I Tried Swiss Miss White Chocolate Hot Chocolate So You Don't Have To

There are few things that trigger holiday nostalgia for me quite like a steaming mug of Swiss Miss hot chocolate with little mini marshmallows floating at the frothy top. Typically, I try and wait until after Thanksgiving to treat myself to the sentimental sipper. But last week, feeling a little homesick, I grabbed a box of Swiss Miss from a standalone display, its powder blue box so familiar that I didn't even stop to read the label. This was my mistake.

Wednesday morning, eager to settle into my day with a piping cup of milky hot chocolate, I pulled the box from the pantry to discover I'd accidentally purchased Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection White Chocolate instead of the classic stuff with mini marshmallows. So, like any good journalist would do, I tried it. (BUY IT: $9.49; amazon.com)

Now, in the name of ethical journalism, I will reveal two points of bias: First, I'm not a huge white chocolate fan on principle—it's isn't actually chocolate. (This is fact, not an opinion: White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, but not cocoa solids, which are what give milk and dark chocolate flavor.) Second, I read Amazon reviews before stirring together a mug of the stuff. The first page of reviews wasn't particularly flattering, ranging from honest, but polite ("not as good as hoped"), to downright brutal ("absolutely disgusting").

After drinking a mug of it, holding every other sip on my tongue to develop my opinions, I land firmly in the camp of "not as good as hoped." The white chocolate flavor doesn't come through particularly strong; to me, it tasted more like 'hint of whipped cream.' Using hot milk instead of water perhaps would have helped round out the buttery flavor profile and would have also made it creamier. (Note to self: Read the fine print. The box instructs you to use hot water, but a line of smaller type advises that milk makes for a richer taste.)

That said, I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum, and there were other Amazon reviewers who raved about it, saying it "reminds [them] of the white hot chocolate from Starbucks" and that it was the "best stuff!"

As for me, it just isn't the holidays without that blue box of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows. Next time I go to buy it, though, I'll read the label first.

WATCH: Swiss Miss Launches a Sweater with a Hot Cocoa Pocket