Hershey's Vs. Nesquick. Vs. Ovaltine

*Originally published on 11/3/10



I love chocolate milk. The stuff is delicious. Some will try to argue that it's a drink reserved only for kids, but they would be wrong.

Over the years three brands have risen to become the major names in chocolate milk selection. Nesquik, Ovaltine, and Hershey's; the latter differentiates itself in that it comes in syrup form where the other two are a powder mix.

The copout answer would be to say that it's a matter of personal preference, and as such, it would be futile for me to try and say which one is definitively better. To wit, my roommate believes Ovaltine to be the best of the bunch, and I myself have a different opinion. However, that answer doesn't really accomplish anything so I will try and detail the pros and cons of each brand.

As said before, some people argue that Ovaltine is the best. I haven't actually looked up the nutritional information, but it is marketed as the more nutritious choice between the three. It is good, but to be honest, I find it to be the weakest of the three. It's not bad, by any stretch, but it lacks the same kick that make the other brands of chocolate milk so tasty.

Nesquik is better, and you get a greater sense of chocolatey goodness with this brand, but the problem with the powders is that if you add too much, you can still taste the individual grains that didn't mix in. If chocolate isn't your flavor of choice, they also offer strawberry milk. I haven't tried the strawberry flavor, but from what I hear it is quite delicious. The added variety does give it a certain benefit that the other brands lack.

Finally, we come to Hershey's. This is the brand that I have been drinking the longest, and it is my personal favorite. As it's a thick chocolate syrup, it really makes the flavor come out in comparison to the other two brands. It takes a lot of syrup for it to work (although that could also be due to the fact that I tend to drink large glasses of milk), but once you get the balance right, it's so good. The difference is also visual as the milk tends to get much darker with the syrup as opposed to the powders, letting you know that this really puts the chocolate in chocolate milk.

Hershey's also has the added benefit of not limiting how much you can add. If it's not chocolatey enough for you, you can add more without having the texture of the milk be altered too much.

Hershey's syrup is also versatile as you can use it as an ice cream topping as well. Of course, this also means that you'll have to buy more, but it is nice to be able to get more bang for your buck.

I've heard that Bosco was a really good brand of chocolate milk, but I've never had it. I thought it was no longer being produced, but if my research is any indication, that is not the case. It might be hard to find as I certainly haven't seen it on store shelves, though it never occurred to me to look. If it is still available, I will have to try that out as it has something of a reputation in the chocolate milk drinking community.

Really, with any of these, you can't go wrong. It's chocolate milk, kind of a difficult drink to screw up. I've always wanted to try a glass of ultimate chocolate milk, that is adding Ovaltine, Nesquik, and Hershey's chocolate to the same glass of milk. That could either turn out to be overkill or the greatest glass of chocolate milk ever made. I don't know. The idea intrigues me though. Until then, however, in my opinion as a chocolate milk connoisseur, I have to say that Hershey's is the best of the bunch.