The Courier-Journal

"The divine drink ("zocolatl"), which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food."

Montezuma

The divine chocolate that Montezuma talked about was made with cocoa beans, corn and peppers and allowed to ferment. So although ancient civilizations might have loved cocoa, they probably weren't drinking what we are.

Today, we enjoy a less potent concoction that usually contains nonfat cocoa powder and a sweetener. And we begin enjoying it most when the sunlight slants early and the evenings are downright chilly.

In a search for the best cocoa mixes that took us to many specialty stores, we were surprised by our discoveries. Really good cocoa is available, perhaps not where you would expect it.

A number of taste tests have concluded that of all the common supermarket brands - Nestle, Hershey, etc. - Swiss Miss is the best (when made with milk). We bought some Swiss Miss (rich and creamy) just to see how it compares with some more expensive, premium brands.

Swiss Miss is the definition of ultrasweet (sugar and corn syrup are its first two ingredients), and while it does have lots of body, a kind of creaminess, there's nothing really chocolaty about it. That's not surprising, since chocolate, even cocoa, is an expensive ingredient, and Swiss Miss sells for $1.59.

The surprise came when we started doing the math. Ghirardelli, a brand more often available in supermarkets and nearly always available in specialty stores, sells for about the same price per serving (19 cents) as Swiss Miss.

Yet Ghirardelli is really good hot chocolate mix, and certainly the "best buy" among the specialty mixes we tasted. It's not too sweet and has great body, deep rich color and clear chocolate flavor.

Godiva, however, makes the best hot chocolate. No surprises there. It costs $10, or 71 cents per serving.

Godiva's hot chocolate is not overly sweetened, which further focuses our attention on enjoying the chocolate. Its dark color bodes a rich flavor, and it has substantial body that allows lingering pleasure.