Tootsie Roll Junior Mints Caffeinated Hot Chocolate K-Cups, 24-Count

It’s never been easier to make a cup of hot cocoa — especially if you have a Keurig coffee maker. You can buy pods filled with hot cocoa mix. Simply slide the cup in just as you would a coffee pod, stick the cup on the tray and press the buttons to get the serving size for your cup.

But if you’ve ever used instant cocoa mix, you know the flavor can vary widely from one brand to another. The desired taste is usually rich and creamy, but that traditional taste requires milk, and K-Cups operate with water. So some manufacturers incorporate milk into the powder to achieve that same taste by just adding water.

Milk chocolate is the typical taste associated with hot cocoa, but there are many other flavor options as well. Salted caramel is particularly popular. You can also find reduced-calorie cocoas, but K-Cup cocoa is usually fairly low in calories from the start. Some consumers add creamer, milk or flavored syrups to their hot cocoa for that extra flavor injection.

• Before putting the K-Cup in the brewer, shake it up to make sure the powder inside is mixed well. This will also help break up any clumps.
• There are concerns about the eco-friendliness of K-Cups, but many manufacturers pack their ingredients into recyclable plastic cups now. You simply need to peel the top off, clean the internal contents out and toss it in the recycle bin.
• Hot cocoa can clog up the internal workings of your Keurig. For best results, run one cycle of only water into a coffee cup after each cup of cocoa you make.
• One thing you can’t get with K-Cup cocoa is the tiny marshmallows that come in some instant cocoa packets. But there’s nothing stopping you from loading your cup full of marshmallows or whipped cream after you’ve made your cup.
• Low-calorie versions of K-Cup cocoa are available. One of the best things about K-Cup cocoa is that it typically has fewer calories than its counterpart in packet form.
• Although hot cocoa isn’t coffee, it’s important to note that chocolate does have some caffeine. So if you need decaffeinated hot cocoa, you’ll have to narrow your search to that.
• K-Cups are packaged in a box, with multi-box sets available if you want to buy in bulk.