Life by chocolate: taste test #2

Contestant #2 in our Valentine's chocolate countdown is the Sweet Earth Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (72% cacao).

Pros: Tangy, rich, and it grew on me. Saving some to make brownies that will earn entry into Dante's third circle. Buy this in bulk for baking, or check out the company's ooey-gooey bon-bons for V-Day giftees. Miguel likes the lack of sugar.

Cons: More bitter than sweet, acidic, bark-like, leaves tongue dry. Felt chalky, not as silky as other high-cacao brands--but that's what you get for lots of antioxidants. Their truffles might be a sweeter escape. Clunky online ordering; e-mail or call their toll-free number instead. No nutritional details on label.

Flavor verdict: 7 out of 10

Eco-friendliness: Fair Trade Certified; certified organic by CCOF; profits support a trio of fair trade co-ops in West Africa. Beans are bought from co-ops in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. The label, featuring a cocoa farmer, would look at home in a Peace Corps brochure; it even says that Ouin-bi-Belly is smiling about America. Hm. The company site says:

Like the Hippocratic oath, First, do no harm, we promise that eating our Fair-Trade-certified chocolate does no harm, either to the earth or the people who depend on it.

technorati tags: organic chocolate fairtrade gmo

valentine

Comments

[Jason]

Thanks for the information...I bookmarked your site, and I appreciate your time and effort to make your blog a success!

[elsa]

Au contraire, Schiller, fair trade doesn't mean it tastes bad. :) Maybe your coffee was just a bad batch or brand that doesn't suit your tastebuds; I'm sure you could find some others that taste better! check out all of these FT coffees:
http://www.coffeereview.com/allreviews.cfm?find=fair-trade
...and chocolates:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/retailers.html

While I'm tasting some bitter dark, dark chocolates, you can get all kinds of sweeter fair trade flavors. Fair trade just means that the growers and makers aren't ripped off.

As http://ww.transfairusa.org says:
"By receiving a fair price, Fair Trade producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The Fair Trade producers' traditional artisanal farming methods result in exceptional products."

[Schiller]

If "fair trade" chocolate is like "fair trade" coffee, it must be ghastly. I grind my own beans because I want a fresh brew, so I got some fair trade coffee and did me up a batch. Gack! Tasted like that percolator coffee that's been sitting in the pot since the end of yesterday's third shift at the rubber tire plant!

[green LA girl]

I'm a big fan of the Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate Peanut Crunch Bar. And darling -- If you and your lover lived down here in SoCal, I'm sure you'd heart my Valentines Day party. But as it is, hope the two of you celebrate in grand fair trade style up there :)