Swiss Miss Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa Mix, 8 Count, 2 Pack

Swiss Miss releases this as a limited edition and brings it back each autumn, so it turns up on shelves with the season and vanishes again by winter. The cocoa base is the same one the brand has always made; what changes is the pumpkin spice, which sits over the chocolate rather than covering it, so the cup still tastes like cocoa first.

Preparation takes a minute. Tip a packet into a mug, add eight ounces of hot water and stir. Milk in place of water gives a thicker cup and softens the spice, and that is how most people settle on making it. A splash of coffee turns it into a passable mocha if you want the spice in a morning drink.

Two boxes of eight packets works out to sixteen single serve portions, enough to keep some at home and leave a few in a desk drawer for the office. It is an easy pick for households with children who want in on the pumpkin spice season.