Hot chocolate is always great on a cold day, but it tastes extra good during the holiday season! Costco’s Stephen’s Hot Cocoa comes in two flavors – regular milk chocolate and the more festive candycane (I think candy cane is actually two words, but Stephen’s has it as one, so we’ll go with that).
While I love hot chocolate, I find the powders that are sold in big containers and designed to be mixed with water usually aren’t very tasty. Both of these Stephen’s Hot Cocoa mixes were a pleasant surprise though!
If you like hot chocolate Costco carries a few different kinds! The Deavas Hot Chocolate Bombs, BomBombs Hot Chocolate Cocoa Bombs. Some other warm beverage options are the Alpine Spiced Apple Drink, Vonbee Honey, Citron & Ginger Tea Base and the Vonbee Honey, Apple & Cinnamon Tea Base.
Location in Store
I bought both the milk chocolate hot cocoa and the candycane cocoa in Montana and the item number for the regular cococa is 1291 and the candycane cocoa is 451132. They were on an island between the produce and frozen section.
Taste
I tried both regular milk chocolate and candycane cocoa.
The milk chocolate is really delicious. It’s creamy, smooth and very rich! I just made it with water and it tasted like it was so creamy you’d think it was made with milk.
The recipe on the container seems accurate, I didn’t have any residue or extra powder that didn’t dissolve. I notice it’s quite sweet but not unpleasantly so. It’s a lot better than any other powder hot cocoa I’ve had.
The candycane cocoa has noticeable bits of candy cane. Unfortunately, there was some undissolved mix and candy canes in the cocoa but I still loved it.
It’s good with just water. The flavor is very creamy, sweet and there’s a strong candy cane taste. I notice it’s a bit sweeter than the original milk chocolate cocoa but not a ton.
Cost
Both tubs of cocoa are the same size, four pounds. The plain milk chocolate cocoa costs USD 9.99 and the candycane cocoa costs USD 11.99. These are really large containers of cocoa! They’d be great if you’re hosting a winter event or party but it’s a lot for a small family.
Convenience
This is simple to make I just boiled some water, added the mix the recipe called for and gave it a quick stir. It’s ready to drink in just minutes.
The cocoa comes in a large tin with a plastic lid and the best-before date for the milk chocolate cocoa is 2026 and the candycane cocoa has a best-before date in 2025. That’s a long time!
I think kids would love both kinds of hot cocoa. They’d be perfect for a treat on a cold winter day or after tobogganing!
Nutrition
Calories
Three tablespoons of regular milk chocolate cocoa contains 150 calories, three grams of fat, 200 milligrams, 30 grams of carbohydrates, less than a gram of fiber, 26 grams of sugar and one gram of protein.
A three-tablespoon (36-gram serving) of candycane cocoa contains 150 calories, two and a half grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, less than a gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar and one gram of protein.
Ingredients
As expected the ingredients in this aren’t at all healthy and actually make me cringe. There’s chemicals/additives and artificial flavors as well as corn syrup in both cocoas.
I’ll point out the one ingredient that a lot of parents/people might be concerned about in the candycane cocoa is the red dye 40. The cocoa contains milk but is gluten-free.
Scoring
Taste: 8/10 One of the best-tasting hot cocoa powder mixes I’ve tried.
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 0/10 I’d give this negative points. There’s nothing healthy about either of these hot cocoas and I wish I hadn’t analyzed the ingredients.
Overall
Give it a try!
If you can put your blinders on to the ingredients, you’ll enjoy this hot cocoa. Both flavors are delicious even with just water.
Have you tried either one of these Stephen’s Hot Cocoa flavors? What did you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
I lived in Utah for over 30 years and Stephens was about the only hot chocolate I every got. They were a favorite for neighbor gifts at Christmas. I’ve not seen these in California.