A supermarket brand has beaten expensive rivals in a blind taste test of luxury hot chocolates. While the £14.50 Knoops option came first, one retailer came second and won the 'Best Value' award, costing less than half the price of most on the test, beating popular brands including Hotel Chocolat and Pump Street.

To decide the winner, a panel of 78 hot-chocolate fans ranked the sweetness, creaminess, bitterness and all-important chocolate flavour across nine brands for consumer organisation, Which?. To ensure each one met the 'luxury' criteria, the products had between 70-75% cocoa solids, meaning brands like Knoops were up against the likes of Marks and Spencer.

Knoops 70% Extra Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes came "head and shoulders" above the rest to be named a Best Buy, according to the organisation. Costing £14.50 it is well on the pricier side, but tasters loved the flavour, aroma and mouthfeel, with most finding it had just the right balance of creaminess, sweetness and bitterness.

Next came the supermarket bargain, the Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, which was crowned a 'Best Buy' at £5.75.

"If you're looking for brilliant taste on a budget, Tesco Finest dark hot chocolate flakes are worth snapping up," said Which?. It got high marks for its flavour and satisfying mouthfeel, though some found the colour too dark.

It had the exact same score as Kokoa Collection Dominican Republic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes, which cost £9.50. It scored well on flavour, and most of tasters found the sweetness and bitterness well balanced.

Next came another supermarket choice with the Marks and Spencer Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, which was cheaper than Tesco at £5.50. It scored well for aroma and mouthfeel, but around half of tasters said it was too bitter.

The rest of the hot chocolates were all from larger brands, ranging from £5.95 up to £15.50 for the Pump Street 70% Drinking Chocolate Flakes West Papua.

However, the most expensive brand on test scored "average" ratings across the board except for appearance, which tasters "really liked", earning it seventh place.

The Hotel Chocolat Classic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes came eighth on this taste test. It lost marks on mouthfeel, and most tasters thought the £10.95 option lacked creaminess.