One year ago

 
One year ago

this blog was born. 

As 2016 begins, I reflect on my year-long journey of chocolate discovery and anxiously anticipate what is to come. I had been overwhelmed at the vast variety in aisle 4A of Central Market. Last week, I again found myself in the chocolate aisle, this time at Whole Foods, in search of a last minute gift. This time, I felt comfortable there. I was confident in my ability to make a smart chocolate purchase. 

Despite the huge amount I have left to discover about the complex world of chocolate, I have come a long way in 2015. Familiarized myself with top shops, craft and bean-to-bar makers, festivals and awards, tastings, types of cacao beans, cacao growing regions, etc. When I started this blog, I knew I would never run out of things to write about. Sitting here today, I know that to be truer than ever. I have a lot of room for improvement in blog post frequency...but I certainly have not run out of bars or chocolate experiences to write about and share. 

In 2016, I will continue on this path of learning and discovery. Tasting and buying. Reading and blogging. Sharing my love of chocolate. 

With the clean slate of the New Year, I'm excited to begin introducing new features, sieries', shopping guides, giveaways etc, while I continue Power Ranking bars. Stay tuned and get excited for our 2016 journey down The Chocolate Aisle. 

Experience it with me. Evolve with me. Join me. facebook twitter instagram pinterest 

Holiday Special: Chuao Holiday Bars 2015

8 days until Christmas!!! There are very few people who do not love chocolate. So, if you are still in a bind, hopefully this post helps you ease your shopping paralysis. I got these bars at Central Market for $5.99 each.

***1. hope, joy & gingerbread - This one surprised me. I was sure it would be ranked lower than the peppermint, and that I wouldn't even like it. I'm not a huge fan of gingerbread. I mean, it smells amazing, but I can't get past the lingering ginger taste. But when it's combined with chocolate in this fabulous bar...problem solved. I really love the texture of this bar. This brand is so aware of the importance of texture in their bars. I love that. Also, the milk chocolate is just soooo perfectly smooth and sweet.

***2. peace, love & peppermint - This is like eating a cup of peppermint hot chocolate. So so good. The candy canes are crushed just right, providing texture but not getting stuck in your teeth. Delicious and well done.

Not everyone loves holiday flavors. If you are one of those people, these bars are NOT for you. I would refer those readers (or if you are shopping for someone like that) to these two posts - milk and dark - for more fabulous Chuao bars.

Power Rankings #13: Theo Kid's Crunch bars

I follow Theo on social media and get their emails so a few months back I heard about these new Kid's Crunch Bars. 

Well, a few weeks ago, I was chocolate shopping and saw them there on the shelf. I was pretty excited to taste them, and now that I have I'm even more excited to share my thoughts on them. They were FABULOUS. They all say "whole grain" in reference to the quinoa in each bar which gives such an awesome texture. They are super affordable (for good chocolate). And so I'm pretty sure that combination makes them my new FAVORITE everyday/snacking bar. I got them at Central Market for $1.99/bar. They are also available at the Theo Factory Store for $1.89/bar or on Amazon for $13.88/pack of 6 bars. The label says they are for kids...but lets be honest, if I'm giving ANY to my kids, its the smallest portion I can get away with "sharing" while also satisfying their beckoning (my girls take after me when it comes to desire/demand for chocolate). So now that you know how amazing these bars are, here they are ranked: 

 ***1. Banana - 45% Milk Chocolate - Theo makes a fabulous milk chocolate. This banana bar is sweetness to perfection. It was incredibly hard to pick a favorite between these three bars. The sweet milk factor pushed this to the top in the end.

***2. Raspberry - 55% Dark Chocolate - The raspberry pairs fabulously with the quinoa and dark chocolate.

***3. Almond - 55% Dark Chocolate - Great texture is already achieved with the quinoa, but the almonds are a nice addition too. Great bar.

It was incredibly hard to rank these bars. They were SOOOO good. Each of them. So good.

Cheers!

Power Rankings #9: Equal Exchange Chocolates

Since I've started this journey down the chocolate aisles I have noticed several themes among the better quality chocolate makers. One of which is ethically sourced cocoa. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with taste because beans sourced well are better quality. With that in mind, the name "Equal Exchange" bodes well for this set of power rankings.
 
I purchased these bars at Central Market on sale 2 for $5 (down from 3.99).

1.***Milk - milk chocolate with a hint of hazelnut - 38% cacao - there has been no in between when it comes to the milk chocolate power rankings. They have been either FABULOUS or TERRIBLE. This brand has FABULOUS milk chocolate. Which makes me very happy! Smooth meltiness without any chemically aftertaste or off flavor. It was so good I had to postpone the rest of the rankings because I HAD to finish the whole thing at once.

2.***Mint - dark chocolate mint crunch - 67% cacao - I am quite a sucker for both mint and texture in chocolate bars. This had both. The end.

3.***Almond - dark chocolate with toasted [almond] pieces - 55% cacao - My love for chocolate and almonds was born with-dare I say it-HERSHEY'S with Almond (...of course this was back when there was more than 4 almonds per bar and before the chocolate went totaly waxy). This bar has a taste I love and it's executed well.
  
4.**Caramel - dark chocolate caramel crunch with sea salt - 55 % cacao - caramel has it's place in chocolate, just not always, in my opinion. I do like this combo with sea salt, but I probably wouldn't purchase this bar again, because this brand has 3 other SOLID options.

5. **Very Dark - very dark chocolate - 71% cacao - this is a great bar. Dark and fruity. With all the competition thought, I just can't imagine it being one I'd grab for in the chocolate aisle again. 

6. **Panama - extra dark chocolate - 80% cacao -this is such a dark bar it's really more of a tasting bar, not a snacking bar. It is still fabulous and I would definitely eat it again. I just probably wouldn't buy it because I normally buy chocolate for snacking/devouring.

Easter Guide 2015

Seems like I'm not the only one who is sick of mediocre mass-market egg and bunny shaped chocolate. It's everywhere. "Hey look, this solid milk chocolate bunny is only a dollar!" But there's a REASON it's only a dollar...it is gross. I am reminded of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episode in which Monica has to make "Mockolate" products. 

Anyway, in an effort to guide you to accessible delicious Easter chocolate, here are my top picks to fill those Easter baskets:

 

1. chuao hopping popping bunny bars - $7.95 - To replace the overpriced, low quality chocolate bunny. I know I picked some popping hearts for the Valentine's Day Guide, but I really don't think Chuao can over do it with the popping candy. 
2. lindt chocolate carrots - $8.00/4pc  (also at many grocery and drug stores, including Central Market) - To replace the carrots you may leave out for the Easter Bunny. Nuff said.
3. godiva beaded egg with wrapped chocolates - $30.00 (online only and unfortunately out of stock) - To replace plastic eggs or glam up an Easter Basket. I love this egg for the same reason I loved the godiva bling box for Valentine's Day. Also, like the bling box, it is unfortunately out of stock. So I guess you can tuck this idea away for next year!
4. lindt gold bunny and friends - up to $20.49 (this assortment available at amazon.com, but 5 packs are at many grocery/drug stores including Central Market for around $4/pack)  - To replace filled mini bunnies. 
5. see's candies peanut butter egg - $6.20/4oz egg (online or in stores)  - To replace the beloved Reese's Peanut Butter Egg. I know, I know...I may get egged for merely suggesting the Reese's PB egg be replaced...but trust me...it's not the Reese's that makes you love the candy...it's the combo of pb and chocolate. Just try a higher quality pb and chocolate combo like this, and you will see what I mean...or rather TASTE what I mean. 
6. seattle chocolates spring bars - $3.50 (online, $2.99 at Central Market) - To replace everything OR to use in addition to everything else. Check out my power rankings of these bars. They are a welcome addition to any basket.
7. see's candies milk chocolate or dark chocolate eggs- $7.00/8oz bag (online or in stores) - To replace various other low quality mini eggs. The Easter Bunny is bringing us Lindt mini eggs. Godiva has some also. Any of these options are solid. Pun intended.
8. cadbury creme eggs from the UK- $8.50/6pack (Amazon) - To replace the horrible knock off version Hershey's produces here in the US. I have beef with Hershey's about their beef with Cadbury among other reasons which merit an entirely different post. In any case, I have eaten both British Cadbury and American Cadbury (Hershey's has the license to manufacture under the same name with a different recipe). It's different. British Cadbury is milkier, smoother, less chemically. Do yourself a favor, and try the original stuff. Eggs from the UK are wrapped in purple and red only, there is no blue on the wrapper. Also, the nutrition facts are listed per 100g rather than per serving. ENJOY! 

So there you have it. A guide to help you overhaul your Easter baskets this year. HAPPY EASTER!!!

Cheers!

Power Rankings #8: Seattle Chocolates BONUS

Spring has sprung and so have a few new bars from Seattle Chocolates. They were on sale, like the others, for 2 for $4 (through the end of March). I just noticed them in the Easter section of Central Market the other day when I was out chocolate shopping and decided I had to try them and rank them. Ok...that's not really true...what really happened is that I bought them with the intention of surrendering them to the Easter Bunny to add to our Easter baskets. But when I got home...I wanted to eat them. So I asked the hubby if he thought I should just eat them or save them for Easter. He didn't really care either way...so I ripped right into them! This is not the first time my seasonal chocolate purchases have not made it to the actual holiday they were intended for...but hey, no regrets. I didn't think they really fit in with the regular bars since they are seasonal. So here are some bonus power rankings! 

1.***SPRING SURPRISE - coconut, almonds and sea salt dark chocolate truffle bar - Go figure that my favorite of these bars is the DARK chocolate one...People keep telling me that I should prefer dark...but I just plain don't. This bar however, is perfection. Ate it all in one sitting.

2.***FRESH MINT - milk chocolate truffle bar with mint cookie chunks - Did you not buy enough boxes of Thin Mints this year from the girl scout down the street? Have no fear, FRESH MINT is here! The flavor balance is much like the normal MELTAWAY MINT bar, but the cookie chunks kick it up a notch! I always love some crunchy texture. 

3.*FLUFFY TOFFEE - milk chocolate truffle bar with marshmallows & toffee - Don't read too much into the single star status of this bar. Toffee is just too sweet. Marshmallows and milk chocolate and toffee is just too much sweetness for my mouth. Sugar overload. 

Hopefully my chocolate impatience is your gain and you pick up one of these delicious bars for YOUR Easter baskets. But hey, if they don't make it...no judgement here. :)

CHEERS!

Power Rankings #7: Seattle Chocolates

"what happiness tastes like"

...what a perfect description of chocolate.

I had high hopes of getting this post published earlier in the month (since they are on sale till the end of the month), but obviously...that didn't happen. We did some traveling and have been pretty busy lately. BUT, don't worry...I have a few posts and an Easter Shopping Guide in the works. So get excited!

But, on to the subject of this post...

I purchased these Seattle Chocolates bars at Central Market in Mill Creek. They were on sale for 2/$4 (reg $2.99 each). All are vegan except denoted by "^". 
 

1.***PERFECT PEANUT BUTTER^ - dark chocolate truffle bar with roasted peanuts - Quite a bit of cocoa butter bloom on the back of this bar. Couldn't stop eating it though. Thought it was strange that the first ingredient was white chocolate, maybe it's in the peanut butter filling though... 

2.***MELTAWAY MINT*^ - milk chocolate truffle bar with peppermint infusion - The first thing I noticed was the aroma-almost an after-dinner mint flavor. Sweet mint and definitely melty. This is a fantastic flavor combo. I bet the coconut oil really enhances this bar also.

3.***SALTED ALMOND* - dark chocolate truffle bar with almonds and sea salt - This bar is perfection. One of these days I will have to power rank the salted almond bars. Great balance of salt and almond. Wouldn't mind a little more chunky, but great flavor all around. 

4.***COCONUT MACAROON* - dark chocolate truffle bar with coconut and sea salt - Love the sea salt in this coconut bar. Also a great flavor combo. 

5.**/***SAN JUAN SEA SALT*^ - milk chocolate truffle bar with sea salt and toffee - The flavor masks the not up to par quality of the milk chocolate. There is a nice amount of salt which balances out the extra sweet of the toffee.

6.**EXTREME DARK* - dark chocolate truffle bar with roasted cocoa nibs - I like the nuttiness that the nibs bring into this bar.

7.**WHIDBEY WILDBERRY - dark chocolate truffle bar with cherries and strawberries - the fruity berries work well with the dark chocolate in this bar. I like that it's not just cherries, because I'm not a huge cherry fan. The mix is brilliant. 

8.*RAINIER CHERRY* - dark chocolate truffle bar with praline pecans and cherries - I noticed the "truffle bar" ness on this bar especially, the bottom of the outer shell kept sliding around and breaking off. The nuts didn't taste great. Not the best bar, in my opinion. 

9.*MILK CHOCOLATE*^ - milk chocolate truffle bar - definitely beats a Hershey milk "chocolate" bar. I know that the flavor and quality is not sufficient when I don't devour the whole milk bar in one sitting. Still decent.

10.*DARK CHOCOLATE* - dark chocolate truffle bar - the flavor really reminds me of mass market dark chocolate. It's not BAD. But it's not GREAT. At least not as a standalone bar. Obviously, with other flavors to mask the lower quality it's quite delicious. And as I said before, much better than Hershey's.

Overall this was a delicious chocolate tasting experience. The bars were lovely. Very rich. The perceived size is deceiving. The bars are THICK. There are 4 sections in each bar, a serving is only two sections...which kinda makes you laugh at first...but then after the second one...it kinda makes sense. 

Looking beyond flavor and taste...a few thoughts on quality. I think these bars are priced well for their quality. They are good quality. Just not GREAT quality. The ingredients list is evidence of this. There's "non-hydrogenated coconut oil" in most of these bars (deonted by "*"). That could be a contribution to the characteristic silky texture and smooth finish of this brand. Another evidence of the mid grade quality is that that straight chocolate bars are significantly not as good as the inclusion bars. You can taste the difference. 

These may become a "go-to" brand for me considering their affordability and overall taste. So go check out "what happiness tastes like."

Cheers!

Valentine's Day Guide 2015 + Giveaway!

Valentine's Day has always been about chocolate for me. "Don't buy me chocolate, buy me shoes." That's not me. BUY ME THE DANG CHOCOLATE! hahahaha. :) So it's probably not a surprise that I've been eying some of my new favorite brands this year to see what they have out for Valentine's Day. Because...a whole new world of chocolate has opened up since I walked down that Central Market aisle (4a) a few months ago. Here are my top picks to fill that all-important "chocolate" part of Valentine's Day. Make sure whomever might be buying YOU chocolate sees this, and you'll be sure to have a delicious day!

1. chuao popping hearts - $10.95 - For the adventurous chocolate lover. Chuao has a lot of great Valentine's treats out. But these really caught my eye because of how much I loved the popping candy in the pop corn pop bar. Plus, the price is pretty fabulous for such a fun treat.
2. theo valentine's day bars - $4.00/bar (currently 2 for $6 at Central Market) - For the cherry cordial lover. My Cherry Baby is a DELECTIBLE bar. It passed the I-can't-believe-I-ate-the-whole-thing-already test with flying colors. For the RED HOT lover. Red hot candy. Don't get the Red Hot Cinnamon Crunch bar unless the recipient enjoys RED HOTS, cause there's a whole lot of red hot in that bar! Whew my mouth still burns.
3. alter eco velvet truffles - $7.00/10pc box (also sold at Whole Foods) - For the milk chocolate lover. To this day, I have not enjoyed a milk chocolate as much as the Alter Eco Dark Velvet bar. And I LOVE milk chocolate. I can only imagine what the truffles would taste like...someone might want to share this info with my hubby? Yeah?
4. godiva assorted dessert truffles - $15/17pc box or 3 boxes for $30 (online or in store) - For the chocolate liker, but dessert lover. This is a great option for someone who enjoys chocolate, but other candy and treats just as much! (It's ok, they are people too.) Each of the Chocolate Lava Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Crème Brûlée are AMAZING.
5. michel cluizel single estate chocolate bar tasting kit - $13.50/16pc box - For the chocolate connoisseur (or aspiring connoisseur). I just finished reviewing this box for the POWER RANKINGS. This box would pair very well with #8 OR printed Chocolate Tasting Notes.
6. godiva "bling" or "stuff" trinket tray and chocolates - $28 and $30 respectively (online only and unfortunately out of stock) - For the material girl. I love these gifts because they double as things that can be used over and over and delicious chocolate. Unfortunately...they are both out of stock. But maybe it helps spark an idea or you can log it away as a great idea for next year!
7. justin's peanut butter cups - $1.99ish (at Central Market, Whole Foods, Starbucks, REI and many grocery stores) - For the peanut butter and chocolate lover. These peanut butter cups put Reese's to shame. Really. If you love peanut butter and chocolate...you HAVE to try these. They are amazing. GREAT quality chocolate and creamy real peanut butter. I'm getting a hankering for one now just writing about it...I may have to go pick some up!
8. chocolate tasting kit - $24.95 ($17.66 on Amazon) - For the chocolate connoisseur (or aspiring connoisseur). This kit has everything you need to dive into the world of chocolate tasting. I especially love the flavor cards that help you identify specific flavors in the chocolate. This kit would pair very well with #5 or any other high quality bar or set of tasting squares.  

There you have it. And not a single one of them was a heart shaped box! Help others think outside the heart shaped box this year and SHARE this with them. SHARING just might win you fortheloveofCHOCOLATE's very first GIVEAWAY ever! 

A GIVEAWAY!

This should be very exciting for all 7 of you loyal readers.  

Your odds of winning are pretty high! 

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

LEAVE A COMMENT on the facebook page giveaway thread 

between now and Friday February 13th.

The lucky winner will be picked by Random.org and announced February 14th!

 The prize will be shipped out within one business day of confirming the shipping address. 

  What's the prize, you ask?

Your choice of Theo's two Valentine's bars! 

FREE CHOCOLATE, WOOT!

So do it! Right now! Leave a comment! 

WANT MORE CHANCES TO WIN?

like, share, comment, tweet, instagram or pin ANY post at

forthelovechocolate.blogspot.com 

or

facebook.com/forthelovechocolate

 maximum 5 entries

(you must leave a separate comment on the facebook giveaway thread for each thing you do)

Get SHARING and GOOD LUCK!

Cheers!

Power Rankings #4: Hammond's

I purchased all eight of these bars at Central Market in Mill Creek for $2.99/piece. They look great, don't they?!

Well, they were NOT great. These bars ARE NOT worth $2.99 a piece. They are only one very tiny tiny tiny step above American mass market chocolate, in my opinion. I even witnessed cocoa butter bloom for the first time since starting this adventure.

 














And the winner of this weeks power rankings (winner of the losers):

 1. **Peanut Butter Cup - dark chocolate with peanut butter - Aside from the cocoa butter bloom, and smoky aftertaste, this bar was decent. Not great though. Bummer, cause I looooove chocolate/pb combos. I really wanted to like this one.

2. **Toffee Brittle - dark chocolate with toffee - This was one of the best bar of the six for sure (not that that is saying much)... I didn't even mind finishing this one. Still, the toffee made it overly sweet. And that aftertaste... it was harder to notice with the dark chocolate, than milk...but still...gross.

3. **Sea Side Caramel - dark chocolate with sea salt caramel - Well...the first ingredient for this one-sugar...hm. 27g. That’s quite a bit. There are 4g fiber though which makes me feel a little better. But enough about nutrition facts. It's poor quality chocolate. But poor quality dark chocolate tastes better than poor quality milk, I am learning.

4. */*Red Velvet Cake - milk chocolate with red velvet cake ganache - Sounds soooo good, right?! These bars are so mean! I would eat it again...but only if it was the only thing around. Which happens...you know...when you get to the point where you are eating chocolate chips for a chocolate fix? Or is that just me? The red velvet flavor is really fun in this bar...but the whole thing is a little too sweet. That is why red velvet goes so well with cream cheese frosting, right? To balance it out? The uber sweet is what stops me from giving it a solid **.

5. *Sea Side Caramel - milk chocolate with sea salt caramel - This is the first bar I tried. I read the ingredients before hand...first listed is SUGAR-which isn’t THAT crazy for a milk chocolate especially with caramel...but 33g in this bar. Plus...it is terrible. Ok...not terrible...I finished it (but I am quite an addict). It’s definitely NOT worth $2.99. Poor quality chocolate. Maybe that is why this brand doesn’t have any plain chocolate bars, they are all inclusion bars. There was a bad aftertaste. And I didn’t taste ANY sea salt. BOOO!

6. *Malted Milkshake - milk chocolate with malted milk - There was nothing malted about this milkshake. The flavor was almost there...but it was just off. And after spending a good amount of time in the UK...I know malted. This bar tasted processed and chemically. Gross.

7. *Pigs N’ Taters - milk chocolate with crispy bacon bits & potato chips - I gave this bar to a friend for Christmas. And now I am embarrassed that I did. I can hear Gordon Ramsey saying "Never send something out with out tasting it yourself!" hahhahaha. I’ve had bacon in chocolate before and enjoyed it. This bar has potato chips too...but it didn’t add flavor...just crunchy texture. It wasn’t as smoky as the Chuao bacon bar was...but still more than jives with my tastebuds.

8. *Sweet & Spicy - dark chocolate with chipotle - This bar reminded me of the Chuao firecracker bar. Ah, my mouth was burning. I did not like it. One bite, and I was done! At least the Firecracker bar had pop rocks too! 

In summary...I would not like them in a box, I would not like them with a fox. I would eat a few if I was really in need of a fix (and let's be honest, it happens). But the rest, I am happy to never touch my tastebuds again!

CHEERS!

Power Rankings #1 : chuao - milk

this scale will be used in all further power rankings

Here we are. My first Power Rankings revealed...

I had a great time tasting all of the chuao bars. I found the chocopods to be the PERFECT size for tasting (though for some of the best bars, I wished I’d had the full-sized to munch on). The flavors are very unique and interesting. The packaging is lovely, eye-catching and modern. The descriptions of the flavors on the packaging were VERY accurate (these descriptions are italicized in the rankings below). Also, I didn’t notice until one of the last bars (I wasn't even looking at the chocolate as I shoved it in my face...), but each piece has a delicious word on it: 

I didn't have such a great time finding all of the bars. Central Market sells 12 of the 15 flavors:

The "firecracker" I picked up in my 8 piece chocopod variety pack from THE CHOCOLATE BOX ($16). But there were two in particular that were more difficult. I found the "oh my s'mores!" at REI ($6). The Pretzel Toffee Twirl (a dark bar), I had to get online from chuaochocolatier.com ($4, on sale from $6 + shipping).

I decided to break up my rankings for this brand into 2 groups - milk and dark.

So...without further adieu...

1. *** potato chip - "Crisp kettle cooked potato chips and a hint of sea salt mix and mingle in milk chocolate" - I tried not to eat the whole thing, but I couldn’t stop with this one. I read somewhere that the workers hand crush the chips so they are a nice size. Why have I never put potato chips and chocolate together? It’s brilliant!
   
2. ***pop corn pop - "Inspired by that familiar flavor you love, with a surprising POP in milk chocolate" - “surprising pop” is right! There is pop rock candy (unflavored) in this bar! There is a nice hint of butter flavor but it still tastes like delicious chocolate. FUN! I want more. 
   
3. ***ravishing rocky road - "Salted caramelized almonds and chewy marshmallows pave the way in milk chocolate" - sometimes, I really love a good chunk-the almonds and small marshmallows are whole. The almonds are salted to perfection to give this bar a wonderful smooth balance.
   
4. **oh my s’mores - "Fluffy marshmallows and crushed honey graham crackers reunite in milk chocolate" - very similar to the rocky road bar except, obviously, sans almonds and plus graham crackers. I think this bar would stand out more in the dark chocolate variety. Overall, it was very enjoyable...I just would probably choose another bar to eat. 
   
5. **sweet & salty - "A touch of sea salt swirled in milk chocolate" - the "touch" of salt is not enough for me...left me wanting more. It was still a good bar with smooth texture.  
   
6. *maple bacon -  "Crisp bacon, delicate maple sweetness and bonfire smoked sea salt, bathed in milk chocolate" - this is the first chocolate bar I can think of tasting that I wished I hadn't. The very first taste is sweet maple...then BAM (like Emeril) smokey smokey flavor. I like the saltiness of the bacon and the sweet of the maple but the chocolate flavor is completely drowned in smokiness. The last bite was actually much milder, but I don’t think I’d buy this bar again.
   
   
   

   
   So there ya have it! I was quite pleased with this selection of milk chocolate bars! It is so hard to find a good quality milk chocolate. So much of the good stuff is dark, and I am quite partial to milk. Anyway, I tried them all so you can be more confident in your choice. Go try one! I am pretty sure you won't regret it! Let me know what you think of the bars, if you've ever had one, where you have found them to purchase, or whatever else you want to share! Stay tuned for PART TWO coming next week!
   
   
   
   

How I will eat my elephant....er...I mean...a LOT of chocolate

It has been overwhelming thinking about where to start with this blog. The world of chocolate is as vast as the world of wine. I don't quite feel up to purchasing a $14 bar I know I won't fully appreciate till I learn more about what makes it a $14 bar. But I can't simply wait until I become an expert to begin. 

So what do I do here?  Do I simply review chocolate, one bar at a time? Do I compare chocolates? Should I use a standardized ranking system? What bars do I even start with?

Answer: Power Rankings

I will begin my journey power ranking chocolate.

Power rankings are used in sports all the time, especially in football. According to wikipedia.org, "power rankings, can be directly provided (e.g., by asking people to rank teams), or can be derived by sorting each team's ratings and assigning an ordinal rank to each team, so that the highest rated team earns the #1 rank." In other words, power rankings can be entirely subjective, or entirely objective, depending on the source.

Here, the source is me. My power rankings will be entirely subjective and wholly biased. I will tackle one brand at a time, power ranking each bar, providing a brief justification for that ranking.

The first brand I will tackle in the coming weeks is

pronounced chew-WOW

Visit their website to learn about the brand, and find out where you can get their bars near you! 

 

(they are sold at Central Market, local folks)

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

I was recently feeling defeated as I racked my brain for ideas for a bunch of upcoming birthday gifts, coming up empty. Two brothers, two friends. I didn’t have a lot of time to shop shop shop with a 2 ½ year old and 2 ½ month old. After some time, I thought of what I believe to be the solution to all of life’s problems: chocolate. Not just your run of the mill can-find-it-at-the-gas-station variety though, I wanted to give GOOD chocolate. Quality stuff. The trouble was, I did not have time to drive all the way down to the Theo factory in Fremont or The CHOCOLATE BOX in downtown Seattle. So I went to the closest place that I KNEW they sold Theo: Central Market. And when I walked down the candy aisle, the heavens sung. Fine chocolate covered the shelves from top to bottom and I had a hard time deciding where to begin. It was overwhelming. And then I had a revelation. I should eat my way through this aisle. Taste every brand, every bar, every truffle. So I am going to. And I'm going to blog about it.

Maybe my New Year’s resolution SHOULD be to cut back on chocolate. But it’s not. I’m jumping head first (or rather mouth first) into the vast world of chocolate.

And so it begins, my evolution to chocolate snob. Experience it with me. Evolve with me. Join me as I journey through the aisles of indulgence. Join me, for the love of chocolate.