“Chocolate now has become something that is tipped out of a little paper bag, into a cup, dissolved with hot water and served with artificial whipped cream or a marshmallow stuck on top. This is not hot chocolate and it really pains me to think that a whole generation is growing up never knowing the glories of a truly well-made cup of hot chocolate”. James Beard, 1974
Hi. My name is Giselle. Here I share my travels around the world in search of the ultimate hot chocolate. Along the way I have learned more about the rich history, stories, sustainability issues, and people behind this surprisingly under-appreciated drink than I could have ever imagined. I share a small part of this here. So far I’ve reviewed over 1000 hot chocolates from 30 countries (and counting!!).
I taste a lot more hot chocolates than I review on the site. They aren’t all good, unfortunately. But some of them are amazing. A good hot chocolate isn’t just about the drink. It is also about where it is served, how it is served, who served it, in what vessel, with what accompaniments, even my mood on the day. But most importantly it is about what chocolate was used. Sadly this information is still rarely shared. But things are changing…
I started this blog over 10 years ago to share interesting hot chocolates I was finding on my travels with friends and family. What started out as a love of hot chocolate has turned into so much more. Although I’ve never been a big fan of chocolate (surprised?), I became fascinated with the world and its flavours. I am a trained chocolatier (through Ecole Chocolate), chocolate taster (Level 2 with the International Institute of Chocolate & Cocoa Tasting) and judge for the International Chocolate Awards (World Finals) and Academy of Chocolate including the Drinking Chocolates category. I make my own chocolate at home with my trusty refiner and beans sourced from around the world and share travel guides to chocolate destinations over at Bite Sized Guides. My work (I am a expert working on sustainability and business/education issues with a range of organisations, in particular the United Nations) and my obsession for hot chocolate have merged and I now use chocolate as a way to raise awareness about sustainability issues and vice versa. I founded the School of Sustainable Chocolate, organise events and field trips on sustainability and chocolate for businesses and universities.
Stay tuned for the upcoming World Chocolate Crawl coming up this October and, if you are in Australia, the Australian Bean to Bar Chocolate Network. I write lots of articles about chocolates for publications but also talk a lot about chocolate (a lot) through different workshops and presentations I give business, cafes, consumers, etc. If you are interested in that, please do get in touch!
But most importantly, I have a new book coming out! The World of Chocolate, published by Artisan Hachette is available for presale now and is out October 6, 2026! Click here for more information about that.
If you think hot chocolate is a sweet, powdery drink for kids, then think again. Chocolate is as complex as wine or coffee, and the world is full of really interesting hot chocolates. Every country has their own take. So take a look around the site, I promise you will find a hot chocolate you love too.
I send out a regular newsletter about all things chocolate and travel and post regularly on Instagram. And if you make or serve a fantastic hot chocolate, please do get in touch! giselle [at] ultimatehotchocolate [dot] com
Happy sipping!
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