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
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.
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!
