The best hot beverages are plentiful here at Sporked. I’ve burnt my tongue hundreds of times over the past couple years to make sure of it.
Whether you’re looking for a sweet and sippable treat, like the best hot chocolate mix, or a breakfast beverage, like the best instant coffee, we have a toasty beverage to warm you from the inside out. These are all the best hot beverages from our taste tests. Once again: These are hot beverages. Your tongue has been warned.
- Nestle Rich Milk Chocolate Hot Chocolate Cocoa Mix
This is by far the best hot chocolate mix out there. It is so rich and creamy and chocolatey. This is the only hot chocolate mix we tried that still tastes like it was made with milk even when you make it with water! That’s really saying something. This is the type of hot chocolate you want to slurp up all winter all.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Starbucks Dark Roast Premium Instant
The best instant coffee comes from Starbucks (to no one’s surprise). Starbucks knows coffee! This is one of the few instant coffees at the grocery store that actually tastes like drip coffee. Add a little of the best coffee creamer and you might be tricked into thinking this coffee was from the actual ‘bucks itself.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Organic Fair Trade Wake Up Blend Ground Coffee
Trader Joe’s has such a huge selection of coffee, but there is one that reigns supreme. The best Trader Joe’s coffee is the Organic Fair Trader Wake Up Blend Ground Coffee. It’s lightly fruity and not acidic. Skip all the other coffees here. This is the TJ’s coffee.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Peet’s Coffee Pumpkin Spice K-Cup Pods
If you want it to feel like fall all year long, buy the best pumpkin spice coffee, aka Peet’s Coffee Pumpkin Spice K-Cups. The coffee in these little pods has a well-rounded, balanced blend of pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove). And, if you’re wondering, the pumpkin spice Starbucks k-cups did not taste good at all. If none of that sold you, know that this made our list of the best pumpkin spice coffee at Sporked two years in a row!
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Lipton Black Tea Bags
Lipton makes some of the best tea bags out there (specifically the best black tea). I know there are fancier and more unique options, but these Lipton black tea bags are perfect in every way. The tea tastes great, they come in gigantic boxes, and the price point is low. Plus, you can find them almost anywhere!
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- 365 Organic Green Tea
Whole Foods 365 brand organic green tea bags are the best tea bags when it comes to green tea. It’s a complex green tea that isn’t bitter at all, which we love. This stuff is one of the best hot beverages, but it’s also really good iced. Who doesn’t love a multipurpose product?
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Bigelow Vanilla Chai Black Tea
This is the best chai you can buy in grocery stores across the US. Can you get better chai at an Indian restaurant or grocery store? Yes. If you don’t have access to one of these, however, this will definitely do in a pinch, especially if you’re also a fan of vanilla.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Looking for a tea you didn’t see on this list? Check our our full roundup of all the best teabags.
The last time I got Nestle it was absolutely terrible and I was just trying to use it up so it would be gone. The next time I buy hot chocolate powder I will give it a second chance.