I have been a fan of Chuao for a while, but the shipping charge to get their product to the East Coast is fairly mind-boggling. Fortunately, I have a friend in Southern California who couldn’t think of anything else to buy me for Christmas.

You’ve read about Chuao here before, but these folks don’t rest on their laurels, and are always coming up with new fillings. The little flier that comes with the box of chocolate asserts that they are “unusual” and “unexpected,” and I am interested in pushing the boundaries of the usual bonbon fillings. I was afraid, though, that they’d gone a little too far with a couple of these. One of them turned out to actually be OK, but the other – well, I will leave that for the end, because a little suspense is a good thing, right?

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When I met Chuao Chocolatier at the All Candy Expo, I knew I had found something special. I have already reviewed their Bonbons and signature ChocoPods, and now I am going to review their creative line of chocolate bars. Chuao’s bars really represent the theme of the company: unique, creative and delicious. The bars come in Caracas, Spicy Maya, Earl Grey and Chinita Nibs Bar flavors.

I was really excited to try these, especially since I am already so smitten with Chuao’s other delicious creations. These bars, like the rest of Chuao’s products, use Venezuelan El Rey chocolate as a base and then enhance its flavor by using fresh unique ingredients. All that aside though, what I was really curious about was tasting these to see if they were going to be bar sized versions of the solid ChocoPods: rich, creamy, and 100% addictive. When I opened the wrappers, just a whiff of their aromas told me a loud “yes!”

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One of the best things about finding a good chocolatier is knowing they are going to keep coming out with new and delicious ways for you to enjoy their wonderful chocolate. Such is the case with Chuao Chocolatier, who, as all you Candy Addicts know, is one of my favorites. We’ve reviewed several types of their sumptuous chocolate treats before and now they’ve come out with some new products to make me fall in love with them all over again. I’m talking about Chuao’s new line of Single Origin Chocolate Bars and their new Winter Hot Chocolate.

Both of these products came just in time for the colder months of the year, since they’re both traditional comfort foods for any chocolate lover. Who can imagine any winter evening without a mug of hot chocolate or a nice rich bar to indulge in? I certainly can’t! What I find so special about the new chocolate bars is that by selecting specific regions, Chuao it taking one of the richest chocolate couveture around and now refining that flavor that even more. I find this really exciting and I have high expectations for the flavors that each bar will offer.

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Chocolatiers these days have it tough. Not only are consumers becoming more and more aware of what good chocolate is, but they’re also discovering new flavors to go with it and the potential health benefits. That is partly why I was so excited when I discovered Chuao Chocolatier when I was at the All Candy Expo. They have a product, called the ChocoPod, which combines all three things – good chocolate, new flavors and health benefits.

Each ChocoPod is wrapped in its own brightly colored wrapper which really makes these very portable. Inside, there are attractive chocolates in the shape of a cacao pod with the beautiful lettering of “ChocoPod” decorating the lightly lined surface. The chocolate is a beautiful dark color and it smells rich and sweet. I’d expect no less from El Rey, where Chuao gets all their chocolate. The ChocoPods come in two kinds: solid and filled. On to the tasting!

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One of the many companies I spoke to at the All Candy Expo were the extremely friendly people over at Chuao Chocolatiers. I was so impressed with the quality, taste and creativity of their chocolates, but also how enthusiastic they all were about their craft and products. They were also sweet enough to participate in the Candy Addict Birthday Giveaway we held earlier this month.

Chuao (pronounced chew-WOW) is an artisan chocolate company founded by chocolatier Michael Antonorsi in Southern California, and they have an impressive array of chocolates that not only look beautiful, but taste amazing.

Chuao wants to awaken your senses with chocolate, using only the finest ingredients in unusual, unexpected and delicious ways. They start with a strong base by sourcing El Rey Venezuelan chocolate and then combining it with the finest ingredients to make such flavors as strawberry pulp and balsamic vinegar caramel, Hawaiian macadamia praline spiced with smoky chipotle and ginger ganache infused with green tea. A few months ago, David got to sample these unique flavors in Chuao’s Chocopods.

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