Chocolate!

I’m totally obsessed lol. And also I though…I really love chocolate and enjoy it with (and without) my tea but what if I’m over here eating the chocolate equivalent of Lipton and not even know it?? People on Steepster might know about some completely awesome chocolate!

I think Hershey’s is the equivalent of Lipton haha

Haha that is a truth, Mandy

Sometimes, however, we are so hormonally driven to gnarf chocolate, brand doesn’t matter: Hershey’s ice cream syrup administered directly to the tongue, semisweet baker’s chocolate, baking chips so old they’ve turned a little white, soggy Oreos, Betty Crocker fudge frosting straight out of the tub…

Oh gmathis, I have been there. I have eaten unsweetened baker’s chocolate on more than one occasion and every time I’m like, this is terrrible lol

I’m pretty sure they will improve whatever you add them to :-)

Cocoa nibs are a wonderful blend-in with all kinds of things! I can get locally by the ounce at an indie grocery, so I try to keep a jar full.

I found mine completely by chance at a local TJmaxx in the gourmet section, raw organic at a great price -bad I know, but I checked the dates and seems alright. I have regular nibs and dark, and have to say the dark roasted is hands down the superior of the two. It smells like Ghiradelli dark chocolate and doesn’t taste bitter even without sweetener. I used it in a simple syrup as well that turned out very well.

Pear chocolate?? That sounds amazing!! I like Dove dark too for easy-to-find chocolate.

HyVee is where I find the Zoet, if there are any around you. If not, we’ll have to work a swap when it gets colder. :)

It looks like there is one about an hour south of me…that’s kind of a long way to drive for a chocolate bar. A swap would be fun if you’re up for it in the fall :-)

Those look AMAZING…omg marzipan (the food lol) is one of my favorites with chocolate. I really like the Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate Marzipan. It’s my favorite chocolate bar right now.

Ritter sport is as close as I can get over here, but every time we visit Denmark we take an extra bag and fill up with all of the different Anthon Berg ones.

I love Lindt’s truffles, especially when they get a little bit warm and the inside melts into chocolate soup. Yummmm… <3

Yep, Lindt dark chocolate all the way! I have had one tea-infused chocolate and it was earl grey (boo to the blerg). I need more tea-infused chocolates! Although WP’s Golden Orchid does a great job blending those two flavors :-)

Well, there’s winter!

Yes, winter! I was thinking the same thing! If I see that Lindt Pistachio bar, I’m definitely going to have to try it.

What is this winter you speak of? Florida doesnt have winter, haha. We get 3 days a year where the weather is in the 50s

Don’t remind me, Mandy! I miss Florida SO MUCH

I really wanna try a tea & chocolate TTB anyway, and just see if it works!

I am so down for that if it ever happens. I had the same idea :o

That would be so awesome! How would that even work?? lol Individually wrapped chocolates (like the lindor truffles) and we’ll all taste one of each and add in a new chocolate?

I was think something a long those lines, small bars or individually wrapped chocolates, and you put back as much as you take out. Maybe even try to do pairings, like a dark chocolate and a tea that’s got cocoa notes. Or like chocolate with raspberries and a raspberry tea. Or just a tea you think would go well with the chocolate. Try to relate the main tea and chocolate you have together some how. Bonus points if you can find something unique from a local chocolate shop or like a flavor thats not that common. Like chocolate and chili matched with like a spicy chai tea

Hm. I don’t know that I’d be uncomfortable if someone bought a bar and broke it into sections and put them in little bags or something. I mean, I trust everyone to put little samples of tea in bags with clean hands. Why not chocolate? :)

I like the pairings idea.

I was also thinking like wrapped in foil and but in a baggie. Seems that there’s more unique and interesting flavors in bar form than individual sized

I’d be totally fine with people breaking up bars into sections too

Haha sorry :-). I didn’t mean to derail any diets that may be happening!

I know. I’m breaking out in a cold sweat reading all these posts!

Green tea truffles sound devine

But…not even milk?

What was the reason you shouldn’t have chocolate with other food? So you don’t adulterate the flavors of the chocolate? I could see that with the high end stuff, but at the same time, teas sometimes bring out other flavors in the chocolates. Hmm…

See, “shouldn’t” and “chocolate” can’t exist together in my world.

Yeah, it was so you get the chocolate flavours in their true forms. Though I will have some of my chocolate, and chocolate treats with either tea or coffee.

Do you buy them online or do any stores carry them? I see they have one with coconut mmmmmmm. Also, those must have been the best s’mores ever!

I got them all at Wegmans. I have to try more flavors next time.

You gotta try them in some s’mores!

Alas, we have no Wegmans here :-(. But my boyfriend lives in Maryland so next time I’m visiting him I will have to pick some up!

Love After Eight too. It’s something about the texture.

After Eight are deadly little mints. Whole box? Done! :) Also, on the subject of mints and dark chocolate, sounds sooo snobby to say this, but while I have largely moved on from Godiva, their mints are ah-mazing. :)

Virginia, if you’ll go out of your way for kickass chocolate, you might look at Askinosie. Their 72% Tanzania bar is to die for. Haven’t looked at shipping – might be cost prohibitive. In which case, when and if we do a cold weather chocolate & tea box, I’ll be sure to put a couple of their bars in. :)

I have never had an after eight mint…are they like Andes mints? Also, I’m loving the tea and chocolate box that has been born from this thread. That is going to be epic

After Eights are more like Yorks than Andes. They are super thin and the mint is more liquidy than a York.

You can find them sometimes at CVS, and our Fresh Market has them.