Archer Farms Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix

If you've never tried Mexican hot chocolate, please go do so immediately. It's worth checking out. One brand to look for would be Abuelita, available pretty universally in the US nowadays. I think it's even available at Target stores.

I mean, this offering is pretty close flavor-wise, but it's less spicy and more sweet. That combo might appeal to many of you, but I'm partial to the original—although this stuff is nothing to complain about.

This is one of the few hot chocolates that actually tell you to "add milk." I mean, we always use milk or almond milk anyway, but the instructions generally say "just add water" as if milk is too fattening or expensive or scarce that most people simply don't have any on hand. I appreciate the honesty here. What kind of person adds water to his hot chocolate?

But milk is perfect here. It yields a creamy, flavorful mix, with a detectable amount of cinnamon. It's not overly or unpleasantly sweet, but I'd say it's nearer the sweet end of the hot chocolate spectrum. It's definitely not a "dark chocolate" type flavor here, and that's just fine with me.

The wifey grew up on Mexican hot chocolate, and she'll still take Abuelita over Archer Farms brand in most cases, but she thoroughly enjoyed this product as well. It's a great Valentine's treat—or perfect for keeping warm on a cold winter day. We both just wish it had a bit more kick from cinnamon and spice.

$3.99 for eight packets. Fifty cents a cup, plus the cost of milk isn't too bad at all.

I think this product is worthy of 9 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms S'mores Granola

Ah, s'mores. Nothing brings to mind camping, ghost stories, the smell of wood smoke, and fond memories of boyhood like s'mores. And now it's a cereal at your local Target.

Dessert for breakfast. I love it. Carbs to keep you going throughout the day, spiked with sugar to jump-start your heart and get your sleepy head in the game.

If you're hoping for a breakfast that tastes exactly like a real s'more, you might be slightly disappointed here. There's not a lot of that graham crackery flavor in this breakfast cereal. It's more like granola with some cocoa-flavored pieces and mini marshmallows—the kind that you find in certain packets of instant hot cocoa. It's sweet, it's crunchy, and there's enough sugar and chocolate left in your milk at the end of the bowl to make it super-chuggable.

My wife loved this even more than I did. She thought there'd be too much chocolate flavor (is that even possible?) but was pleasantly surprised at how "well-balanced" the flavor was.

I just wish there were actual bits of graham cracker in the mix. The granola is fine and provides a good base for the cereal, but in my humble opinion, it's not grahammy enough to be authentically s'morey. Still a very tasty product.

I give this granola 8 out of 10 stars.