxury without a steeper price’.

Premium single origin hot chocolate brand Kokoa Collection’s Dominican Republic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes tied in second place alongside Tesco.

At £9.50 for 175g, it is not as expensive as Knoops but still a good choice for anyone seeking a high-end hot chocolate that isn’t going to break the bank.

It scored well on flavour, which tasters described as being ‘well-balanced’, as well as appearance as nearly three-quarters were satisfied with the colour of the hot chocolate.

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Slightly lower down on the scoreboard was M&S Collection Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, the cheapest hot chocolate tested by Which?.

The M&S hot chocolate was described only as being ‘reasonably well liked overall’, with testers giving it a 67% rating overall.

It scored well for aroma and mouthfeel, but its flavour let it down, and around half of the testers said the hot chocolate was too bitter.

The other hot chocolate brands that were tested had mixed results, but it was clear that some of the expensive brands were not as impressive as consumers might believe.

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Chococo 72% Ecuador Origin Single Estate Hot Chocolate Flakes (£12.50 for 200g) scored 66% overall for its good appearance and creaminess, but it failed to deliver the same high level of flavour as the top scorers.

It was followed up by Cocoa Canopy 75% Super Dark Hot Chocolate Melting Beads (£5.95 for 225g), which was given a non-committal description of ‘not bad’, but with a flavour that did not appeal to everyone.

Pump Street, the most expensive and aesthetically pleasing hot chocolate on the test, also failed to impress the Which? testers.

The posh brand’s 70% Drinking Chocolate Flakes West Papua (£15.50 for 200g) scored only 65% overall and testers thought its flavour, aroma and mouthfeel were simply average.

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Another big name brand, Hotel Chocolat, left testers feeling underwhelmed.

The chocolatier’s Classic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes (£10.95 for 250g) scored a mere 60% overall, losing marks on mouthfeel as most of the testers thought it lacked creaminess.

Finally, Islands Chocolate 75% Dark Chocolate Buttons (£11.50 for 200g) languished at the bottom of the roundup with a score of 59%, which testers found too bitter.