"True chocolate for chocolate lovers," is the way Vere describes its dark and delicious confections. Luckily for me, we have a match made in chocolate heaven!
If you're like me and find most chocolate way too sweet, then read on because I've discovered Vere Chocolates. I'm a dark chocolate fan of the first degree. Not only is dark chocolate good for you, it also tends to be less cloying than its milk chocolate counterpart. And white chocolate isn't even chocolate in my books (apologies to all of my South African friends who adore the stuff).
So it was with child-like enthusiasm that I discovered Vere (pronounced Very) Chocolates out of NYC. Vere, or truth in Latin, is a league above the rest. Made from the heirloom varietal Arriba cocoa beans that are sustainably grown in Ecuador, the company prides itself on making artisanal, quality chocolates that are pure from start to finish.
Company President and founder Kathy Moskal saw a gap in the confection marketplace and decided it was time to fill it with her special brand of treats. She wanted to make truly delicious chocolates in which the taste of real cocoa speaks for itself. "Many chocolates on the market today use sugar to mask a lack of cocoa content, inferior beans or poor technique. Reducing the sugar is not just about health, it's about taste," says Moskal.
Instead of sucrose (sugar), Vere subtly sweetens their 75% cocoa dark chocolates with fructose- natural sweeteners that have been designed to avoid spiking blood sugar levels. Here are a few more eye-popping and guilt-reducing facts on this special chocolate.
A single serving of Vere chocolate has:
• Less sugar than an apple
• More fibre than a slice of whole wheat toast
• More antioxidants than 2 pounds of broccoli
• Can lower your blood pressure
• All of this while protecting the Rainforest!
OK you say- it sounds too good to be true, but true it is in both name and flavour. Some of my absolute new favourites include the Coconut Brownies, the Mint+Nib Brownies and the Chocolate Coconut Clusters. The brownies are dark, delicious and rich. They taste almost like an exquisite truffle instead of a traditional, cakey brownie. Moist, melt-in-your-mouth perfection! The Coconut Clusters are a textural treat- crunchy, unsweetened toasted coconut with enough chocolate to make you go "mmmmmmmm!" My husband devoured the Spicy Pepita Wafers- thin discs of dark chocolate with a sprinkling of spicy, roasted pumpkin seeds on top. The perfect after-dinner treat. The chocolate is intense, flavourful and not at all stick-to-the-back-of-your-throat sweet. A little goes far for most, but for this dark chocaholic, I could eat a whole box in a New York minute and even feel good about it too! This is one Best Bite you don't want to miss.
Want other chocolicious news? Check out my pal Jacqueline Church's sweet update at:
