The Lady In Red – A Mother/Daughter Tasting

 

This week we are super excited to welcome The Lady In Red as our guest blogger. She along with her eleven-year-old daughter did some Chocology tasting recently and have shared their thoughts here with us.

We hope that you enjoy this weeks post. Don’t forget to stop by theladyinredblog.com and enter to win your favorite Fat Ass Fudge.

 

 

 

Mother-Daughter Chocolate Tasting – Yes, Kids are Chocolate Connoisseurs, Too!

Time to do something different! Which, for me, is the norm.

I love spending time with my daughter, and I was thinking a mother-daughter chocolate tasting would be pretty fun. I’m a professional writer by trade (among other things) and can work on writing by myself any old time, but I love engaging her in the things I do when she has similar interests. One interest we have in common is CHOCOLATE! [Common ground with a pre-teen! Yay! Nothing better than bonding over something sweet!

A few months ago, Chocology Unlimited and I crossed paths in cyberspace. I would drool over their decadent posts on Facebook and Instagram, and they would stop by and say “hi” on mine. We became a perfect pairing. As I found out more about their chocolate offerings, I also learned that the owner also believes in engaging children in chocolate, too!

While some of you may think that kids can’t tell the difference between a Hershey’s Kiss and M&M’s when it comes to the way chocolate tastes – well, you may be right! This also holds true for adults! This is because most consumer chocolate manufactured in the United States is the lowest possible grade of chocolate; and there’s not much done to differentiate it from bag to bag of cheap, chocolate.

However, just like you can tell the difference between an inexpensive cut of steak and prime rib, there is a difference when comparing high grade chocolate to run-of-the-mill cheap chocolate.  This is apparent when you compare premium brands of chocolate to those offered by manufacturers out to make money and maximize sales on increased sugar content, to mask the natural cocoa butter that they’ve extracted out, and sold to cosmetics companies for a profit. #Truth

I have a few indulgences. Who doesn’t? While I won’t list them all here, so someone does not have all of the keys to obtain ultimate power over me, I will admit that chocolate is one of my vices; not in excess though.   My love of chocolate is very selective, occasional, and usually enjoyed in small bites in place of a full portion of dessert.   I tend to enjoy various forms, sometimes dark or milk chocolate enrobed cream, nut, caramel or fruit flavored confections; maybe you’ll find me savoring sea salt sprinkled pure solid chocolate bits paired with a glass of red wine; and sometimes I’ll sneak into my refrigerator for a bite of fudge.

I love chocolate in its purest forms. While I will have an occasional hot chocolate or a tiny molten lava chocolate cake, I’m not the girl who reaches for chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake and cookies. That’s not me. I’m going to go for the chocolate bars, chocolate candies, and fudge in very small amounts. Chocology Unlimited must have read my mind because they cater to my cravings perfectly with their offerings.

And I must admit, Chocology and I both had a hidden agenda in timing this piece with a giveaway as my blog (TheLadyinRedBlog.com) broke 20,000 official LIKES on Facebook. So it’s a bit of a celebration; and who doesn’t like to celebrate with chocolate!? (Did I say GIVEAWAY? Yes! Read on…)

My daughter prefers lighter types of chocolate, like milk chocolate and white chocolate. She also isn’t a chocolate on chocolate type of girl. Occasionally she’ll have a little chocolate ice cream or reach for a piece of chocolate, but she’s not going to go overboard, because she enjoys savoring the flavor – the quality – versus quantity of chocolate she consumes. That’s a pretty eclectic palate for an eleven year-old!

So we were coming from opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum, with me preferring milk-to-dark chocolate, and her living on the lighter milk-to-white side, when we broke open boxes of Chocology’s confections and gave our very honest opinions of each.

I must start with our shared favorite: THE WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH NUTS AND FUDGE! (It deserves to be in all caps!)

If I had to create a menu for my last meal on earth, Chocology’s white chocolate with nuts and fudge would be on the list. It’s my favorite; it always has been and always will be. It’s contradictory to traditional “fudge” in that it’s not brown milk or dark “chocolate” but I don’t care. My daughter and I are on the same page with this one. We both can’t get enough of it. It’s our favorite flavor of Fat Ass Fudge, hands down.

Yes, they call it “Fat Ass Fudge” – because… yes, you will have a fat ass if you eat this in copious quantities! And it’s also a memorable name!

The coolest thing about this delicious fudge, in all flavors, that differentiates it from other fudges out there – besides the name 🙂 – is that it’s made from Belgian chocolate, goat’s milk and goat’s butter, instead of cow’s milk ingredients. Cool! I never would have guessed. That certainly explains the rich texture. My tasting partner thought this flavor of fudge was her favorite, too. We fought over the last bit left.   ‘Nuff said!

We also sampled the cappuccino fudge, which we felt you must let melt in your mouth a bit before you judge it. After you truly taste it, you’ll sense the creamy flavor, which I liken to the foam on a cappuccino, and the coffee taste reminds me of coffee ice cream. My daughter loves coffee, so she gave it a thumbs-up, too. I wouldn’t expect that reaction from a kid – most kids aren’t into coffee so much. So this is one that’s probably more suited to the adults than the kiddos.

The chocolate mint fudge is quite minty, and the s’mores fudge will have you saying “More!” The sweetness of the marshmallow offsets the dark chocolate perfectly.  All flavors of Fat Ass Fudge melt in your mouth with rich bliss.

We also got to sample boxed chocolates that look almost too good to eat! They are like little decorated tiny treasures, too pretty to taste! They are colorful, with candy coatings that sparkle, yet creamy inside.

They are almost too beautiful to eat! (Almost!) ; )

While any parent and child may not agree on many things, I highly recommend savoring and sampling some of Chocology’s chocolates and fudge flavors as a shared experience that you no doubt will blissfully bond over. And the fun part is finding out if you share common ground with what flavors are favorites! (And if you find yourself loving the same selections — the best place to hide fudge is in the veggie bin in the fridge!) ; )

Don’t forget to enter the Chocology Unlimited Fat Ass Fudge giveaway! Click here to enter!