I really like chocolate a lot. I have a little choco-nibble pretty much every day. Sometimes more than once a day, and I like to mix it up try out different chocolatey treats... just to add some sparkle to my chocolate life.
For a little while, I had settled on Chocolove 70% as my favorite,
and it was treating me well. But then...
... I discovered Fair Trade Organic Chocolove 73% and truly fell in love. First of all, I have to admit, I was embarrassed that I had been buying a non-fair trade chocolate all that time. I generally try to stick with fair trade (or at least organic) chocolate. Since chocolate is a 100% luxury item, I really don't feel good about people suffering for my treats. So, I was super happy to find this Chocolove bar, and I haven't gone back. I really love the smooth creaminess of Chocolove chocolate, and I love the deep intense choco-boom in this 73% bar. It's definitely my current #1.
uh-oh.
Here's another recent discovery of mine.
Here's another recent discovery of mine.
I am not really sure if I can recommend these to you with a clean conscience.
Because, 1) once you try them, there is no going back to life-without-peanut-butter-cups, and because 2) then you will buy them, and there might not be enough left for me.Lucky/unlucky for me they have been on sale at my local store, and I started really grooving on them. The chocolate in these PB cups isn't fair trade certified, but it is organic - which I understand is a big step toward being more ethical (last I understood - the organic chocolate farming involved a level of oversight that virtually prohibited any slave labor. Please let me know if you've learned otherwise!). Plus, their chocolate is also Rainforest-Alliance Certified, which shows another level of care. I hadn't had a PB cup in a long time, so this was definitely a fun special treat.
SO! Now, tell me! Have you tried any of these treats? Do you look for Fair Trade and Organic in your sweeties? What are your current favorites? Expand my choco-horizons!
My all-time favorite is Endangered Species 72% dark. They are Rainforest certified, Fair Trade, and give 10% of profits to environmental and habitat causes. They have an organic line which is pricier, but the regular bars are only about $3. Plus I think the chocolate is smoother and richer than the Choco-love, which is my number two choice and what I'll get if I can't find my beloved Chimpanzee bars from Endangered Species. I'll have to check out the TJ one too, though. Might have a new one to add to the rotation. As you can tell, I'm also pretty serious about my chocolate habit!
ReplyDeleteOh god, I am and always will be a chocoholic. I LOVE the Justin's cups, which I rationalized today by being on my period but truth is I eat them whenever I can. I DO try to eat fair trade stuff, pay less attention to organic... there is this brand of organic fair trade chocolate covered cacao nibs that I LOVE but can't remember the name of...dang!
ReplyDeleteGa! Justin's PB Cups are the best PB cups. I love them so much.
ReplyDeleteSadly we don't have them in Australia, so I I stocked up when I was in the US. But then I ate most of them, only two left! Then I will be sad.
Definitely look for Askinosie. Not every bar in the line is vegan, but Shawn's dark chocolates are phenomenal and he trades directly with the farmers (i.e. flies out to meet them and buy beans from them), and works on all kinds of make-society-better initiatives in America, too, including working with local schoolkids who may not have the same opportunities as others. Gosh, I sound like I'm paid by them, but I swear I'm not! Another awesome bean-to-bar/dedicated/ethical American chocolatier is Madecasse, and then there's Mast Brothers, Sweetriot (all vegan, not as fancy as the others in terms of single origin etc), Amano... oh wow, I need to shut up. But, you see, chocolates mah blogthang.... :P
ReplyDeleteOh noooooooo! I did not realize there was a non-dairy version of the Justin's. I am totally going to pretend I did not read this :D
ReplyDeletejen e.
I love the Justin's PB cups! I would actually get irrationally angry when I went into Whole Foods and they were out because I was sure non-vegans were buying them and leaving the milk chocolate cups.
ReplyDeleteI love Alter-Eco's quinoa crisp and crispy mint bars. Their company seems really committed to fair trade practices.
I have a seriously horrible addiction to Justin's PB cups. I've eaten 8 in one day (4 packages). It's so embarrassing.
ReplyDelete