With a name like Heavenly Bites, you automatically expect that the sweet little sensation you’re about to dive into is chock full of divine inspiration. Given the fact that this 100% natural confection, produced by Boulder, Colorado’s Oh Yes You Candy!, is made with carob rather than chocolate, I immediately knew that an absolute miracle would have to occur for me to like it.
A side-effect of doing the Great Chocolate Experiment posts is that I’ve become a lot more inclined to try unusual chocolate bars when I see them in stores. After all, if even my hopelessly amateurish attempts at candy-making can make unlikely combinations like garlic and chocolate taste good, then how much better will a professional chocolatier’s efforts be? So, when I found this Dolfin Chocolat au Lait Hot Masala bar in Montreal, I decided to give it a try.
According to the Food Lover’s Companion, masala is “a word used throughout India for a spice blend with myriad variations. It can refer to a simple combination of two or three spices (such as cardamom, coriander and mace) or a complex blend of 10 or more ingredients.†Masalas, especially the most popular variety, garam masala, are often used as a spice base for curries. Chocolate and curry couldn’t be any worse than chocolate and pickles… right?
Once I’d brought the bar home, a look at the ingredients quickly dispelled my hopes of rocking the chocolate/curry combo. The bar’s spices of cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, cloves, ginger and vanilla were more consistent with a different type of masala – tea masala, used to make the popular sweet beverage known as masala chai, usually just called chai in North America. Now, I love a good cup of chai almost as much as I love a good plate of curry, so I wasn’t really all that disappointed.
One of my favorite things besides candy is coffee, so I couldn’t believe my luck when I received a huge, beautifully packaged box of Starbucks Chocolate to review! Yes, folks, Starbucks Coffee Company is now in the chocolate business. Starbucks has partnered with Hershey’s, whose subsidiary Artisan Confections Company, itself comprised of Joseph Schmidt Confections, Scharffen Berger, and Dagoba Chocolate, manufactures the Starbucks Chocolate. Did you get all that? Basically, Starbucks Chocolate is being made by people who know their chocolate.
I have to confess that while I was wowed by the attractive packaging, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the chocolate. Starbucks coffee is not quite full-bodied or flavorful enough for my taste, so I figured the chocolate would be geared toward a similar palate. I am happy to say that I was wrong. Starbucks chocolate, with just a few exceptions, is rich, full flavored, and thoroughly enjoyable.
I don’t know about you, but when I think about Valentines Day I immediately think of chocolate! Chocolates of all sizes, colors and flavors adorn shelves at the local stores, but I have to admit, this year I found the selection disappointing. Where were the new, exciting chocolates released specifically for this special day for (chocolate) lovers? I finally found the unique chocolate that I was looking for: the new SLO Chai Chocolate from Sweet Earth Chocolate.
Sweet Earth and SLO Chai are companies that are dedicated do-gooders: both produce fair trade certified and organic treats at their factories located in beautiful San Louis Obisbo, California. These SLO Chai Chocolates marry Sweet Earth’s 65% bittersweet chocolate and SLO Chai’s delicious chai to make one lovely treat that will surely add some spice to your Valentines Day.
All flavors are sugar-free except for Night Light which is sweetened with brown sugar. I can really appreciate a sugar-free mint. If I’m going to suck on a mint, it’s nice to know it won’t be rotting my teeth away (I get enough of that eating candy). The mints come in six varieties:
The one thing I did noticed that these mints are more of a treat than a breath freshener. The minty freshness did not last long at all. The flavors of each aren’t as strong as Altoids (though sometimes I think Altoids are too strong). So, how do the mints taste? Let’s look at each flavor individually:
7 Deadly Cinnamon: One of my favorite flavors of candy is cinnamon candies, and 7 Deadly Cinnamon is quite tasty. Not too strong, just a good cinnamon taste.
Night Light: This was the only flavor I really didn’t like. I have never liked licorice flavor, and to me this tasted too much like licorice and reminded me of the brown and black Necco Wafers. It does have caffeine in it, so it has that going for it.
Mojito Mint: I don’t think I’ve ever had a lime mint before. A Mojito, for those that don’t know, is a mixed drink made with sugar, mint leaves, lime, and rum. The Mojito Mint is a minty-limey mint that is really good. Definitely something different.
Sugar Free Tibet: Did I say cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors? Well, wintergreen is too. I can eat a whole pack of Wintergreen Life Savers in no time flat. These wintergreen mints are good too…they are a bit more minty and less sweet than a Life Saver.
Classical Peppermint: Peppermint is probably my least favorite mint flavor, probably just because it’s so common. Having said that, I liked these mints better than Altoids peppermint, simply because it wasn’t as strong.
Spare Mint: I definitely like spearmint better than peppermint. This was a good minty mint- lots of spearmint flavor and not overly strong.
Overall, Oral Fixation Mints are very good. As I mentioned before in my Top 10 Candy Gift Ideas, I would definitely recommend picking up a 6-pack as a gift for someone that enjoys mints – it would make an excellent and unique gift. You can get some at Amazon or check out their store locator to find a retail outlet near you.
UPDATE: We just reviewed four new flavors from Oral Fixation.
Candy AddictT-shirts! $15 SHIPPED! |
