It's all about finding the right balance of sweetness and creaminess. The variations are endless, from milk, dark or white, to flavoured versions such as choc mint and even beetroot (see Ka-fey Cafe below).

At the Oliver Brown chocolate cafes at Charlestown Square and Stockland Green Hills, there are 30 different combinations of hot chocolate on the menu, with options to add flavours of blueberry, passionfruit, coconut, and even lychee.

And then there's the novelty hot chocolate.

Newcastle's Doughheads introduced the concept of its hot chocolate doughnuts to the store this month and, so far, the response has been huge.

"It has been really popular. I think on the first weekend we sold about 75 on the Saturday and the same on the Sunday," Doughheads owner Anna Farthing says.

"I had a few people send me photos of a similar concept and so we decided to give it a go. We put everything on our Instagram stories to get our community to vote on them and people loved the idea, so the next day we put them on.

"It's still not actually even on our menu anywhere, but people have seen it on our social media pages and they ask for it, so we do it."

Around 40ml of hot chocolate (or coffee if you prefer) is poured into one of their hollowed-out doughnuts, which is lined with Nutella to prevent it from turning soggy, and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Take a sip or use a spoon to drink the hot chocolate, then dig in to the oozy, gooey Nutella inside before devouring what's left.

Here's five places to try hot chocolate:

Shop 17, 200 Union Street, The Junction. The hot chocolate doughnut is not officially on the menu (yet), so make sure you ask for it specifically when you order. There isn't a whole lot of hot chocolate in the serving, so if you're after something more substantial, take a look at Doughheads's new hot chocolate range which has arrived in time for the cooler months.

There's the classic milk chocolate version, along with white chocolate, Nutella, or salted caramel flavours. Pair it with one of their doughnuts and you've got yourself a winning combination.

Doughheads' winter doughnut menu includes cookies and cream, salted caramel, Gaytime, and boysenberry pistachio.

148 Hunter Street, Newcastle. After launching oversized "mega" hot chocolates last winter, cafe owner Lucy Glover has taken an experimental approach this time around with the introduction of five new varieties of hot chocolate on the menu. There's a chilli hot chocolate, which has a subtle hit of spicy heat, a decadent caramel hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce and crunchy eclair pieces, a choc mint version, as well as a gingerbread-flavoured hot chocolate, served with a piece of house-made gingerbread.

If you're feeling adventurous, she has also concocted a beetroot hot chocolate, which is made with the addition of beetroot powder.

"We had a beetroot latte on the menu, so we have taken inspiration from that and added beetroot powder to the hot chocolate. We use milk chocolate, which I found is the best match. It's a bit of a healthier option - it adds a bit of vitamin C to your hot chocolate," Glover says.

All of the range is served with marshmallows "because you can't have hot chocolate without marshmallows", Glover says.

4/12 Alma Road, New Lambton. The little cafe is not only a dream for music-lovers (their custom-made wallpaper is made up of album covers and the tunes on the stereo are always great), but also worth a stop for a hot choccy. The cafe's newest hot chocolate creation pays homage to the Peppermint Crisp by combining peppermint syrup with dark chocolate to replicate the classic chocolate bar, finished with a sprinkle of Peppermint Crisp pieces for added crunch.

As well as the standard hot chocolate, the cafe also has a Nutella version on the menu which is made with a big dollop of the good stuff mixed in with the milk.

If you're a fan of the chocolate bar theme, head to Greg and Audrey's at Toronto to try their Golden Rough hot chocolate which is created by mixing chocolate pieces with hot milk poured over a whole Golden Rough chocolate and then stirred together to create a delicious coconutty hot chocolate.

25 King Street, Newcastle. The Spaniards are renowned for taking hot chocolate to the next level. Spanish hot chocolate is, by reputation, thick in consistency and rich. Perhaps too much for some, but if you consider yourself a chocoholic, then this style of hot chocolate is for you. This eatery serves hot chocolate the traditional Spanish way, using high quality chocolate for the base which is melted into milk to create a beautiful silky texture. It can be ordered on its own, but is indulgent enough to earn a spot on the dessert menu too, served with a side of cinnamon sugar-dusted churros and a pot of dulche de leche caramel for dipping.

43 Denison Street, Carrington. The warehouse cafe over the bridge in Carrington is home to arguably Newcastle's best hot chocolate. Thick and rich, made from melted Belgian chocolate and served in a big cup, it's sweet, smooth and utterly delicious. You'll find it on the menu listed as Bears hot chocolate, named after the dog-friendly cafe's resident three-legged pooch, Bear. For those on the matcha (green tea powder) bandwagon, the Japanese-inspired cafe also has a white chocolate matcha latte, which is served in a special matcha cup, topped with white chocolate shavings and a sprinkling of matcha powder.