Sales for the best hot chocolate makers skyrocket around this time of year – which comes as no surprise. Picture the scene: you've just got home from a long, cold walk. You're wrapped up in your cosiest knitwear, under a weighted blanket – but you still can't feel your toes. Perhaps the only thing that would really do the trick is a steaming cup of hot chocolate from the spout of your trusty hot chocolate maker. There's something about a super sweet mug of hot cocoa that's really quite cathartic, isn't there?
Enter: our guide to the best hot chocolate makers that make epic Christmas gift ideas – for her, for him or for yourself. Sure, they're something of a luxury gadget – and you can make hot chocolate on the stove. But trust us when we say that the hot cocoa that comes out of a countertop hot chocolate maker is softer, creamier and more delicious than anything you'd whip up in a saucepan. Plus, you can make it at the touch of a button.
Best hot chocolate makers at a glance:
What is the difference between a Velvetiser and milk frother?
Handheld milk frothers are designed to froth rather than whisk and beat, so they won’t make such a creamy hot chocolate. Automatic milk frothers also don’t tend to heat your drink – only mix it – so you’ll have to heat the milk first. To be honest, a velvetiser or hot chocolate machine is the only way to make the perfect hot chocolate (we’re talking, coffee shop standard) from the comfort of your own home.
What’s more, you can use your Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser to make gorgeous, creamy coffee (move over, coffee machine) with the brand’s velvetised latte range, and you can use it to heat milk.
After more chocolate gifts? Make sure to check out our hot chocolate gift sets and chocolate advent calendars, while you're at it.
Scroll for our full edit of hot chocolate makers from Hotel Chocolat, Lavazza, Dualit and more.
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