Chocolove

Update Review, 2021

Chocolove seems to be a chocolate brand I want to like more than I really do.  They have interesting flavors, but I continue to find the bars just not very good.  The nut butter cups are great, but the bars ... eh.

Peppermint in Dark Chocolate.
55% Dark.

"Dark semisweet Belgian chocolate and natural peppermint oil.  55% Cocoa creamy dark chocolate and refreshing peppermint.  The flavors swirl on your palate ending in a cool mint finish".

Mint and chocolate.  Pretty common pairing.  A pairing I enjoy - think: Thin Mints.  Andes Mints.  York Peppermint Patties.  Junior Mints.  Etc.  So I had no concern picking this bar up.

But ... I really did not care for it.  The bar was only 55% dark, but seemed far darker.  The chocolate was not smooth and shiny, rather, it was kinda chalky.  That was unfortunate, but not a deal breaker.  The real issue was the taste.  It was sooooo bitter.  So very, very bitter.

The peppermint was extremely subtle, it came through really on the finish, hard to detect through all the bitterness.  It tasted strongly of peppermint oil.  Which, is what it was after all.  Not medicinal exactly, but, slightly cloying.

Overall, just not a bar I enjoyed at all.

*.

Holiday Fruits & Nuts
in 55% Dark Chocolate.

"Sweet currants, tart cherries, zesty orange and spicy ginger complement a mix of crunchy pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts enrobed in dark chocolate... This classic combination is inspired by popular holiday chocolate in France known as mendiant."

This was a really, really interesting bar.  It had all sorts of bits of dried and candied fruit including currants, cherries, and orange peel, plus assorted nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts), and holiday accents like ginger.  It really had a ton going on, all set against a fairly dark deep chocolate.

The chocolate I found kinda lost in the bar, and I actually think perhaps a lighter chocolate would work better.  But the goodies inside it were certainly interesting - I appreciated the crunch from the nuts, and it was very, uh, "holiday" flavored, indeed, with chewy bits of fruit and fairly intense spicing.  It was like ... a fruitcake in a chocolate bar.

I think this bar sounded better than it was though, this was a case of too many competing things, the result being a bit muddled, and, the chocolate lost.

***.

Original Review, September 2020

Chocolove is a chocolate bar manufacturer located in Colorado.  They make 24 varieties of bars, starting with a 55% basic dark chocolate, a 65% richer dark chocolate, a 70% strong version, all the way up to extra strong (77%).  They also make bars with mix-ins, like cherries & almonds, orange peel, chilies & cherries, salted peanuts, peach and pecans, and so on, in both milk and dark chocolate varieties. And bites and cups.

I've tried a few products, most were fine, but one was a real winner.

Bars

The bars are sold at Whole Foods, right near the registers, and many of my friends pick them up to bring to parties.  I recognize the wrappers instantly.  I know I've tried many of them, numerous times, but ... they have never been memorable enough to even take notes on.  I feel like I've failed you a bit here, but honestly, I just don't remember a thing about them, besides that they are all generally "okay".

So when I was recently given a bar, I took my job seriously, and tried to take notes.

Strong Dark Chocolate, 70%.

"Strong, bittersweet Belgian dark chocolate crafted to deliver an exceptionally smooth experience in dark chocolate".

The first bar I ever tried from Chocolove, I went for the strong dark chocolate bar, coming in at 70%.

It was ... unremarkable.  The snap to the chocolate was ok.  It wasn't too bitter, it wasn't too mild.  But the flavor just wasn't very complex.  It just ... was.

I really tried to take better notes.  I tried to taste subtleties, to tell you about the blackberry on the finish, or the slight earthy undertones.  But there weren't any.  This chocolate just wasn't interesting.  Perhaps the 77% is better?

And I'm sorry to all my friends who regularly buy this brand, it has just never impressed me!  **+.

33% Milk Chocolate.

"Creamy Belgian milk chocolate crafted from a blend of Javanese and African cocoa beans."

I don't often crave milk chocolate, but since I didn't find the dark chocolate particularly interesting, I at least gave the milk a shot.  One day, I was eating a peanut butter protein bar, and really, really wanted creamy milk chocolate to pair with it.  I dug into my pantry, and found this bar, I believe acquired while flying at some point.

It was a fine milk chocolate bar.  Creamy milk chocolate.  Fairly smooth.  Nothing complex, but nothing bad.  Not too sweet.  Just, a fine milk chocolate bar.  It met my needs that day quite well, but I wouldn't seek it out.  ***.

Cups

In addition to bars, they make cups, the pinnacle of chocolate confections.  They make many varieties, classic peanut butter with milk chocolate shells, but also versions filled with different nut butters, dark chocolate versions, even salted caramel ones.

Hazelnut Butter Cup - Dark Chocolate.

"Move over peanut butter – hazelnut butter is taking over as the king of all cups. Chocolove’s latest recreation of the “cup” features a shell of the richest Belgian dark chocolate around a fluffy soft hazelnut butter center. Like biting into a hazelnut cloud."

I tried the hazelnut butter cup, since my choices were almond butter or hazelnut (they didn't have peanut due to allergies where I was).

Wow.  These were great.  Really, really good.

Lovely dark chocolate shell, not too sweet, but sweet enough to compliment the filling.  Thick, but not too thick.

And inside, hazelnut butter, rather than the traditional peanut butter.  You need to be in the mood for hazelnut, but, the "nutella" formula is a successful one for a reason, and it totally worked here.  Creamy, smooth, not too sweet.

I really enjoyed this.  At nearly 100 cal per little cup though, definitely a treat! ****.