Valentine's Day Guide 2016

Chocolate is the most important part of Valentine's Day. 

Some may argue with that, but they will be wrong. Chocolate can be given to ANYONE for Valentine's Day (mom, dad, kids, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, teachers, students, friends, neighbors...you get the idea), with the exception of maybe your dog (yeah, DON'T DO THAT!). 

Good chocolate is getting more and more accessible everyday in America which is VERY exciting! It's easier than ever to #eatbetterchocolate and GIVE better chocolate because it's easier than ever to FIND and BUY better chocolate. So make it a point this year to please skip the Palmer/$1 store quality chocolate and get something yummy. Something that is ACTUALLY chocolate. Not wax and vegetable oil. Your mom, dad, kids, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, teachers, students, friends, neighbors will thank you. 

I've spent some time curating what I think is a great variety of ideas to fill that all-important "chocolate" part of Valentine's Day. You might also want to use this guide as a gentle hint, hint to whomever might be buying YOU chocolate to make sure you get to #eatbetterchocolate too!

 1. Theo My Cherry Baby – $4 + $10 shipping or purchase in store – for the cherry cordial lover – this is a FABULOUS and FESTIVE chocolate choice for Valentine’s Day. In the Seattle area, it is pretty easy to find Theo bars, and most of those retailers will be carrying this also (I saw it at the University Bookstore just yesterday). And if you end up in a bind stuck at home with kids or at work…have no fear…PRIMENOW does have other Theo bars available with 2-4 hour free delivery in the Seattle area. You just download the app and fill your cart to $20+. TOO easy.

2. Zotter Mitzi Blue Rock & Roses or Marrakesh MilkChocolate – $7.99 + $7.99 shipping under $20 or purchase in store at Chocolopolis – for the international chocolate lover (or for the person who doesn’t like it when you buy flowers, because they die) – What a fun way to give chocolate AND roses without even buying roses. My friends spent some time in Europe over the holidays and were kind enough to bring me a lovely variety of chocolate. Zotter was, lucky for me, one of the brands they brought from Austria. I have thoroughly enjoyed Zotter, so I am sure these bars are also fabulous. And since they carry it at Chocolopolis, it’d be quite surprising if they were anything short of amazing. 

3. 33 Bars of Chocolate Tasting Notes – $5.00 + $2.60 shipping (or $5.74 w free prime shipping/free shipping for orders over $35 on Amazon) – for the chocolate explorer – My brother got this book for me last year and I love it. It is so fun to draw tasting profiles and fill out the pages for each bar. It feels very sciency. It’s like a lab notebook for your chocolate explorations. Plus, there is chocolate in the ink. Awesome! 

4. Godiva Coupes d’Amour Chocolates – $28 + $10.95 shipping (free for $50+) or purchase at a boutique – editor’s choice (this is what I want) – A few weeks ago I popped in at the Godiva Boutique and these caught my attention immediately. Tell me, how cute are they? I have never been disappointed with Godiva and can’t wait to try these little cups of love (on sale after vday, if my hubby doesn't get the hint).

5. Chuao Popping Hearts – $10.95 +$6 shipping (free for $60+) – for the adventurous chocolate lover – These are back on my Valentine Guide. I think they are just so unique and fun. Chuao makes great tasting chocolate and who doesn’t like the nostalgia of popping candy? 

6. Dick Taylor Bolivia, Alto Beni Limited Release – $11 + $10 shipping (free for $75+) – for the presentation-matters chocolate lover – Dick Taylor chocolate bars are the prettiest bars I have ever seen. This, or any of the Dick Taylor bars, would be perfect for someone who loves pretty things with it’s lacy pattern. The Belize, Toledo bar ($8.50), was recently featured in the NYTIMES as one of the top 8 best bean-to-bar chocolate. And this Bolivia, Alto Beni Limited Release just won a Good Food Award for 2016. Many retailers carry this brand including Central Market, Whole Foods, Chocolopolis, The Chocolate Box and more.

7. Ritual Bars – $5 + $7.00 shipping (free for $40+ with code or purchase in a store) – for the no frills chocolate lover – Ritual is rolling out new packaging soon and so they are in a mad rush to get all their current packaging out the door. All the bars are $5 on their site which is a steal. Ritual was also recently featured in the NY TIMES article and won Good Food Awards for 2016 for two of their bars. So they are fab and can be found at most stores who carry good chocolate.

8. Godiva Mini Chocolate Hearts Box – $7 + $10.95 shipping (free for $50+) or purchase at a boutique – for the littles – maybe you are skipping chocolate all together this year for the kiddos. I was considering that myself, until I saw these adorable boxes. How fun for the kiddos to get their own little box (there’s only 6 pieces). Skip the disgusting poor quality Palmer candies and novelty Frozen/Avengers themed sweets. The kids can #eatbetterchocolate too! 

So there you have it! Hope you all have a delicious Valentine's Day!!

Cheers!

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!

GIVEAWAY WINNER + BONUS CHANCE TO WIN

The first GIVEAWAY has ended. Did you win some free chocolate for Valentine's Day!? 

 If you did not, have no fear,  

YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO WIN!

Besides Jenni Collier, of course. Get to it! Quick!!

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!

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.

Current Faves

Alter Eco: Dark Velvet
chuao: potato chip bar
chuao: pop corn pop 
Equal Exchange: Milk
John Kelly Chocolate Truffle Fudge Bites: Peanut Butter with Himalayan Pink Salt 
Michel Cluizel: Mokaya
Theo Chocolate Classic Bar: Salted Almond Milk Chocolate
Theo Chocolate Fantasy Bar: Bread and Chocolate