If you've been drinking that mix-with-water swill, hold on to your hat! Ghirardelli has stepped into the Hot Chocolate Arena, and hot chocolate will never be the same.

The key to the Ghirardelli mix is milk. Instead of water, you mix it with hot milk. The result is a delightfully creamy concoction you don't get anywhere else. At first, I balked at having to use milk, but what's the big deal? Milk and water both have to be heated up, so why not go for the good stuff? I heat the milk in the microwave so as not to deal with the inevitable milk scum at the bottom of the pan.

And of course, the fact that you're using quality cocoa doesn't hurt, either. You can make milk cocoa with Hershey's or Nestles, but folks, it just ain't the same. Ghirardelli is perfectly blended for milk. The fine, powdery texture doesn't just dissolve—the milk soaks it up, producing a rich, creamy mixture that's less of a solution and more of a unique element. It will dissolve at a much lower temperature than the packet mixes, and it doesn't leave that circle of chocolate scum at the top of your cup. It's smooth and sweet, not chalky or bitter at all. And after a winter of Butternut cocoa mix at work, I can attest to the dry after-feel ordinary cocoa mixes provoke.

Now say you don't care much for hot chocolate. Not likely, but maybe you're a real ball-buster, the hard-edged type that wouldn't be caught dead messing with kid stuff like cocoa. Fine. Put a couple spoonfuls of Ghirardelli hot chocolate mix in your coffee, and you're in dreamland. And nobody has to know.

Want to bring it to work but have no where to put the milk? No problem. Make your own just-add-water mix with powdered milk. It won't give you the pure, chocolatey perfection of using real milk, but it's a hell of a lot better than those little paper packets of banality. A liberal 20-serving canister retails for about $4 (it's an amazing $2.99 at Central Market). It'll be the best four bucks you ever spent. I'm drinking some right now and it's absolutly luscious.