Double, Double, Toil and Chocolate

I'm not a choco-holic. I don't consume nearly as much chocolate as I breathe drink coffee. That being said, I am really into chocolate. Its color, nuances, undertones, texture, "hints of (enter flavor here)", basically anything having to do with the excellency of chocolate, I am into. I take it very seriously, much like my coffee.

Two weeks or so ago I was in Marshalls, a discount store full of name-brand items. I never really pay attention to the food stuff they sell (dry goods, not produce), but while in line to check out I was casually browsing through the chocolate at the counter when suddenly, hidden behind a container of other chocolates, were these:

You have no idea what that means to me. Some people become overwhelmed at discovering a silhouette of Mother Mary on a piece of toast, well, replace that with Scharffen Berger and you have me. You see, the nearest I can get any of these chocolates, in 1 ounce bars, is about a forty-five minute drive, one way. Bambers, this little pretentious market in South Bend, quit carrying them a while ago. (I should check to see if that's still true. Last I checked, they still carried Scharffen Berger baking bars.) To see these chocolates at Marshalls was a very big shock. Pretty much a 10.0+ on the Richter scale. Yup.

The Bittersweet is my favorite; namely, it was the very first flavor I ever tried and I loved everything about it. The chocolate is deep without being overpowering and has orange undertones. It melts smoothly and coats your tongue with a lusciously lingering taste.

My favorite way to eat it is to break a smallish piece off, let it start melting (whatever you do, don't chew it), then take a sip of black coffee and swish it around your mouth, then swallow. The taste immediately following is a very pronounced emulsion of the chocolate and coffee flavors. Amazing.

A week later, my dad brought Dagoba. All I really knew about Dagoba was that it is one of Scharffen Berger's sister artisan brands. I was really looking forward to tasting and comparing, though I went into it mostly comparing it unto itself, as these were actually flavored and not simply chocolate with undertones.

Innards of Dagoba Lime

Lime - Hmmm... A citrus-y note that I swear tastes like something else I've eaten, but I can't describe. I couldn't really taste the lime, just some sort of citrus-y, tangy flavor. Not bad at all, and definitely interesting, and not "interesting" in a bad way. My brother says that you need to eat a larger piece than I did to really taste that it's lime. (**As I type: Yes, I can pronouncedly taste the lime with a bigger portion of chocolate. Yummy!**)

Lavender - Smells of soap. Tastes reminiscent of soap (probably due to the mind connection with soap, hm?), but it grows on you... In the words of my dad, This is what rich kids eat when they cuss. Unlike the lime, I could actually tell this was lavender with just a tiny bit.

Eclipse - Wow. My tongue was coated in a very dense, not-at-all smoothly melting chocolate. This chocolate was probably the least sweet chocolate I've had in a while, thought besides the annoying density it really wasn't that bad. Think: taste of cocoa powder, but with a slight note of sweetness. If that's your thing, as it usually is mine, you'll enjoy this chocolate.

I'm on the lookout for other chocolates to blog about. A few brands come to mind immediately, but if there's one you like then let me know and I'll check it out.

(EoP)