Tag Archive: dark chocolate

Theo Orange Dark Chocolate

I’ve tasted and reviewed a few Theo chocolates in the past. It’s been a while, though. Revisiting a familiar friend is nice once in a while.

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Alter Eco Super Blackout

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%).

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Dagoba Extra Dark – 84% Organic Dark Chocolate

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.

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Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao

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.

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D. Barbero Italian Chocolates

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!

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Extremely (and Supremely!) Dark Chocolate

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.

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Vande Walle’s Candies – Part Two

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.

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Vande Walle’s Candies – Part One

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...

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NibMor Organic Daily Dose – Mint Dark Chocolate

NibMor (short for Nibble More) chocolate snack company makes small, 0.35 ounce squares of chocolate perfect for nibbling. They call it “Our Daily Dose” and it’s intended to be just the right amount for a delicious and healthy snack or end-of-meal treat.

My daily dose is a 72% dark chocolate with cacao nibs and mint.

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Unreal Dark Chocolate Almond Butter

As a kid I loved Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups. The day after Trick or Treating for Halloween, my siblings and I would trade candy, each of us looking for more of our favorites. However, none of us would give up our peanut butter cups. We all coveted them and would be envious of the person that got more of them in their candy bag.

My favorite way to eat them was cold. I’d put one in the refrigerator after school and by homework time, I’d treat myself to an ice cold, milk chocolate covered, sugary peanut butter filled confection.

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