What's your favorite kind of chocolate?

Merin Porter
Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

Okay, it's a stretch (maybe) to post this in the "Natural and Home Medicine" category, but sometimes chocolate is good medicine! That said, what's your favorite brand? My current favorites are Guittard and Chocolove, although I remember liking the Côte d’Or brand when I tried it several years ago (not sure if it's the same today).


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Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dark chocolate was always my favorite. I am trying to only eat dark chocolate that was not alkali treated because the chocolate retains most of its nutrients if processed that way. I am still trying to determine my favorites under this restriction. I also aim for 70% cocoa. That being said, I occasionally indulge in a totally unhealthy milk chocolate just for the extra creaminess.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2019

    We mainly enjoy 80 to 90% dark chocolate like https://explore.lindtusa.com/excellence/ & I buy this when in the 4 stores I shop it's on sale for $1.99, & sometimes even $1.49. Yum!

    That said, you can't hardly turn down the Trader Joe's Chocolate from Belgium 72% bar (over 1 pound "brick" as I call it), also yummy. We cut it up & make it last 6 months. ) - with soy & sugar it's not that good, but it does the job for us poor folks.

  • pamelamackenzie
    pamelamackenzie Posts: 143 ✭✭✭

    Bouchard Belgian Chocolate is in stock now at Costco for the Holidays. its a large bag of individually wrapped mini chocolate bars, 72% cacao. The bag indicates a serving size is 6 pieces, but one is satisfying. I had it for the first time last year. There are so many bars that I was able to make many gift bags with it last year. I bought a bag today for this season. They only have it during the winter holiday season.

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    I am so glad you posted this! I've been looking for an excuse to discuss chocolate. My absolute favorite is Equal Exchange; they're a great, ethical company and I love their extra dark bars. 88% is so good that I gush about it to anyone who will listen. Bitter in a good way, with no unpleasant tang, and quite smooth. Also love that they do not(last I checked) use soy lecithin in their chocolate. That's pretty rare. They also make some specialty flavors, like coconut milk chocolate(dairy free) or the surprisingly good lemon pepper ginger dark chocolate.

    Alter Eco also makes an excellent extra dark, but I haven't tried the other flavors.

    Green & Black makes a good white chocolate, with relatively clean ingredients. I'm not fond of white chocolate for snacking, but I buy it for baking/candy making.

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭

    When it comes to chocolate, I don't read labels-if its dark chocolate, at the health food store, and on sale-I'll indulge occasionally.

  • sallyhoward
    sallyhoward Posts: 106 ✭✭✭

    Great topic! My taste for dark chocolate is up to 85% Lindt also. Can't have the lower % anymore. 1. for the taste, having given up sugar. And 2. because the lower % cocoa and higher sugar chocolate gives me headaches. I will have a look for the equal exchange, sounds good!

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba Thanks for the Equal Exchange info, I will check them out. I also try to avoid soy lecithin because of GMO soy and plant estrogens.

  • pamelamackenzie
    pamelamackenzie Posts: 143 ✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba, lemon pepper ginger dark chocolate sounds interesting.

  • cre8tiv369
    cre8tiv369 Posts: 67 ✭✭✭

    +1 on the Equal Exchange (organic) chocolate. I only eat organic (100% organic diet, because I don’t eat poisoned food) and that includes chocolate, my wife prefers dark but I am a super taster and like all super tasters, bitter is overwhelming. So I like organic milk chocolate, but my favorite is organic semi sweet chocolate (for baking and I like it for eating as well). With organic I don’t have to worry about GMO soy lecithin or GMO sugar, and I always shoot for fair trade. After that it’s all about taste and sweetness levels. Most American chocolate is wayyyyyy too sweet, European chocolate tends to have a better balance of sweetness and doesn’t have the problem with being too waxy.

  • one.ette
    one.ette Posts: 54 ✭✭✭

    Ok, I can't resist joining in on this topic! :)

    Lately, I've really been enjoying the organic dark chocolate covered walnuts from the bulk bins at Sprouts grocery stores... they are SO satisfying!

    Also, after reading practically every label on every chocolate bar at Sprouts, (and they have tons!), I found TCHO 81% extra dark... oh my goodness! They are awesome and only 4 ingredients! No yukies! It definitely satisfies my chocolate cravings!

    As for chocolate chips, Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips are my go to...

    Happy chocolate munching everyone!

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    Hu Chocolate... there is no additives ever. That means no major allergens, no shiny glazes etc. It is all house-ground and made in small batches so it is the pure dark chocolate flavor profile coming through. Yes, it is more expensive but you don't blindly sit there and eat and eat and eat because you don't need to eat the whole thing to get satisfied. Since I found them there is no other company out there that I've found which can compare.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    OMG @Merin Porter I would not be alive today if it weren't for chocolate "Theobromo cacao". Love, love, love her.

    I agree with so many that wrote in about Equal exchange. But heck yeah, Trader Joe's bricks, Lindt, TCHO, Godiva... I really can't stand milk chocolate or anything less that 72% cacao.

    The TGN staff are headed to Peurto RIco for our annual planning meeting and I am stoked to be looking at chocolate farms when I go. :)

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    My favorite is Dark Chocolate. I have had various fair traded chocolates over the years but my favorite now is a raw chocolate bar that has only two ingredients. I don't recall the name of the manufacturer but you get six individually wrapped bars. I found it in a local health food store.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @Merin Porter - when you started this discussion with "Okay, it's a stretch (maybe) to post this in the "Natural and Home Medicine" category, but sometimes chocolate is good medicine! "

    I thought, & still do, & prolly will always think "Hey, dark chocolate closer to 80% & above IS... Good all the time, including 4 medicine. And really, see we all Agree 🤗 LOL

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    And the name of the chocolate is "Go Raw" Chocolate.

  • Hello Friends,

    Here is a newer brand that is made small batch. It is currently available in Santa Fe NM, but the owners are getting ready to be able to ship anywhere. Check out www.tiacoco.com. Made with the best ingredients. I trust them because the main force behind this is my daughter! She started making healthy chocolate at home when she was a teenager and she is really talented. The fresh, small batch aspect of the business takes it to the top of the list.

    They are currently doing some work on their website. I'm going to recommend that they start a mailing list so they can let people know what is up and when they start shipping. You can also follow her on facebook if you are interested.

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    I miss Costco! I'm going back to visit family in the big city this Christmas, though, so I may have to check this out. Yum!

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    Lemon pepper ginger dark chocolate? Okay, I'll bite! (pun intended) :D

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    Sounds like a lot of folks like Equal Exchange -- I've actually never heard of it before now! Will definitely have to check it out.... Thanks! :)

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin


    Sounds amazing! I've never heard of Hu Chocolate -- where do you buy yours?

  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin
  • Merin Porter
    Merin Porter Posts: 1,026 admin

    Yes, they totally need a mailing list! I'm not all that far from Santa Fe, and we're planning a trip there in the not-too-distant future. Will your daughter's business have a storefront?

  • deejcve
    deejcve Posts: 10 ✭✭✭

    Definitely the darker the better with as little sugar as possible.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have bought Hu chocolate from the Thrive online market. I just found the Equal Exchange chocolate at a Natural Grocers store. Both are very good.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    the Thrive store has an "online market" ? - oh boy, yet another place to Ooogle, lol

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    www.thrivemarket.com is a member health food store. You pay a yearly membership like you do for Costco. I have been a member for a couple of years. I find it convenient to read food labels online. Also, they discount prices, give freebies with purchase, and give out some samples. They do some community outreach as well.

    As you can tell from my previous post, I also shop at the local Natural Grocers (and Costco, and.....)

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    okay, I apologize for asking. - Which reminds me: so we give it our best to Grow as much of our foods as we can muster time-wise. - After that we either barter/trade, or buy the Least-expensive Farmer's market foods & other Outlet grocers. --- Hey, wonder if anybody here even goes to a foodBank for organic Whole foods. - Maybe we can have a thread on all such options. I tried with my while growing gardens, buy 'Organic' ? thread; but that never went where I intended. Maybe that's a clue, lol

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow I am trying to find a way to grow my own food. Moving to this house over a year ago has limited my ability to do so. I am perched on a small mountainside, an acre of rock with slight overlay of sand. I have some herbs in pots and am starting to augment a small plot of land that may grow something that can be in the shade while temperatures range above 110 degrees F and below freezing. I am in growing zone 8. Growing food was easier in Las Vegas with clay soils; I figured that situation out.

    So far I have had mixed success with even the landscape plants that I have put in bare spots. I have a full spectrum of critters and pests also. Previous city living reduced pests considerably.

    I have been investigating what desert plants I have: yucca and cactus have some medicinal uses.

    I buy local where I can, and hunt down organic foods otherwise. I spend a lot of time filtering commercial foods for healthy content.

    I also read every gardening thread on this forum, looking for information and experience relative to my circumstances.

    With time I will get a garden going. I am listening to all of my teachers.

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @Merin Porter have you ever heard of Thrive Market? It is an online "grocery store" which specializes in a better for you quality line of foods. Their premise is it is a membership club, so you pay dues once a year, and then the manufacturers they carry agree to give us shoppers a discount on their line of goods. If you use it only occasionally you can pickup products which you generally will never find locally and you get your dues returned to you just because of the discount program.

    For me it is convenient because I can get access to all kinds of merchandise that I don't find locally. It is easy to always meet their minimums for free shipping since the order amount is low (you can order less if you desire but then there is a shipping charge). And since I have food allergies, I also have a broader selection of foods to chose from since they do choose to carry a broader line of goods.

    I'm not going to say it is for everybody but if you try to be careful about your foods, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, household articles etc. etc. it is convenient to buy from them. If you'd like to check it out here's the link. https://thrivemarket.com/how-it-works

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl check out the info I just wrote to merin porter about Thrive Market and it may interest you also considering your location where you now live. It may make sourcing some of your supplies a little easier.