Chocolate is there for you to heal a broken heart, cure you of your PMS cramps or just help with bored eating. But is it great mixed with other things? I will be taste-testing six unusual flavors of chocolate and giving my honest opinion.
#SpoonTip: I was sent three of the six flavors for this article by Nuts.com.
1) Tabasco Spicy Chocolate
Spicy chocolate is a thing, and it’s here to stay. The taste initially hits you with the dark chocolate. But then, afterwards you are hit with what I like to think of as an after-burst. I don’t normally do spicy, but in this case, I tried to hold it in. The spicy notes are bold, and if you aren’t into spice you would probably not like it. The Tabasco taste in the end seemed to be so powerful it overtook any of the flavors that the dark chocolate had.
Rating: 1/5
2) Strawberry Cheesecake
The taste of the cheesecake was not sweet but not overbearing. The strawberries were flavorful enough to make a lasting impression, while the cream cheese did not seem overly heavy. Taste wise it was comparable to a cake pop, while the chocolate served to be a coating and the cheesecake filling was creamy and decadent. Not something you want to eat all at once.
Rating: 4.5/5
3) Peanut Butter and Banana
Made from fair trade non-GMO dark chocolate, this bar was surprising. The dark chocolate was the was center stage, while the peanuts were in small chunks so it wasn’t in every bite. The banana was not as strong of a taste as I thought it would be, but there was a saltiness that I was getting. I think that in the bar they used sea salt to bring out the flavor of the dark chocolate. The two would be a good combo.
Rating: 3/5
4) Mo’s Dark Uncured Bacon and Alderwood Smoked Salt
The thought of bacon flavor anything scared me when it came to sweets. But with chocolate I had no idea what to expect. The bacon bits were crunchy and provided a hint of saltiness that worked well with the dark chocolate. It wasn’t overpowering and the bacon was cooked down enough that you didn’t taste any of the fat. Reminded me of a chocolate covered pretzel only saltier.
Rating:4/5
5) Chocolate-Covered Ginger
The ginger pieces are coated with a crystallized coating, and then that is coated with dark chocolate. The taste was sweet from the sugar but also had an interesting spicy bite from the ginger. If you aren’t into spicy things, this might also not be your cup of tea.
Rating: 3/5
6) Chocolate, Chilies and Cherries
The interesting note about the chilies and cherries in dark chocolate bar, was that the taste went from the initial dark chocolate taste to a slight heat from the chilies to finishing with the sweet taste of the cherries. This was my favorite so far. I think that all the flavors were balanced any no one taste was more attention grabbing then the next.
Rating 5/5
Whether it’s peppers or ginger or cheese cake, chocolate seems to go well to an extent with everything. While these chocolates might not have all been my favorite I am glad I was given the opportunity to try all them. Pushing yourself past your comfort zone can be a rewarding thing. I think I might go buy more of that chilies and cherries chocolate.