Aequare chocolates have an interesting story about the chef who started the company and how they’re single origin Ecuadorian chocolate and ingredients and blah blah. You can read their website for all that. What you came here to read is how they taste, right?

When asked if I wanted a sample of these to review, I checked them out and the answer was an immediate HECK YES. This is definitely my kind of thing. On the other hand, that means I’m a tough customer. Like, to start, I was not all that excited about the Dark Chocolate Cocoa Beans, because I don’t really see any reason to eat cocoa beans. I mean, there must be a reason that humanity invented the elaborate processes that turn them into chocolate, right?

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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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With all the buzz about the increasing health benefits of dark chocolate recently, it’s only natural that the big guys cash in on the trend. Mars, which owns the fast growing brand Dove, has released new bars that cover the dark chocolate and single origin trends.

A few things to note before I move onto how they taste. Firstly, in order for a chocolate to be called “dark” here in the United States, it has to have at least 35% cocoa solids. So, as Dove sees it, if 35% is dark then 63% must be extra dark. I wonder who they think they’re fooling. Secondly, the “single origin” beans they’re using come from the Forastero cacao bean. Forastero is the least flavorful cacao bean there is and it’s used more for bulk processing of chocolate. So right away, I’m skeptical of this line of chocolate.

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