For a rich cup you can make quickly during the school holidays, a pre-sweetened powder such as Poulain Grand Arôme Intense, which is advertised as containing 70% cocoa, meets a different need from unsweetened 100% cocoa. The latter lets you measure out the cocoa and sugar separately, but you’ll need to make the drink with milk. In either case, compare the recipe, sugars per 100 g and the amount used per cup: the word ‘intense’ alone isn’t enough to tell them apart.
If you care more about the cocoa flavour than sweetness, compare a pre-sweetened powder with 70% cocoa, such as Poulain Grand Arôme Intense, with 100% cocoa that you can prepare to suit your taste. They’re two different recipes, served in different ways.
If you’re making several cups during the school holidays, unsweetened cocoa lets you choose how much sugar to add. A sweetened powder saves you that step, but you’ll want to compare its ingredients and how much you use.
If you’re making treats regularly, check the pack size and how to prepare each cup. Don’t assume a larger pack contains more cocoa. Cereal-based drinks, sweetened powders and pure cocoa aren’t distinguished by pack weight alone.
First decide between a sweetened powder that’s ready to mix and unsweetened cocoa that you can measure out yourself. Then compare products within the category you’ve chosen.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa content | The cocoa percentage, if stated, and the ingredients list. According to Chocolat Poulain, Grand Arôme Intense contains 70% cocoa; Auchan states that its Chocolat intense powder contains at least 32%. | If I mainly want a rich cup, the word ‘intense’ doesn’t tell me how much of the mix is cocoa. Around 42% of consumers prioritise cocoa content. |
| Controlling sugar | Sugars per 100 g of powder and the amount actually used per cup; distinguish between sugar already in the powder and any you add yourself. | If I’m making a treat, I may want to decide how much sugar to add rather than use a recipe that’s already sweetened. That’s the main consideration for around 33% of consumers. |
| Preparation and pack size | How to prepare it, the pack weight and storage instructions. | If I’m serving several cups over the holidays, I prefer something easy to prepare and a pack size that suits our needs. Around 25% of consumers prioritise convenience. |
The word doesn’t describe a single recipe. Chocolat Poulain states that Grand Arôme Intense contains 70% cocoa, while Auchan says its Chocolat intense powder contains at least 32%.
Check the percentage if it’s shown on the pack. If it isn’t, look at the ingredients rather than assuming the recipe has a known cocoa content.
Grand Arôme Intense is still a sweetened powder. By contrast, Auchan’s 100% pure cocoa is unsweetened, so you can make the drink to suit your taste.
Compare sugars per 100 g, then check how much you use in a cup. Next, choose between a quick-to-prepare powder and measuring out the cocoa and sugar separately.
The word ‘cocoa’ doesn’t tell you everything that’s in a chocolate powder. Banania’s Original recipe, for example, contains wheat and barley; the product information for Poulain Grand Arôme Intense notes that it may contain milk.
If you have an allergy, read the ingredients and allergy advice on the packaging of the exact product and pack size you’re buying.
Pack size tells you nothing about cocoa content or how the drink needs to be prepared. Carrefour Classic’ Chocolat en Poudre Intense is available in an 800 g pack, but sugar is the first ingredient on its list.
Check that the recipe suits the cups you want to make, and read the storage instructions on the pack.
Chocolat Poulain states that its Grand Arôme Intense sweetened powder contains 70% cocoa. It’s different from standard Grand Arôme.
The retailer sells both unsweetened 100% pure cocoa and a sweetened Chocolat intense powder advertised as containing at least 32% cocoa.
Équador sells unsweetened pure cocoa under the E.Leclerc brand, to use as a base for your drink.
The range includes an 800 g pack of Chocolat en Poudre Intense.
Original chocolate powder is a sweetened recipe made with cocoa and cereals, so it’s different from pure cocoa.
Carrefour sells standard Nesquik powders as well as a ‘Less Sugar’ version.
These products include chocolate powders for hot drinks, with a range of pack sizes and recipes to compare. The 400 g Poulain powder below isn’t Grand Arôme Intense with 70% cocoa, so be sure to check the variant before you choose.
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Worth considering if you want Poulain powder for making hot chocolate without measuring out the cocoa separately. The Joybuy product information for this 400 g pack states that it contains at least 47% cocoa. Don’t confuse it with Grand Arôme Intense, which contains 70%. Check the packaging to compare sugars and the amount to use per cup.
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This 450 g pack may suit you if you’re making hot chocolate regularly. Don’t assume it has the same cocoa content as the 400 g Poulain pack: check the ingredients and sugar content for this variant before comparing the two.
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The 1 kg pack is a larger-size option for making several treats. If you’re mainly looking for a rich cup or need to consider allergens, check the ingredients on the packaging for this exact product.
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This 800 g pack of granules is worth considering if pack size matters for your holiday treats. To compare it with powders that contain more cocoa, check the cocoa percentage and sugars per 100 g on the packaging.
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The name sets this variant apart from BENCO Original, but it doesn’t tell you exactly how much less sugar it contains. To choose the right one for your treat, compare their nutritional information on the same basis and check how much you use per cup.
No. Santé publique France says that producers can display Nutri-Score voluntarily. Whether or not it’s shown, check the ingredients and nutritional information to compare products, particularly their sugars per 100 g.
No, it isn’t a direct way to compare dry powders. The Bulletin officiel des finances publiques describes a levy on non-alcoholic drinks, calculated per hectolitre of drink. When choosing your powder, check the sugars on the label and how much you use per cup instead.
Follow the instructions for your chosen cocoa and mix it with milk as directed on the product. You can then adjust the recipe to taste. Unlike a pre-sweetened powder, unsweetened cocoa lets you decide separately whether to add sugar.
Read the information on the exact pack before serving the drink to anyone with an allergy. The product information for Poulain Grand Arôme Intense notes that it may contain milk, while Banania Original contains cereals including wheat and barley. These details don’t automatically apply to other variants from these brands.