It isn't too often that I'm excited to check the mail. Typically it's just a pile of crap from Comcast informing me of some 'limited time only' deal, coupons to joints that aren't even in reasonable driving distance and the occasional letter from a certain soldier. Nothing to gush over, really.
But for the past week I'd been checking the little steel box with all the enthusiasm of a toddler on Pop Rocks. I even searched the damn thing before and after U.S. Postal Service hours. Why, you ask, was I being such an irrational freak? Simple. Because I knew that at any moment that box would open to a pristine little package containing one of my favorite indulgences; chocolate.
Ah, yes. Chocolate. But not just any chocolate, mind you. This was not Hersheys, Mars, or Cadbury. And it certainly wasn't anything you'd find at the local Jewel, at least not yet. This one is a newcomer to the world of cocoa confections and it's appropriately called Chocolatea by Smile Chocolatiers. Back in March I mentioned my new love for the pistachio and green tea bar by the same company. One of Smile's employees happened to read the post and asked me if I'd like to try another white chocolate concoction, this time with rosemary tea (why, yes I would, thank you).
Upon my seventh visit to the mailbox today, it had finally arrived, all wrapped up in a lovely little package just like the candy of my dreams. Along with the rosemary tea confection was a smaller package containing four scaled-down versions of a few other chocolatea bars. These started with a white chocolate and gradually increased in cacao to 72%. Here's the line-up:
But for the past week I'd been checking the little steel box with all the enthusiasm of a toddler on Pop Rocks. I even searched the damn thing before and after U.S. Postal Service hours. Why, you ask, was I being such an irrational freak? Simple. Because I knew that at any moment that box would open to a pristine little package containing one of my favorite indulgences; chocolate.
Ah, yes. Chocolate. But not just any chocolate, mind you. This was not Hersheys, Mars, or Cadbury. And it certainly wasn't anything you'd find at the local Jewel, at least not yet. This one is a newcomer to the world of cocoa confections and it's appropriately called Chocolatea by Smile Chocolatiers. Back in March I mentioned my new love for the pistachio and green tea bar by the same company. One of Smile's employees happened to read the post and asked me if I'd like to try another white chocolate concoction, this time with rosemary tea (why, yes I would, thank you).
Upon my seventh visit to the mailbox today, it had finally arrived, all wrapped up in a lovely little package just like the candy of my dreams. Along with the rosemary tea confection was a smaller package containing four scaled-down versions of a few other chocolatea bars. These started with a white chocolate and gradually increased in cacao to 72%. Here's the line-up:
- pistachio green tea (37% cocoa butter)
- wild raspberry tea (37% cacao)
- coconut green tea (64% cacao)
- pomegranate white tea (72% cacao)
In all honesty, the rosemary tea just didn't do it for me. The bar itself was rather fetching, a solid block of pale pink cocoa butter flecked with bits of the flowery herb. I wanted nothing more than to dub this my new favorite treat, but the flavor and texture were off. There wasn't even a hint of white chocolate, and the signature infusion was so subtle that all I really tasted was a hunk of wax. Yes folks, it was kind of like chewing a candle. Perhaps my expectations were too high after the revelation I had after first trying Smile's pistachio green tea bar.
Regardless, the four tiny chocolates that I previously mentioned were nothing short of brilliant. I'm still trying to decide which is my favorite. I'd say it's a serious toss-up between the coconut green tea, which reminded me of a refined mounds bar (without the hard-to-chew middle) and the trendy pomegranate white tea with 72% cacao, because I just can't get enough of the dark stuff.
Regardless, the four tiny chocolates that I previously mentioned were nothing short of brilliant. I'm still trying to decide which is my favorite. I'd say it's a serious toss-up between the coconut green tea, which reminded me of a refined mounds bar (without the hard-to-chew middle) and the trendy pomegranate white tea with 72% cacao, because I just can't get enough of the dark stuff.
