Olive & Cocoa

Olive & Cocoa is ... a gift giving company.  Need a gift for any one, at any time, and they could be your answer.  Their gifts range from flowers, to household decorations, to, well you guessed it, food items.  They are also known for their gift baskets and corporate gifting, and hence, you may see where this story is going. 

"At Olive & Cocoa, we strive to make giving and receiving gifts a beautiful experience. From food crates, award-winning florals, inspired décor, and exquisitely presented gifts for every occasion. Our gifts always make a grand entrance."

My encounters with Olive & Cocoa were at my office, around the Christmas holidays, when a client gave big gift baskets to everyone they had worked with, and thus, there were many snacks and confections "up for grabs".  All came in large wooden crates, each item individually wrapped and tied with twine.

I of course was eager to try as many items as I could.

Savory

"Whether you're looking for a gift basket with a hint of sweet or salty, our savory gift crates are sure to satisfy everyone's cravings. Each crate is curated with flavor and quality in mind, hand-picked by the taste experts here at Olive & Cocoa. From decadent chocolate covered pretzels to artisan cheese and charcuterie, our gift baskets are designed to satisfy all of your gourmet snacking needs. Our mouth-watering gift baskets and crates range in selection and size, so you're sure to find the perfect tasty treat."

Olive & Cocoa has many savory options, including nuts, crackers, cured meats, and cheese, along with assorted dips and spreads, but for the most part, I ignored the savory lineup.

Jumbo Corn Nuts.

I was drawn in however by the massive corn nuts.  I'm pretty particular about corn nuts, and these turned out to be exactly the kind I love.

Huge size, super crispy, super salty.  Savory, satisfying, addicting.  Great to munch on, great to add into salads, just, great!

Sweet

"Satisfy their sweet tooth with an assortment of fine sweets from Olive & Cocoa. Crafted by world-class chocolatiers and confectioners, our sweet gift baskets are sure to treat the lucky recipient to an unforgettably delicious experience. Deliver a crate of delectable chocolates, gummy candies, English toffee treats, buttery cookies and more. Our impressive array of edible gift baskets and crates has something for everyone."

The sweets are of course where I had my sights set. Our boxes had a large variety of sweet items, ranging from healthier choices like dried fruits, to many chocolate covered confections, to of course, my favorite, popcorns.

Rocky Road Popcorn.

"Creamy and rich chocolate is drizzled atop popcorn, marshmallows and almonds."

This was great.  As you know, I'm an avid popcorn fiend, particularly sweet varieties.

I didn't actually find any almonds, but the popcorn was well popped, the chocolate added some texture as it was harder, and the marshmallow (which I thought was white chocolate actually) gave more sweetness.

Fine at room temperature, but, like most coated popcorns, better frozen.

Dusted Chocolate Toffee Almonds.

These were ... fine.

I didn't taste toffee exactly, but they were sweet and had a nice crunch to them.  Powdered sugar on the outside added to that (and, to the messy fingers effect!)

Malted Balls.

Another item that was ... fine.  Just, fine.

Basic milk chocolate, standard malt center.  No better nor worse than any other brand.

White Chocolate Gummy Bears.

These were almost good.

The white chocolate coating was fairly standard, sweet white chocolate

It was the gummy bears though I didn't care for, for a rather amusing reason: they were too ... fruity?  The flavors were quite intense, and even after trying each color (which I could make out faintly through the coating), I never found a color that appealed.  The green ones were the worst!

I passed them off to a friend who did enjoy them though, so, to each their own ...

Chocolate Cinnamon Bears.

The chocolate cinnamon bears were surprisingly more successful.  I say surprising because I truly thought the chocolate, cinnamon, and gummy candy combo would be horrible.

I loved the cinnamon bears themselves, huge size, perfect level of chew, great cinnamon flavor.  The milk chocolate coating was good, smooth, creamy, decent milk chocolate.  Both great components.  They went together like ... Mexican chocolate I suppose.

I can't say I want milk chocolate on my cinnamon gummy bears, and would prefer them separate, but I still enjoyed these quite a bit.

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Milk Chocolate Pretzels

The pretzels weren't anything special.  Standard twist shape, standard milk chocolate coating.  About the same as any other brand I've ever tried.