I tested the £35 alternative to Hotel Chocolat’s £150 velvetiser – here’s how it compares

Salter’s hot chocolate maker is fairly compact, so it shouldn’t take up too much space if your kitchen counters are already packed with appliances. Unlike the velvetiser there isn’t a choice of colours, and the matte black exterior isn’t particularly eye-catching. The chrome border around the handle is a nice, minimal design touch, though.

There aren’t any visual diagrams in the instruction manual, so it’s not the easiest to see at a glance how to operate the machine. That being said, once you’ve spent a few minutes with the manual and used it a few times, you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Simply press the function once for thick hot froth (for cappuccinos), twice for light hot froth (lattes), three times for hot milk or hot chocolate, and four times for cold froth. The maximum and minimum fill lines are marked very clearly, so there’s no risk of milk overflowing while the machine’s in use.

Once you add chocolate flakes to your milk and turn on the hot chocolate mode, you’ll have to wait around five-and-a-half minutes for your drink to be ready. This isn’t as speedy as the velvetiser, which takes around two-and-a-half minutes, so a bit more patience is needed.

Hot chocolate made in the chocolatier is neither piping hot nor lukewarm; instead, it’s the perfect, drinkable temperature as soon as it’s ready. The texture was very smooth, and all the chocolate flakes blended well with the milk. But it lacked the froth that you typically get in a barista-made hot chocolate. This is where the velvetiser really stood out, but more on that below.

Cleaning the machine was straightforward – as with most milk frothers, the whisk is removable and can be washed separately. The smooth interior didn’t have any awkward crevices, so it was easy to clean with warm water and washing-up liquid.

Unlike the velvetiser, which comes with two cups and ten sachets of hot and cold drinking chocolate, you just get the machine when you buy the Salter appliance. Given the cheaper price point, however, I wasn’t disappointed by this. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this machine does more than just make hot chocolate – it froths milk to different consistencies, so if you’re a coffee drinker too, you’ll get more use out of the chocolatier than the velvetiser.

Hotel Chocolat’s velvetiser really looks the part with a modern choice of colours (I went for pebble), chrome accents and a solid ash handle. It feels weighty, well-made and thoughtful features like the magnetic whisk to ensure that it lives up to its premium price point. It’s not as compact as Salter’s £35 appliance, so you might need a bit more countertop space if you plan to leave it out.

The instructions are very clear, with helpful diagrams to refer to. As it’s a machine purely for making hot chocolate, there isn’t a lot to get to grips with. You simply add your sachet of chocolate flakes to 220ml of milk, pop the lid on, turn the dial to hot or cold and press go. The maximum fill line isn’t as clear as it is on the chocolatier, but it didn’t take too long to spot.

I was really impressed by its speed – after two-and-a-half minutes, my hot chocolate was ready, just the right temperature and perfectly foamy. It tasted like the kind of hot chocolate you’d buy in a café. Hotel Chocolat says the unique design of the velvetiser, such as the ridges inside the machine and custom-designed whisk, creates a vortex effect that produces a smooth, foamy hot chocolate, and after trying it for myself, I can certainly attest to this.

Owing to the ridges on the velvetiser, it is a little harder to clean than Salter’s chocolatier.

There’s no denying it's pricey, but the quality of hot chocolate made in the velvetiser is hard to match. While you’re limited in its use – it won’t froth milk for your cappuccinos, for example – if you’re a real hot chocolate fiend, I’ve no doubt you’ll keep going back to it.

Read more: How do cold drinks taste in the Hotel Chocolat velvetiser?