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Another stop of my Hot Chocolate Festival quest this year is Honolulu Coffee. I had a media preview of their two creations at the downtown Nelson location.

Hot Chocolates

Raincouver: 70% dark hot chocolate with pink Himalayan salt melting a cloud of suspended cotton candy. $9.50 (Note: This is only available starting on January 20, 2023)

The cotton candy cloud is catching a lot of attention among those invited to the preview. It was super cute and cotton candy is always fun to eat, but honestly, it’s a little bit gimmicky. It just adds more sugar to the overall experience. We tried dipping it into the hot chocolate but of course, it dissolved into nothing. I loved the whimsical presentation but I wish the pink Himalayan salt was more prominent to balance out the sugar.

The Donut – A donut-shaped hot chocolate using 70% dark chocolate mixed with a single shot of espresso, finished with a sea salt cream cheese frosty topping. The drink is paired with a donut-shaped fudge chocolate cake glazed with refreshing raspberry icing. $11.

The Donut was definitely my favourite of the two. The texture of the chocolate cake was great, moist with nice crumbs. The tartness in the raspberry icing of the chocolate cake felt more balanced overall as a pairing. You can also taste the sea salt and savoury taste in the cream cheese topping in the hot chocolate. Even though it’s $11, there seems to be more in the offering than Raincouver, in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

As for the hot chocolate alone, you can’t go wrong with either option. As for the value for the money, I’d go for The Donut as I explained above. Honolulu has 3 locations and I heard the False Creek location is relatively quieter. The Nelson location was packed even on a Sunday afternoon. Bring a buddy so one can secure a table while the other orders!

Honolulu Coffee Nelson
888 Nelson Street, Vancouver
778-379-6607
honolulucoffeeyvr.com