Extreme Coffee Freak

Ganache Hot Chocolate

“Handmade real chocolate ganache and hot freshly steamed milk, both combined to make a perfectly decadent and indulgent hot chocolate. An offering you won’t want to miss out on!”

Price: $5.00 (large)

I am sad to say that this is a very basic hot chocolate with nothing very exciting. I was actually quite sad when I received the drink because I honestly expected more. It does have a great chocolate flavour throughout the drink, it isn’t strong which is a nice flavoured hot chocolate.

Maple Taffy Delight

“Inspired by east coast sugar shacks. Hot maple taffy poured over fresh snow is what dreams are made of. A to-do item that should be on all Canadian’s bucket lists. In-house maple-infused bacon and healthy chocolate balls, just because who doesn’t live more than chocolate.”

Price: $6.00

This hot chocolate is very tasty. It has a really great maple flavouring throughout the whole drink. The bacon was good, but not really my favourite. The maple was a really great touch which was very good. The quinoa puff balls were a nice crunch added to the drink as well. Overall the hot chocolate was very good.

Ingredients : Hot chocolate, maple syrup, topped with whipped cream, maple taffy drizzle, chocolate-covered quinoa balls and maple glazed bacon garnish

Hot Chocolate Toast Crunch

“Remembering our early childhoods, we recall the many stressful mornings before school; our groggy eyes being blinded by the bright bedroom lights as we struggled with leaving our warm blankets. We stumbled down the stairs, lugging our backpacks behind us grumpily. The only thing that fixed the disaster that was the early morning was breakfast. We’ve all had that experience of eating our cereal too quick and being left with a bowl of milk to chug as we rush to meet the bus at the end of the driveway. While most cereals left a faint flavour to the milk, our personal favourite cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch) added a rich cinnamon flavour to the milk we happily drank every time. Now given the chance to capture that youthful delight, we hope you may also experience this childhood sensation once again.”

Price: $7.99

I am glad to see a new café participating this year, but their drink lacked the cinnamon toast crunch flavour. I am missing the cinnamon flavour throughout the whole drink. The only part that was cinnamon toast crunch was the cereal bits on top. I would have enjoyed this drink a lot more if they had used cinnamon cereal milk for the drink, it would have added a lot more of the cinnamon flavour throughout the drink for sure.

Ingredients : Hot chocolate powder (coco powder, sugar, fudge, dark chocolate syrup), cinnamon sugar (brown sugar, ground cinnamon), milk, whip cream, cinnamon toast crunch

Cassini’s Grand Finale

“This hot chocolate is a tribute to the most successful exploration mission to Saturn that ended with the brave little Cassini robotics spacecraft sacrificing itself for science. In Cassini’s Grand Finale, the 20-year mission ends with the orbiter plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere, eliminating the possibility of contaminating Saturn’s moon Enceladus, as it is a good candidate to host extraterrestrial life in our solar system. Now you can “sacrifice” yourself for science and plunge into a rich salted caramel hot chocolate adorned with malted chocolate spheres representing Cassini’s discovery of six new moons and a salted caramel pretzel celebrating the exquisite imagery of Saturn’s rings made possible by this revolutionary mission.”

Price: $6.95

This hot chocolate is very creative in the sense that children will love it. I quite enjoyed how the top looked and I really liked the story behind the drink. I only found that the hot chocolate was basic, it had good salted caramel flavouring, but nothing too crazy. If you have children I would definitely check this place out because they will love this drink for sure.

Ingredients : Custom salted caramel chocolate sauce, whole milk, whipping cream, slated caramel chocolate pretzel, malted chocolate balls, chocolate shavings, skor bits, and cocoa powder

Almondy Orange Cocoa

“Introducing Almondy Orange Cocoa – a luxuriously indulgent treat like no other! Ideal for anyone looking to satisfy their craving for a classic yet decadent hot cocoa experience, this signature beverage for YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is the perfect indulgence. Crafted with dark roasted almond paste and chunks of real almonds that have been skillfully blended with real orange flavour and premium cocoa, one sip of this delicious drink is sure to tantalize your taste buds in the most delightful way. To top it all off, every cup of Almondy Orange Cocoa comes served with an extra layer of comfort – whipped cream! So why settle for something ordinary when you can indulge in something extraordinary? Experience Almondy Orange Cocoa today and surrender to its velvety goodness – the perfect reward for when you want to indulge in something truly special!”

Price: $7.00

On my very first sip, I got a lot of what tasted like artificial orange flavour, which was not pleasing, but on my second sip, I got the almond and orange mixture which was amazing. I made sure I swirled it around a little more and it seemed like the flavours mixed a lot better and with a lot more flavour. I would say that this hot chocolate has a delicious almond orange flavour in each and every sip, once it is mixed a little more. Overall the hot chocolate is very good, I wish they would have made it look a little fancy maybe with a piece of sliced candied orange or a grated almond dusting or both. It would have really elevated the drink in my mind.

Ingredients : Almon Paste (almonds, vegetable fat (peanuts, cocoa), sugar, skimmed milk power, soya proteins, flavours, emulsifiers, (may contain traces of other nuts), Orange Syrup (pure cane sugar, water, concentrated lemon juice, natural orange flavour, citric acid, beta-carotene colour), cocoa powder, sugar, milk

Lemon Meringue Pie Hot Chocolate

“If you like it tart but sweet, this hot chocolate is your calling. Dark chocolate and lemon essence infused hot chocolate. Topped with lemon whip, mini lemon tart and baked meringues… it makes all the others pucker with envy.”

Price: $7.00

To our surprise, all the lemon was not too much. It was the right amount of lemon and you get it in every sip for sure. The little lemon tart was absolutely delicious and had great lemon flavour. We have not always been excited about meringues but the ones you get on this drink were very good. The only comment we had was we wished they didn’t put the chocolate sauce on top of the lemon whip because it really took away from the lemon flavour. Other than that the drink was very good and very lemony.

Ingredients : Chocolate sauce, dairy, lemon essence, lemon whipped, lemon curd tart and baked meringues

Ube Bliss

“House-made white hot chocolate infused with our house-made ube jam topped with whipped cream, Japanese sweet potato flakes, garnished with a milk tea mochi.”

Price: $9.00

This drink was delicious and amazing! The drink was purple which was so cool and the purple potato flakes were a great addition to the drink. The milk tea mochi was a great addition to the drink and it tasted really good. I know that the team at Brekkie work all year on this drink and you can really tell, from the way the flavour all work together you can tell they really worked on it. Definitely head over there and try the drink and you could even grab some breakfast while you are there. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients : House-made ube jam, white hot chocolate, whipped cream, Japanese sweet potato flakes, milk tea mochi

Raspberry Chilli Hot Chocolate

“Get ready to drool like a love-struck puppy with our Raspberry Chili hot chocolate! This steamy cup of heaven is made with rich, velvety milk, GF and VF chocolate, and raspberry syrup made in-house. This is a versatile drink that can be made with milk or milk alternatives. Sounds sweet, doesn’t it? Don’t let the sweet and fruity flavours fool you – sometimes love hurts and this hot chocolate has a little kick to it. A dash of spicy chilli pepper not only amps up the flavour but also leaves you feeling a little warm inside. One sip and you’ll be smacking your lips and reaching for a second (or third) cup. So why wait? Come on down and try our Raspberry Chilli hot chocolate – it’s the perfect pick-me-up for those chilly winter days. Just don’t blame us if you get a little obsessed…”

Price: $6.50

This drink was very good, you get a subtle taste of the raspberry with a warming sensation in your throat from the chilli. It’s a delicious hot chocolate with no whip or anything extra, how often do you get a drink like that? The only comment we would make is that when you got closer to the bottom of the drink it did get pretty spicy, so just be careful.

Ingredients : Handmade Raspberry Syrup with a hit of chilli, vegan gluten-free chocolate syrup and steamed milk

Noisette Chocolat Chaud

“Our ‘Noisette Chocolat Chaud’ combines our two most popular hot chocolates from past years into something that definitely has that je ne sais quoi! A classic French drinking chocolate, this drink is chocolaty, nutty, creamy, and a little bit like a perfectly melted chocolate bar…in a cup! If that doesn’t take you straight to a Parisian café, we’ve also made one of our favourite French cookies to dip in to it…a ‘langue du chat’. Oui, it’s gluten free. Our drink may be a petit 4oz, but in signature french style it’s quality over quantity and we’re so excited to share it with you and raise money for Meals on Wheels! It’s the sweetest way to give back.”

Price: $6.50

Let me first say that this is the most I have ever spent on a hot chocolate this small. This hot chocolate is only 4oz and it is $6.50, I am sorry but I think that is a little much for how small the drink is. It is thick drinking chocolate that you are meant to dip in the 3 cookies that they give you. I didn’t find the drink very hot either which was sad. In my opinion the cookies were the best part of this drink.

Ingredients : Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, milk, sugar, fleur de sel