Dropping temperatures have us basking in the warmth of the fireplace and the sudden urge to eat candy canes. Another fun winter treat we tend to enjoy is hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows since it, beyond doubt, brings a sense of nostalgia after a single sip. It brings joy to pour and stir the creamy milk into the chocolate powder but what is the secret behind this whimsical process? Thanks to science, particularly chemistry, many daily procedures are made possible. Hot chocolate powders are usually alkalized meaning that the cocoa beans were made less acidic so it tastes sweeter and the chocolate becomes a rich brown color. When watching the chocolate powder and milk fuse you are witnessing a physical change, when the powder is mixing in milk the solid particles distribute into the liquid creating a solution. The chemical composition of the chocolate powder and milk does not change which makes this a physical change, not a chemical one. Some prefer to use hot water to make their hot chocolate and this provides the energy needed for the molecules to move faster and for the chocolate powder to dissolve quicker. The next time you make a hot chocolate you will know about the chemistry that occurs during the making of it.