Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate: Getting the Most from the Disc

A hot chocolate stirred from a jar tends to be thin at the top and gritty at the bottom; a disc pushed through a machine under pressure comes out fully dissolved and lightly foamed. That, more than the Cadbury name, is the reason to make it this way.

What the disc does that a jar cannot

Every T DISC carries a barcode, and the machine reads it to set the brewing time, temperature and water volume for that particular drink, so a hot chocolate is not run the way an espresso would be. Hot water is forced through the sealed disc, which dissolves the chocolate completely instead of leaving the work to a spoon. Because the drink is mostly what is in the disc rather than mostly water, the box of eight weighs 240g, about thirty grams a disc.

The published ingredient list starts with sugar, then skimmed milk powder at 22% and whole milk powder, with fat-reduced cocoa at 9%. That order explains the taste: milky, sweet and unmistakably Cadbury, with the cocoa kept well back and almost no bitterness. It also means the milk comes with the disc, so a dairy-free household cannot leave it out. The label lists milk and soya.

Eight discs or ten

We stock two boxes: eight discs at 240g, and a box of ten. One disc makes one cup in both, so the choice comes down to how many cups you want before reordering. The ten suits a household where somebody has a hot chocolate most days; the eight is the box to try first, or to keep in the cupboard for the occasional cold afternoon alongside the coffee discs.

Both are Tassimo T DISCs and fit Tassimo machines only. They are a different shape from Dolce Gusto pods and Nespresso capsules, and only a Tassimo brewer can read the barcode. Tassimo is a founding partner of Podback, the UK's free pod recycling service, so used discs have a route out of the house; follow the current pack and your council for the card box.

Cup size, cooling and a richer cup

Pick a small cup and warm it first. A large mug spreads the same disc over more space and the drink turns watery. For a bigger serving, top it up with warm milk from the pan rather than asking the machine for more. Then give it a minute on the side before anyone young gets hold of it, because it leaves the machine too hot for small hands and mouths, and no setting changes that.

Compared with a mug made on the hob with proper milk, the disc gets surprisingly close, but it reads lighter, because all of its milk arrives as powder. Pouring a couple of spoonfuls of warm milk into the cup before brewing closes that gap. Cocoa has a little caffeine of its own, so this is not a true caffeine-free bedtime drink, although the amount is small.

The packs we stock

• Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate, 10 Pods (barcode 8711000579572)
• Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate, 8 Pods 240g

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate, 8 Pods 240g says it contains milk and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Sugar, Skimmed Milk Powder (22%), Whole Milk Powder, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder (9%), Glucose Syrup, Whey Powder (from Milk), Fully Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Salt, Flavourings, Milk Protein, Stabilizer (E340), Anti-Caking Agent (E551), Emulsifiers (E471, E433, Soya Lecithin).

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to eat with it

• Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies, 340g: Plain butter biscuits give the sweet milk chocolate something simple to lean against.
• Oreo Vanilla Cookie Chocolate Sandwich Biscuit Twin Pack, 2 x 154g: A chocolate sandwich biscuit for the youngest hot chocolate drinker in the house.
• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: For the adults, dark chocolate and ginger add the bitterness and warmth that the milky drink leaves out.

Elsewhere in the Tassimo range

• Tassimo Cadbury Mocha, 10 Pods 160g
• Tassimo Costa Americano Coffee, 12 Pods 108g
• Tassimo Costa Cappuccino Coffee, 6 Pods
• Tassimo Costa Caramel Latte Coffee, 6 Pods 173.4g
• Tassimo Costa Latte Coffee, 6 Pods
• Tassimo Kenco Americano Decaff Coffee, 16 Pods

The full range is on the Tassimo brand page.

FAQ

Is Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate caffeine-free? No. There is no coffee in it, but cocoa naturally carries a little caffeine, so it is not a truly caffeine-free drink.

Does it contain milk? Yes. The published ingredient list includes skimmed and whole milk powder, whey powder and milk protein, and it also contains soya.

How many drinks does a box make? One disc makes one cup, so the box of eight makes eight hot chocolates and the box of ten makes ten.

Will the discs fit a Dolce Gusto or Nespresso machine? No. T DISCs fit Tassimo machines only, and only a Tassimo can read the barcode printed on each disc.

How do I make it richer? Warm a small cup and add a couple of spoonfuls of warm milk before brewing, rather than making a bigger drink from the same disc.

Curator's note: Small cup, a splash of warm milk first and a minute's patience before anyone drinks it. That covers nearly everything that can go wrong. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Tassimo Cadbury Hot Chocolate: Getting the Most from the Disc

More from the tea wiki

• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee
• Hot Chocolate UK: Buying It Well

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