Green & Black's: Maya Gold

Today I tried the Maya Gold bar from Green & Black's. This bar is organic dark chocolate with orange and spices (not listed on the bar). The chocolate is smooth and the flavor lingers on the tongue (very satisfying). There is a definite orange flavor to the bar, but it's not overpowering. The spice component of the bar is stronger. Since the ingredients don't list the actual spices included, I can only guess at what they are. It tastes like nutmeg and cinnamon with some heat to it.

I like the combination of orange and spice in this bar. I think the flavors (along with the dark chocolate) are balanced very nicely. Overall I enjoyed this bar immensely, and would not hesitate to try it again when I get a craving for chocolate.

I purchased this mini chocolate bar at Whole Foods, $1.69/1.2 oz.

Zingerman's: Zzang! Candy bars

Zingerman's Candy Manufactory is out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. They make four different candy bars: Original, What the fudge?, Wowza, and Ca$hew Cow. I had previously seen these candy bars online, however I am hesitant to order chocolate online during the summer months so I had (until recently) yet to try them. Then I discovered my local Whole Foods was carrying them. I spent several minutes looking them over (and discussing which ones to buy with my friend), when an employee came over and asked us if we wanted to try some. (Do I ever?!?!)

He sliced up an Original, What the fudge?, and Ca$hew Cow for us to try. The Original involves caramel, nougat, and peanuts and tasted like a less-sweet Snickers bar. (pass.) What the fudge? has layers of fudge, caramel, and malted milk fondant. I was most excited about trying this bar, and the most disappointed after eating it. It tasted like very sweet chocolate and vanilla fudge covered in chocolate. No taste of malt to speak of. It actually reminded me somewhat of a GooGoo Cluster, but without the nuts. (sigh.)

Then, there was the Ca$hew Cow. I liked this one so much I bought a bar to take home with me. This bar has cashew butter gianduja, cashew brittle, and roasted cashews, all covered in chocolate. Now I love cashews, and nut butters of all kinds...so this bar was a clear winner for someone like me. Underneath the coating of dark chocolate was a mash of cashew butter, toasted cashews, and shards of crunchy brittle. It's sweet and salty and soft and crunchy. Delicious.

Since I didn't get to sample the Wowza bar I bought one to take home. This bar has a layer of raspberry-chocolate ganache, raspberry preserves, and raspberry nougat, and a coating of dark chocolate. This bar was very sweet, on account of the raspberry. In fact, there was a slight granular texture which I traced back to the raspberry preserves. I'm not sure why they would have grainy sugar in them (it certainly wasn't from seeds since there weren't any), but I didn't like it. The raspberry flavor is very nice and quite strong. The ganache is thick and fudgey. I couldn't find any nougat in the bar, but rather a generous layer of soft marshmallow fluff. This was my favorite part of the bar. The marshmallow was light, fluffy, and moist and not too sweet either. I actually think if they had written "marshmallow creme" on the box instead of "nougat" I'd have been more likely to buy it. However, they say nougat and I'm just not buying their story as is. I don't think I'll be having this one again.

In all I'd say these bars were a bust. However, the Ca$hew Cow definitely stands out for a nut lover like me, and I would certainly try this one again. I found these bars at my local Whole Foods, $3.99/2.6 and 3 oz bars.

Butlers: Mixed Berry White Chocolate Bar

Butlers Chocolates ("Purveyors of Happiness") is a company out of Dublin, Ireland that produces chocolate truffles, bars, and toffee. I have previously tried their truffle bars and enjoyed them thoroughly. So, I thought I'd give one of their chocolate bars a try.

I decided to try their Mixed Berry White Chocolate bar. The bar is solid milk chocolate, filled with mixed berry pieces (strawberry, raspberry, lingonberry, blueberry, and blackberry) and freeze dried raspberry pieces. The bar has a very strong fruity aroma. The smell reminds me very much of a sugary cereal like Fruity Pebbles, and the taste of the bar is not far from this. The bar is very crunchy. The mixed berry pieces are the texture of small bits of lollipop, and they stuck to my back molars even after the chocolate bite was gone. The freeze dried raspberries are tart, and have the texture you would expect from freeze dried fruit.

Overall, I was not a big fan of this bar. I think it would have been much better with only one or two fruits in it, so it would taste more like berry and less like a generic fruit flavor. I also wasn't a big fan of either of the berry bits. I think they should have used dried fruit, rather than freeze dried or (what appears to be) candy-coated fruit. For now I'll stick to the truffle bars.

I found this at the World Market store, $3.99/3.52oz bar.

Owyhee Idaho Candy Co.: Idaho Spud

The Idaho Candy Company is out of Boise, Idaho. They produce a handfull of candies, including what will be reviewed here: The Idaho Spud. According to the wrapper, this is "The candy bar that makes Idaho famous." Well, I'm pretty sure if anything makes Idaho famous it's REAL potatoes. And if it isn't potatoes, it sure as hell isn't this candy bar.

The Idaho Spud is made up of a cocoa flavored marshmallow covered in chocolate then sprinkled with dried coconut. I'm not sure if they were hoping the candy bar would look like a real potato,

but to me it looked sort of like a coconut coated turd.

Now, if you haven't picked up on my distaste for this candy bar yet, I will describe to you how it tastes. The "marshmallow" center is gray and spongy. It tastes maybe a little like cocoa, but also a little like chemicals, too. The taste and texture of the "marshmallow" by itself are horrifying. The chocolate coating is waxy and crumbly, but does taste like chocolate. The coconut is typical dried coconut flakes.

Altogether the bar reminds me of a Hostess Sno-Ball cupcake, but without the cake part and not delicious. I ate about half of the Idaho Spud before I gave in and threw the rest away. I'm not even going to tell you where I bought this or how much it cost, because I wouldn't recommend you try it either.

Moritz: Ice Cubes

Moritz is a German company that produces chocolate Ice Cubes. I did an online search to see if I could find out anything else about them, but found nothing so...I'm not sure if this is all they make or not.

Either way, Ice Cubes are individually wrapped chocolate pieces, shaped like ice cubes. Growing up I always used to get Ice Cubes when we went up to NJ to visit family. They were wrapped in blue and white wrappers with a horse shoe on it (my favorite part). Now it seems they have changed the wrappers to gold and red (which seems to be less "icy" than blue and white), but they've kept the horse shoe (phew!).

I picked these Ice Cubes up at a gas station in Georgia and then threw them in my purse---but they weren't exactly square when I bought them either...so I don't think my picture is too far off what they would normally look like. They're always piled together in a plastic tub or bin, so there's always many a smushed Ice Cube at the register to buy.

The chocolate is exactly how I remember it from those trips up north. Smooth, with a consistency that is almost spreadable. The flavor is just like chocolate frosting. This is not quality chocolate, and is quite sweet...but for those of us who love frosting this isn't a bad thing.

I found these at a Quik Trip gas station (if that's any indication of the quality), $0.25 each.

(There is no indication on the wrapper of how many ounces makes up one piece).

Tunnock's: Chocolate Caramel Wafer

Tunnock's is a company out of Scotland. My first experience with a Tunnock's product came when I visited London. At the grocery store I found a package of Tunnock's teacakes. They looked like a British version of Mallomars, so I bought them. The ended up being WAY better than Mallomars. Instead of spongy marshmallow, the teacakes had soft, sweet, whipped filling! Yes, please!

Well, it has been years since I've had anything else by Tunnock's. So, I was surprised when one of my friends showed up at my house with a Tunnock's Chocolate Caramel Wafer!

The wrapper states: "More than 4,000,000 of these biscuits made and sold every week." So, I figure it's got to be as good as the teacakes, right?

The caramel wafer is made up of five layers of wafer, four layers of caramel, and a coating of milk chocolate. The chocolate coating is quite sweet. Inside, the wafer is only somewhat crisp (sort of like sugar wafers in texture). Together, the wafer and caramel make the bar mostly chewy. The caramel flavor is light and sweet, not buttery at all.

The bar is not high-quality tasting, but good enough for a quick treat, and pretty good for a candy bar. Overall I like this, and I would buy it again. I don't think it's nearly as good as the teacakes, but I'll take what I can get!

Since this was a gift I'm not sure how much it cost, but my friend told me she bought a pack of the wafer bars at World Market. Each bar is 1.05oz.

Storck: Merci

My mother recently sent me this box of chocolates by Storck. Storck is a German company that produces numerous candy brands, including Mamba, Riesen, Werther's, and Toffifay. I have previously tried and enjoyed candies from their other brands, but this was the first time I've encountered Merci. Merci is a thin box which contains seven different flavors of chocolates. The chocolates come individually wrapped, and they are shaped into thin little bars with a dip in the middle to easily break them in half.

The flavors include: milk chocolate, coffee and cream, hazelnut-almond, hazelnut-creme, dark cream, dark mousse, and praline-creme. The milk chocolate and dark cream are solid bars. The coffee and cream bar is a solid bar, but with two layers (coffee dark chocolate and white chocolate). The hazelnut-almond bar is filled with bits of nuts. The remaining three bars (hazelnut-creme, dark mousse, and praline-creme) contain a smooth, light filling.
Overall, the chocolate is very sweet although not terrible. I really liked the three bars filled with creme and mousse. Had the entire box contained filled bars I would definitely want another box of these chocolates. The other bars weren't anything great.

I really like the packaging, as I am a sucker for samplers! I think since the box includes so many different varieties, it would make for an excellent hostess gift or a snack to put out at a party (where there would be something for everyone).

Since it was a gift, I'm not sure where it came from or how much it cost. However, considering the other brands made by Storck, I'd imagine you could find this Merci box at the grocery store or CVS. One box is 8.8oz.

Dobla: Cordial & Toasting Cups

So my mom recently sent me a package, and inside she tucked two boxes of these chocolate cups. Each box has 12 little chocolate cups! They are made by Dobla, a company that specializes in chocolate cups and decorations, produced in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the US. The cups are essentially chocolate shot glasses, and look sort of like over-sized thimbles.
Inside the box the cups are protected in plastic, and amazingly they were all intact. (I was expecting some of them to be broken from their journey to the store, to my mom's house, across two states through the mail to my house...)
Each cup is dark chocolate, and the chocolate has a nice snap to it. The chocolate is pretty good by itself, although not really good enough to want to eat all of the cups without a filling. So, I decided to invite my friends over and fill them up! First, I filled 12 of them with cannoli filling. These were quickly devoured. I think if I were having a party it would be fun to have these cups and fill them with all different dessert fillings, maybe mousse, diced strawberries, whipped cream, etc.

Then, we filled the other 12 with Bailey's and sipped and/or ate the entire thing whole. It was much more satisfying to drink the liqueur first, then eat the cup (rather than try to eat the liquid and chocolate at the same time). This was really fun! Next time I'd like to try some chocolate liqueurs, or maybe small amounts of milkshake...

Overall I really enjoyed these cups! They were a lot of fun to play around with with my friends, and pretty tasty, too! Since these were a gift, I'm not sure where they can be found or how much they cost. But, I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for them...or will be putting in a request for more from my mother!

Green & Black's: Peanut

Green & Black's is a chocolate company out of the UK, which produces organic and fair trade chocolate bars, baking products, and ice cream. I've been a fan of their products in the past (caramel bar, white chocolate with strawberries ice cream...), so I was excited to try another one of their chocolate bars this weekend.

This review is of their new Peanut bar! The bar is milk chocolate (37%) with caramelized peanuts and sea salt. The bar is scored into a million little rectangles, however I ended up eating half of the bar in one sitting. It's GOOD. The chocolate is powerful for a milk chocolate, and not too sweet. And the bar is full of peanuts and peanut bits...there as so many it seems as though the chocolate is just there to hold them together. The nuts are roasted and crisp, and they are coated in a crunchy caramel toffee. (Sort of like they have a thin coating of peanut brittle). There's also a significant salt taste to it, and it brings together the chocolate and caramelized peanuts in a really special way.

I totally love this bar. It is involves high quality chocolate, nuts, and caramel (my favorite things), and it really delivers on flavor. I will definitely buy this again. (I'm thinking it would make a great addition to s'mores...)

I bought this bar at Whole Foods, $3.39/ 3.5oz bar.

Lindt: Grandeur Hazelnuts

This is a review of the hazelnut Grandeur chocolate bar by Lindt. The bar is milk chocolate with "34% hazelnuts." The hazelnuts include small, whole hazelnuts and then little pieces of caramelized hazelnuts. The bar is scored into large squares, so it makes for big portions!

The chocolate itself is creamy and somewhat soft, like most of the chocolate products made by Lindt. I liked the sound of the addition of caramelized hazelnuts, however the pieces of caramelized nuts are quite small and the only difference I can tell between these and the regular hazelnuts are that these themselves are extra crispy (not due to a crunchy coating, the nuts seem as though they were toasted longer). They add a little bit more crunch to the bar, but not much by way of flavor. The whole hazelnuts are what you would expect from hazelnuts in chocolate (very tasty). Both of the nuts are quite diffuse throughout the bar, giving a strong taste of hazelnut with every bite.

I really like the combination of hazelnut and chocolate, and for that this bar isn't bad overall. But, I wish the caramelized hazelnuts had more of a presence. When it comes down to it this bar just tastes like hazelnuts in chocolate, and in that case I prefer the Ritter Sport milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts bar better.

This bar was given to me as a gift, but I'm sure it could be found at a grocery store for $3-4 per 5.3oz bar.

Santander: Semi-Dark Chocolate

I recently received a sample of Santander's chocolate with an order of goodies I purchased online. This is a single origin bar with cacao from Colombia. It is 53% cacao and labeled "semi-dark." Since I only had a sample bar (0.21 oz) to work with my review here will be brief. The chocolate has a nice aroma to it, and a good sheen on the outside. It has a fruity taste, and is at the same time bitter and too sweet. It reminds me of eating semi-sweet chocolate chips from the grocery store (which is not a good thing).

Overall, I was not a fan of this bar. The "semi-dark" aspect of it may be appealing to those who don't like the intensity of dark chocolate, but want something more than milk chocolate. Also, it would probably be an interesting choice for someone who is into sampling origin bars, and likes to compare the differences between chocolate from different regions. However, if I'm looking for a plain chocolate bar...this is not what I would go for.

Xocolatl de David: Raleigh Bar

This is my second review of a Xocolatl de David (Portland, OR) product. Today I am sampling the Raleigh Bar. The Raleigh Bar contains pecan, nougat, and caramel (and bears the name of my hometown and the image of Sir Walter himself!).

I have to say, this is what all candy bars should be like. SO. DELICIOUS. The bar is coated in a thin layer of high quality dark chocolate. Inside, half the bar is made up of caramel, and the other half is nougat with little crumbles of pecan. The caramel is buttery, salty, and rich...some of the best caramel I've tasted. The pecans I can taste only a little, they add mostly texture. (I'm not sure it would make a huge difference if they were left out.) The nougat eaten by itself has a deep, delicious honey flavor--however, its flavor is somewhat masked by the power of the caramel. I think together the flavors and textures are divine, but also both the caramel and the nougat could each be a stand alone candy. (Hint to David...nougat bar, please!)

I can't get over how much I liked this bar. It was so freaking tasty! I tried to savor it and eat it slowly...but it's pretty small (0.9 oz), so it was quickly devoured. I feel good just thinking about it...

So, in conclusion it was a huge mistake to only order ONE of these. If you plan on trying one, at LEAST order two! Xocolatl de David also sells a Raleigh Bar with bacon in it, so for those of you into meat and chocolate you can try it that way, too.

The Raleigh Bar is $3/0.9oz bar straight from Xocolatl de David.

P.S. I'd also like to add that I found an invitation for "lab techs" on the company website. Apparently if you live in the Portland area you can sample the latest creations by David in exchange for your feedback! So, not only do I clearly work in the wrong lab, I also live in the wrong city...sigh.

Real Eggshell filled with hazelnut chocolate truffle

I remember one of my favorite Easter treats growing up were praline filled eggs. Real eggshells filled with chocolate and hazelnut. My mom used to find them at Williams-Sonoma or A Southern Season (Chapel Hill, NC). They came in a half-dozen egg carton, and the eggshells were dyed in pastel colors. It's been at least five years since I've come across these eggs, and this spring I decided to see if I could find them again. I searched online for days, finding them mostly on international sites (that would cost an arm and a leg to ship from). Then---I found them. Well, not exactly them, but what appeared to be close enough. I was strolling through the Fresh Market grocery store when something caught my eye. (Literally. Take a look at the above photo and tell me that sucker doesn't shine right in your eye!) So I look over and realize I have finally found a real eggshell filled with hazelnut chocolate! Sure, this single egg comes in its own package. And yes, the coloring is absolutely hideous (and I think I picked the best one)...but I was pretty darn excited to give this egg a try.

So the box tells me that the egg is made in Germany by Gut Springenheide. Inside is a real eggshell, spray painted a metallic blue (it had the potential to be beautiful) with blood red and dark blue stripes (sigh). At the base of the egg is a scalloped sticker (sprayed over by the coloring) which covers up the tiny hole they used to remove the real egg. (Now that I'm thinking about it...I wonder where all the real eggs went?) Inside, the egg is filled with chocolate and there is a small air pocket at the top of the egg (within the top 1/3 of the egg). To get the chocolate out, I tapped the egg on the counter and then peeled off the shards of shell.
The chocolate is smooth and soft. It's not too sweet for a milk chocolate truffle, and has a tasty, nutty hazelnut flavor. To me, it tastes exactly like a gianduiotto (one of those Italian gianduja candies that looks like an elongated pyramid or wedge wrapped in gold foil), which is totally delicious! And guess what? It tastes exactly like the eggs I remember from Easters past!

In all, I absolutely loved this egg. I ate the entire thing in one sitting, and I've already made plans to go back to the store and buy more of them. (I have to stock up!)

I found this egg at The Fresh Market, $4.99 for a 1.75 oz egg.

Alaus Mathez: Truffles with Salty Toffee Chips

My mom recently sent me a package, and tucked inside was a box of Alaus Mathez truffles (from France). The oddly-shaped box is mostly in French, with some English translations. It actually reminds me of something I would expect from a Japanese candy box...the front of the box calls them "Fancy Truffles Toffy Salty Chips" and the side says "Toffee Salty cocoa dusted fancy truffles." The other side lets us know these are "suitables for vegetarians" and that we can find the best before date at "the back oh the ballotin."

Now that I've made fun of their package translator, I'll get on with the review. The truffles are markedly darker in color than the ones pictured on the box. They look like they're dusted in a very dark cocoa powder, and the inside truffle is the same color. The consistency is dense and smooth, like a very thick fudge. There are tiny toffee pieces all throughout

the truffles, plenty in each bite. The chocolate itself has a deep caramel flavor to it, which I found rather pleasing. The crunchy toffee bits taste like salty toffee (go figure).

Overall I liked these truffles. They're quite rich, so I only ate a few of them in one sitting (but I'll be back...). According to the back of the box Alaus Mathez produces truffles in several other flavors...I'm most interested in the "crambled chococolate chips cookies," "cocoa beans," and "nature/plain" truffles.

My mom found these at TJ Maxx for $2/ 8.8oz box (although the price tag suggests regular price would be $10). At that price I'd definitely buy them again, and probably throw them into a gift basket for a friend, too. I'm not sure where else you could find these (even TJ Maxx won't be a sure thing, since they change their inventory weekly), a brief internet search was fruitless.

Choco-Lina: Classic BIO Goat Milk Chocolate

This is my second review of a Choco-Lina product. This time I tried their Choco-Lisa Goat Milk Chocolate bar. According to Choco-Lina, this bar is "biologically cultivated and controlled." (As far as I can tell this means the bar is organic by American standards). It definitely includes organic goat's milk and doesn't contain any GMOs---I can't complain about that!

The bar is similar to the sheep's milk chocolate, with ingredients listed as: raw cange sugar, cocoa butter, whole goat milk, cocoa mass, and bourbon vanilla. All the ingredients here are also noted as organic. Rather than the squares being imprinted with little goats (as I was expecting), this bar is stamped with "Cocoa" and diagonal lines. This chocolate has a similar flavor to the sheep's milk chocolate...it is sweet and has a nice vanilla flavor. It also has a hint of goat taste to it (it reminds me of a mild goat's milk ice cream), but the goat's milk flavor is much more subtle than the off taste of the sheep's milk chocolate. I would rather eat this one plain, that use it in a dessert (as I suggested for the

more interesting tasting sheep).

Overall I liked this bar better than the sheep's milk chocolate. The chocolate it high quality and quite tasty. I would really love to see this company produce more chocolate bars with goat's milk. As of yet this bar is their only bar containing goat's milk, while they have fourteen bars with sheep's milk.

This bar was given to me as a gift, but it can be purchased at The Meadow, $8.50/3.17oz bar.

Choco-Lina: Classic Whole Milk Chocolate

Choco-Lina is a company out of Austria that produces chocolate bars primarily made out of sheep's milk (and one from goat's milk). Their chocolate bars come in a variety of flavors, from milk and white chocolate, to bars flavored with aloe vera, hempseed, and grapes and poppy. I was given their classic bar (whole milk chocolate), which is lactose-free.

The ingredients are raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole sheep milk, cocoa mass, and bourbon vanilla. The bar has a nice aroma to it, and each of the squares is stamped with a delightful looking sheep. The chocolate is sweet, with a definite vanilla flavor. It tastes eerily similar to a bar of Ghirardelli milk chocolate, but with a slightly off aftertaste (I've never tried sheep's milk, the closest I've come is Pecorino Romano and it definitely doesn't taste like that...so I have to say this chocolate tastes a little like goat's milk to me).

In all, the chocolate is pretty good. It is a bit pricey, and I'm not sure I would be willing to spend almost $9 on it myself...but I did enjoy it as a gift. Also, I really like that it has only a few ingredients which are very high quality. I think for someone who can't digest cow's milk, this bar would be a great alternative to regular milk chocolate. I think it would also make a really nice addition to an ice cream or mousse...the different taste that the sheep's milk brings in would really make for some interesting desserts.

This bar was a gift, but it can be purchased online $8.50/ 3.17oz bar at the Meadow.

Sahagun Handmade Chocolates: Dark Chocolate Bark with Exploded Corn

Sahagun Handmade Chocolates is out of Portland, OR. This company offers up several interesting treats, including exploding caramels and a KA-POW coffee bar (looks like chocolate, but it's made out of coffee...not quite sure how that works, but I'd like to find out).

I had the privelege of trying their dark chocolate bark with exploded corn. This bark is made with 71% bittersweet chocolate, exploded corn, ground chiles, and sea salt. The combination is quite divine! The chocolate is shiny and rich, but it really takes a back seat to the other players in the bark. The corn is crispy and crunchy, with a sweet and nutty taste. It reminds me of the texture of soynuts, but with the flavor of those half-popped corn kernels at the bottom of my popcorn bowl. I also got a hint of heat from the chiles and the perfect amount of salt.

I originally planned on sampling this one, then saving the rest for later. But before I realized it, I had eaten the entire thing---and then I was very sad. Next time I will be buying a bigger chunk of bark, and perhaps trying out that coffee bar. This is perhaps one of my new favorite snacks...I only wish I could buy it somewhere closer, so I won't be paying overnight shipping to feed my summertime cravings.

I found this bark at The Meadow, $5 for 1.2oz bag.

Komforte Chockolates: French Toast

This is the third and final bar from Komforte Chockolates, French Toast. The bar is milk chocolate with bagel chips ("french toast"), molasses, and sea salt (among other ingredients). The bagel chips were crisp (with a size and texture like crisped rice) and fairly sparse. The sea salt has a definite presence in the chocolate bar, as does a syrupy taste. Not like maple syrup, but like Mrs. Butterworth's. There is also a subtle hint of cinnamon.

I wasn't crazy about this one. I love french toast, so I liked the idea of a french toast chocolate bar...but this one doesn't deliver on the flavor of custardy bread and maple syrup. However, it wasn't bad. It's worth a try if you're into sampling chocolate that is different fromthe norm, but don't expect it to taste like your Sunday breakfast.

Purchased at The Meadow, $2.95 for a 2.5oz bar.

Komforte Chockolates: Tortilla Lime + Salt

The Tortilla Lime + Salt bar is the second bar I've reviewed from Komforte Chockolates. This bar is milk chocolate, with

crumbles of corn tortilla chips, lime zest flavor, and lime salt. The tortilla chips are not quite as profuse as in the ramen bar, but there are enough to get a least a little bit in each bite. There is a definite taste of lime, and some bites are saltier than others.

Overall I really enjoyed this bar. The mix of chocolate, crunchy chips, zesty lime, and salt (a little something for everyone) is quite pleasing--and very different! Since I already ate half of it in one sitting, I'll probably be investing in another one quite soon.

Tortilla Lime + Salt bar can be found at The Meadow, $2.95 for a 2.5oz bar.

Komforte Chockolates: Ramen Noodle

Komforte Chockolates (Orange, CA), produces three chocolate bars: Ramen Noodle, Tortilla Lime + Salt, and French Toast. In an effort to not eat all three bars in one sitting, I'm going to break these bars into three separate reviews. First, I sampled the Ramen Noodle bar. This is a dark chocolate bar full of uncooked (plain) ramen noodles.

I found the dark chocolate to be pretty good (or good enough for a $3 chocolate bar). There is a satisfying amount of ramen noodles in the bar, and I found the texture to be quite appealing. I think this bar would make for a good snack, or a nice gift for a friend who's into novelty candy. I'm not sure if I liked it enough to want to buy another.

That being said, I noticed the ingredients lists "preserved by tbhq" (and BEFORE the "contains less than 1% of" ingredients)! TBHQ is a compound used to preserve vegetable oils and animal fats, and I have never seen it listed as an ingredient in chocolate I've purchased before. What puzzles me even more is that TBHQ is not listed in the ingredients for the other two bars (both milk chocolate) made by Komforte. So, I wonder what is it about their dark chocolate that requires the addition of tbhq? In addition, on the front wrapper of the Tortilla and French Toast bars it says "made in small batches of artisan quality and natural ingredients." I couldn't help but notice that the wrapper for the Ramen bar ends with "artisan quality," leaving out the natural ingredients part...hmm...

In all, I thought this one was okay. You can find this bar at The Meadow, $2.95 for a 2.5oz bar.

Xocolatl de David: Xocolatle Honey Beans

Xocolatl de David is a company out of Portland, Oregon that produces various chocolate products by hand. Some of their tasty treats include chocolate bacon caramels and Foietella (a foie gras chocolate spread). For a (late) Valentine's gift I was given a bag of their Xocolatle Honey beans, whole roasted cacao beans covered in a honey glaze and sprinkling of fleur de sel.
I really liked these beans. The glaze is salty and sweet, with a deep caramelized honey flavor. I really wish they sold the glaze in the form of a brittle or hard candy...yum! The beans are crunchy and nutty, with a deep cocoa (and slightly bitter) taste. I couldn't eat just one!

Overall these make for a really good snack! They can be purchased at The Meadow, $4.95 for a 1.2oz bag.

Mariebelle: Aztec Hot Chocolate

Mariebelle, out of New York City, makes a beautiful line of chocolates, hot chocolate mixes, and other sweets. Their chocolates are decorated to look like miniature works of art, and the company's packaging is just stunning. I love the teal and truffle colored tin my hot chocolate came in! I'm sure I will be able to find a use for it once the mix is gone (...or just fill it up with more chocolate).

I tried the Aztec Original Hot Chocolate (60%). The mix is made up of tiny shavings of a light brown chocolate, and shards of dark chocolate. The shavings almost look like bark; they have a lined texture to them (as if a very small animal had dragged its claws through the chocolate pieces).

I found my favorite way to prepare the hot chocolate was a mix of the "American" and "European" directions, combining a cup of milk with about 3/4 cup chocolate. This produces a very rich and creamy hot chocolate, with a thick (almost pudding-like) consistency. If you use a ratio of 1:1 (or with a larger part chocolate), you can refrigerate the chocolate to actually make a pudding. I much preferred the chocolate hot, however. I think maybe whipping the hot chocolate with cream would could a really tasty frosting for a cake, too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this hot chocolate. However, I think because of the price (and how quickly I was able to consume it all) I will only be drinking this chocolate in the future if it is given to me as a gift.

I purchased my tin of Aztec Hot Chocolate from Harney & Sons, $25/20 oz. tin.

($22.50 with a 10% off coupon.)

Amella: Cocoa Butter Caramels

Artisan Cocoa, out of El Segundo, CA produces Amella Cocoa Butter Caramels. Amella caramels contain pure cocoa butter and real fruits and vegetables. They come in three flavors: Carrot Cake, Black Forest, and Passion Fruit. The caramels are coated in chocolate and come in boxes with three pieces each.

Passion Fruit: This caramel is coated in milk chocolate. The caramel has a distinct passion fruit flavor, but it isn't too strong. These are good, and I would suggest them specifically to fans of passion fruit.

Black Forest: This caramel is coated in dark chocolate. I am a big fan of cherries, so I had high hopes for this flavor. However, I don't think it really delivered. Two out of the three caramels had a flavor that vaguely hinted of cherry, but not enough to satisfy. One of the caramels had a definite cherry flavor (I got a bite with a real cherry in it) and was very good. Should Artisan Cocoa up the amount of cherries in their recipe for the Black Forest I would certainly buy these again. However, as is the Black Forest was my least favorite.

Carrot Cake: The Carrot Cake caramel is coated in white chocolate. This caramel contains real bits of carrot and pecans. The combination of carrot, pecans, cinnamon, and caramel is a home run! These are absolutely delicious...even better than a slice of carrot cake! I can already see the Carrot Cake caramels becoming a staple in my candy stash.

In all, the Amella caramels are quite tasty. The caramel is soft (but not too sticky), and pairs well with the chocolate coating. The Carrot Cake caramels are a must!

I ordered the Cocoa Butter Caramels Sampler (3 of each flavor) from Foodoro, $9/9 pieces.

Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Honey

The Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Honey is hand collected and jarred in Mexico, and primarily sold in the Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon restaurants in New York. Their honeys are completely raw and come in several varieties (depending on the season and area where it was collected).

I had the privilege of sampling two of their honeys, the Golden Reserve and the Mesquite Blossom. Both honeys are very thick, with a slight granular texture. I found if they are warmed slightly (like spread on fresh toast) they will become the consistency of a non-creamed honey, and the Mesquite Blossom will become completely liquid when poured on hot oatmeal.

The Golden Reserve honey is made by skimming the layer of honey that rises to the top after gathering the Autumn Flower honey. According to Bromberg Bros. this honey is rich in pollen and propolis (beehive resin). This honey is smoother, and more liquid than the Mesquite Blossom. When it arrived it had settled into two layers (a thick, light golden at the bottom, and a darker liquid on top), however after churning it with a butter knife the honey became more uniform and then remained that way until I finished the jar. The Golden Reserve has a very light, floral taste to it. This variety is now my favorite honey paired with peanut butter, and because of its thickness it will not make your bread soggy if you spread it in the morning and pack the sandwich for lunch. This honey is also excellent on toast, ice cream, and drizzled (or spread with) cheese.

The Mesquite Blossom honey is gathered from bees pollinating Mesquite trees, and is especially thick because the climate is so dry during the Mesquite's blooming season. This honey can be scooped out almost as a solid, and is near impossible to drizzle. The texture is much more grainy than the Golden Reserve and the flavor is mild and sugary. I especially enjoyed this honey mixed into tea, and even more so straight from the jar! While I recently got over a cold, this honey was the perfect replacement for cough syrup. It's so thick it coats the throat and stays there, easing the sore throat and allowing the sweet flavor to linger. This honey would also probably make a great alternative to sugar in baking recipes.

Overall I really enjoyed these two honeys and will certainly be purchasing them again. I am hoping the other varieties of Blue Ribbon honey will be available soon, so I can try them, too!

I bought the honey from the Blue Ribbon Restaurants website, $7.50-8.50/12 oz. jar.

Neococoa: Taster's Truffle Box

Neococoa is a company out of San Francisco, producing what they refer to as the "hearts of chocolate truffles." They hand make what would be the ganache center of a typical truffle, but without the hard chocolate coating.

I was intrigued by the idea of a naked truffle, so I ordered a five piece taster's box. Inside were one each of: crushed bittersweet nib, toasted coconut, almond butter topped with smoked sea salt, mocha cinnamon, and freshly zested lime.

All five of my truffles had a dense, almost chewy consistency. The ganache is just the right balance of bitter and sweet, with a delicious and rich chocolate aftertaste that lingers.

The toasted coconut featured a sprinkling of coconut on top, and a bit of cocoa on the bottom. This truffle was good, but nothing special. The almond butter truffle was topped with a pinch of smoked sea salt, and again cocoa on the bottom. I enjoyed the bit of salt with this truffle, but had a hard time making out the almond flavor. The mocha cinnamon truffle was coated in a cinnamon cocoa, which was delicious! The warmth of the cinnamon melded really well with the rich ganache center. Quite tasty! Next, the zested lime truffle was coated in cocoa, and was the only round truffle in the box. This one lasted the longest in my mouth, and had the silkiest texture. I really liked the mix of lime with the deep chocolate taste, and this was probably my favorite flavor combination out of the box. Finally, there was the crushed bittersweet nib. This truffle was my favorite. Although it is billed as a bittersweet truffle with cocoa nibs, the truffle was not overly bitter (as I had expected it would be). The texture of the melting truffle contrasted beautifully with the crunch of the cocoa nibs. As the lingering taste of chocolate dissipated, I was sad I didn't have another to enjoy.

Overall I enjoyed these truffles. I believe if I were to try these again I would leave out the coconut, and order extra bittersweet cocoa nib truffles. I'd also like to try the ginger root truffle (that is on their menu, but was not in this box) should I get the chance.

I ordered this box from Foodoro, $12/5 pieces.