Chocolove is one of my favorites – maybe for the decadent flavors, maybe for the fun love poems in every wrapper, maybe because they are near my hometown. They are also socially conscious and make sure none of their beans are from exploited workers. Now if they’d only use all organic chocolate…
At any rate, I’ve yet to eat a bad one. Just wish they’d let me tour the factory! (I tried. They said no. Pooh.) Of course, I might O.D. on the aroma alone.
Chocolove Chocolate Reviews
Chocolove Cherries and Almonds in Dark Chocolate (55%)
4.6.05
Holy cow, this is delicious! I can still taste it lingering in my mouth 5 minutes after the fact. Decadently dark but lusciously smooth. The almond and cherry blend is perfect. The cherry flavor is distinct but not heavy enough to be artificial. Very dark, but the texture and smoothness is above reproach. Follow-up note: I still regularly grab this bar when I want a good indulgence, and it’s among the first I will give as a gift. The recipients always ooh and ahh, ’cause it’s just that good.
Our rating: 5 of 5 bon bons
Dark Chocolate (55%)
5.4.05
The perfect dark for the ‘beginner.’ The texture is decadently smooth and the toasted chocolate flavor distinct, and it’s just sweet enough to please the uninitiated. Fans of the truly dark will be satisfied, though not devotees.
Our rating: 4 of 5 bon bons
Strong Dark Chocolate (70%)
7.25.05
This isn’t chocolate – it’s health food! You can practically feel the serotonin ooze right into your neurotransmitters. Okay, so I’m having a bad day. Still, this is easily one of the finest very darks we’ve had. Excellent texture and an incredibly rich flavor make this a delight. It is a dark, though, so not for the faint of heart or those with an aversion to even the slightest bitter (and it is slight).
Our rating: 4.75 of 5 bon bons
Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate (65%)
7.28.05
It’s probably unfair of me to review this, since I don’t like crystallized ginger and my first bite was straight into a large chunk of the stuff. But the chocolate part was delish, and the rest of the bar was, thankfully, less startling. In fact, the ginger flavor meshed quite nicely with the chocolate. So if crystallized ginger is your thing, go for it.
Our rating: 3.5 of 5 bon bons
Hazelnuts in Milk Chocolate (33%)
8.27.05
Deliciously hazelnutty in a super-smooth and creamy texture. To me, the chocolate flavor was somewhat lacking, perhaps because I just don’t have a taste for milks or perhaps because the hazelnut flavor was so prominent. A definite pleaser for the hazel-nut.
Our rating: 3.75 of 5 bon bons
Chocolatour Grenada 2004 (60%)
Limited Edition
2.26.06
What’s not to like? We enjoyed this bar on a 10,000′ mountain summit, and, despite the cold, it retained all of its flavor and most of its texture (we saved a little for later, just to make sure, and it was still just as good if not better). Unfortunately, we don’t have good notes of the experience, just the remembrance that this was the best chocolate we’ve had in a long time. One of Chocolove’s contributions to the art of single-origin chocolates.
Note: Check for the latest year’s offerings- they offer new versions periodically.
Our rating: 4.75 of 5 bon bons
Chocolatour Sao Tome 2004 (70%)
Limited Edition
3.9.06
This bar remided us very much of Chocolove’s Strong Dark Chocolate (70%). And we pretty much say “ditto” to that description. This is a delicious, pleasantly varying, and sometimes fruity strong dark with an excellent texture. Only the slightest bitter aftertaste. We just don’t think you can go wrong with Chocolove.
Note: Check for the latest year’s offerings – they offer new versions periodically.
Our rating: 4.75 of 5 bon bons
Holiday Fruit and Nuts in Dark Chocolate (55%)
Limited Edition
11.19.06
“There are so many holiday confections that are just plain awful. It’s nice to finally find a good one.”
So said my co-taster du jour. Chocolove pulls off another winner with this fruity, nutty, zingy treat. Pecans, currants, cherries, walnuts, hazelnuts, orange peel, and ginger give this bar just the right holiday spice – what fruitcake wants to be when it goes up, I guess. This bar is designed to be reminiscent of the French confection “mendiant.” Too bad our local Whole Foods sold out of these in about two seconds flat. Here’s hoping Chocolove offers this next Holiday season too.
Our rating: 4.5 of 5 bon bons
Organic Dark (61%)
1.1.07
Um… I admit it. Sometimes I eat stuff and I totally forget I am supposed to be reviewing it for all you chocoholics out there. I’m sure it was tasty. I’ll give it 5 bon bons because it’s ORGANIC! Hooray! My only major complaint about Chocolove is that most of their chocolate is not organic and not certified Fair Trade. But they can’t keep making the occasional very tasty organic bar and have me believing that Chocolove can’t make ALL their bars organic. I hold out hope.
Our rating: 5 of 5 bon bons
Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate (55%)
2.14.07
Sweet cherries in dark chocolate gradually give way to the slow, gentle burn of chilies. I don’t normally like chilies in chocolate, and I’m a bit of a spice wimp, but this left me wanting more. Chocolove just keeps the good stuff coming- why not make this bar all the time, Chocolove? Update: just observed a very disappointed woman at Whole Foods who was told they sold out of this bar almost as soon as they were stocked. The clerk and I both recommended Dagoba’s Xocolatl as an inferior substitute.
Our rating: 4.5 of 5 bon bons
Raspberries in Dark Chocolate (55%)
2.16.07
Holy cow! I think I am developing taste buds that I didn’t used to have… the last time I tried this bar, I don’t remember it being anywhere near this raspberry. I am very critical of raspberry flavored things, because my dad is a raspberry-holic and I have had a LOT of raspberry flavored items in my life. So I bit into this bar expecting the usual whisper of almost-there raspberry flavor, or, if not that, then an overpowering fake raspberry flavor. This was neither. This was perfect. So why not 5 bon bons? I think because the chocolate and raspberry flavors didn’t meld seamlessly, unlike Chocolove’s chocolate and cherry bar (above).
Our rating: 4.75 of 5 bon bons
Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate (55%)
2.19.07
This is tasty, but not especially notable. It’s not quite as orangey as some other bars I’ve tasted, and the orange flavor is a bit bitter, and a bit subtle. Not one of Chocolove’s best, but no slouch, by any means.
Our rating: 4.25 of 5 bon bons
I love Chocolove bars so when I saw the Chocolove Almond Butter Cups (yes, the wrapper says “cups”), I was ready to try them. Problem is, it’s not cups, but just one cup, about 1 1/2 round and it’s $2, which is the price you pay for two peanut, almond or sunflower cups from other brands. It was tasty but paying $2 is ridiculous and definitely NOTworth it!
Agreed!!