Lake Champlain Chocolates

Update Review, 2020-2021

When I visited my family in New Hampshire during the summer of 2020, to escape from the COVID world of the Bay Area, I had a fair amount of time to explore local offerings at the grocery store. It was there when browsing that I saw an old favorite, Lake Champlain Chocolates on the shelves.  I took the "opportunity" to try out some new items, since my last review was back in 2013!

Snack Bites

"Snackable chocolate treat."

So, uh, isn't *all* chocolate "snackable?"  Not the most descriptive tag line!

What these are is disks of chocolate, 13⁄8" diameter and 1⁄4" thick, in a resealable bag.  They come in both milk and dark chocolate, and have mix-ins.

The form factor *was* very snackable, I'll give them that, the perfect size to grab and munch, about the size of a Hershey miniature, but, round.

Crunchy Quinoa & Milk Chocolate.
38% Cocoa.

"One bite of these sweet, crispy milk chocolate snack bites and you'll be hooked! The combination of creamy milk chocolate and the satisfying crunch of toasted quinoa is so delightful, you won't be able to eat just one… which is why we put them in a convenient snackable bag. Our milk chocolate bites are perfect for everyday snacking, or sharing! Be sure to try our Dark Chocolate Snack Bites too!"

I tried the milk chocolate version to start, 38% milk chocolate.  It was smooth and creamy chocolate, a good quality chocolate base.  There was a little crunch to the pieces from quinoa, and that is all there was to them: milk chocolate + quinoa.  Sorta like a Nestlé Crunch or Hershey Krackle I guess, but, with quinoa to be a bit more on trend and better for you?

These were fine, but not remarkable.  I didn't find myself craving them.  Better if I kinda let them slowly melt in my mouth. My mother enjoyed them.

Crunchy Quinoa & Milk Chocolate.
57% Cocoa.

"If you are in the mood for something sweet, satisfying, and delicious, these Dark Chocolate Snack Bites are just what you're looking for! A healthy treat with the crispy crunch of toasted quinoa combined with irresistible, rich dark chocolate — so tasty, you won't want to share! So, go ahead, enjoy some me time and have yourself an oh-so-extraordinary chocolate moment! "

Next up, the dark chocolate version, only 57% dark.

Same form factor, several bites in a disk, slight crunch from quinoa.  The dark chocolate was a sweet style, the kind I always refer to as "Hershey's Special Dark", as that was my first experience of dark chocolate and my baseline, and, well, just not the kind of dark chocolate I go for.  It is just too sweet for me in general, if I want dark chocolate, I want legit, fudgy, dark chocolate!

I liked a touch more than the milk chocolate I think, but again, just not quite the product for me.  They were better, at least to me, just like the milk chocolate when I let them more slowly kinda melt in my mouth.

Bars

Milk Chocolate.
38% Cocoa.

"Snap off a square of pure milk chocolate, and rediscover the sweet magic you loved as a kid. Every bite melts just so - not too fast, not too slow. An indulgence you can feel good about sharing, made from all organic milk chocolate certified by Quality Assurance International. So go ahead, take the break you deserve. And taste the chocolate bar crafted for the kid in every one of us."

This is a very, very good milk chocolate bar.

Very smooth, very creamy, just, really remarkable quality milk chocolate. One of the best I've had.

[ Update Review: I've had it several more times, and every time been quite pleased with it.  For a milk chocolate, this is lovely. ]

Original Review, January 2013

While visiting my family for the holidays, my mother received a gift from one of her patients: chocolates from Lake Champlain Chocolates.  They are a local chocolate maker, from Vermont.  And since my mom can't have chocolate, and I love trying out new chocolate, I gladly took them off her hands.

They make a large assortment of bars (including single-origins), truffles, caramels, hot chocolates, etc, but I've only tried the basic milk and dark chocolate.  When I went to write up this post, I discovered my notes from last year, and my opinions are fairly different.  I wonder if they changed their recipes?

• Dark Chocolate: 54%.  Tasting notes: Very smooth, almost too sweet though.  Wish it were darker.  Notes from last year's batch:  Nice bitter flavor.  [ A little creamy, nice bitter flavor, not super complex but not bad at all ] [ really intense flavor, really nice ] [ Nice snap, complex, but bitter.  Don’t like. ] [ Not complex, bitter, crumble, meh ]
• Milk Chocolate: 34%.  Tasting notes: Fairly creamy, but it seemed like it had been tempered incorrectly.  Notes from last year's batch:  Creamy, decent but strange mouth feel. [ Very creamy, smooth milk chocolate ] [ Creamy, good milk chocolate ]