Alter Eco Super Blackout
September 20, 2018
Alter Eco offers a variety of chocolate snacks, chocolate bars, and chocolate truffles. According their website, www.alterecofoods.com, they work with their cacao partner, Acopagro Co-op in Peru to conserve the Amazon rain forest by replanting. They intend to boost biodiversity, improve the co-op’s food security with crop diversity, and provide a retirement plan for farmers by creating a sustainable forestry of mature trees.
Alter Eco is one of my top go-to chocolate bar crafters, especially the really dark bars like Blackout (85%) and Super Blackout (90%).
Dagoba Extra Dark – 84% Organic Dark Chocolate
September 7, 2018
In 2001, Dagoba’s founder Frederick Schilling began making organic chocolate in his home kitchen. According to the Dagoba website, www.dagobachocolate.com, Frederick’s goal was to “craft deeply satisfying chocolate in a socially responsible way.”
Today, I’m reviewing a Dagoba Extra Dark, 84%. By the looks (and taste) of things Frederick’s vision is still going strong.
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao
August 31, 2018
I know I’ve reviewed Pascha chocolate before, but it’s soooo worth repeating. Pascha is one of my favorite bean-to-bar chocolate artisans for a variety of reasons.
One reason, and the it’s the reason I first bought Pascha, was the fact that my daughter can eat their chocolate bars because they are made in a peanut and nut free facility. In fact, they’re free of a lot of things, like the top 8 allergens including soy, dairy, egg, wheat and gluten.
D. Barbero Italian Chocolates Review – Part 2
August 27, 2018
Last week I broke into my variety pack of D. Barbero chocolate Mixed Napolitains and discovered a nice surprise – 70% Cuban chocolate! I wonder what’s in store for me today?
D. Barbero Italian Chocolates
August 21, 2018
Sometimes life hands you a nice surprise...
...Like when out of the blue, your mom gives you a gift of “some chocolate I bought at an Italian restaurant’s gift shop” and discover not only is it delicious but it’s 70% Cacao Cubano!
Extremely (and Supremely!) Dark Chocolate
August 2, 2018
I eat very little refined sugar and don’t consume artificial sweeteners. Not because I have to, but because I want to. For me, it’s the smart thing to do. I feel better physically and mentally. I live more days having that wonderful “sense of well-being” than I do without. And I still have a chocolate-filled life!
Last week I reviewed two stevia sweetened chocolates. I rarely eat chocolate with sucrose replacers like alcohol sugars or stevia. I much prefer eating chocolates that lower the sugar by increasing the cacao percentage.
Lily’s Salted Almond and Milk
July 26, 2018
A couple of years ago I reviewed the Lily’s 55% chocolate bar sweetened with stevia. Ever conscientious of lowering my sugar intake, and because it’s been a while, I grabbed another Lily bar when I was out shopping. This time it was the 40% milk chocolate salted almond sweetened with stevia. I also wanted to revisit that 55% dark, so I grabbed one of those too.
Vande Walle’s Candies – Part Two
July 19, 2018
A “Chocolaterie” is usually a business that makes chocolates and sells them at the same place. It’s also usually a small family-owned business and typically only at one location.
The term “Chocolaterie” is of French origin and isn’t used very often in the United States. Instead, we use terms like Chocolate Shop, Candy Store, or Chocolate Company. You may see the occasional “Chocolatier” or “Chocolat” used to imply that the business makes the chocolate it sells.
Vande Walle’s Candies – Part One
July 12, 2018
A visit to Vande Walle’s Candies shop in Appleton, Wisconsin is a treat. I recently had the pleasure of fitting in a trip to Vande Walle’s while out shopping with my mother in-law. I loved my first step into the chocolate shop. The air conditioning felt so luxurious on that hot afternoon, and I took in the smells of chocolate, caramel, and mint hitting my senses in a delightful way.
Ah, the aromas of a chocolate shop. They’re almost identical wherever I go...
Divine’s Seriously Smooth Milk Chocolate
July 5, 2018
You’ve heard me talk about Divine Chocolate before. It’s one of my favorite chocolate companies. I hold it in high esteem for two major reasons; excellent chocolate and an excellent story.