Love Bites - Mayan Heat - Feb. 20, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Love Bites Raw Confections

Mayan Heat
Good
Weight: .33 oz. (9.3 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 49 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Vegan Milk Chocolate
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Chili Theme Week.

The combination of cacao and chili peppers is as old as the hills -- if by "old" you mean thousands of years ago, and if by "hills" you mean the Maya Mountains in Central America.

So, it seemed only right to start this theme week with a piece of dark chocolate bark, dubbed 'Mayan Heat" by Merissa, the creator of Love Bites Raw Confections (Thousand Oaks, CA). Each piece of bark was peppered with warm, colorful specks of cayenne and paprika -- adding interest, but not too much heat.

I also sampled the star-shaped Vegan Milk Chocolate, made with cashews. As claimed, this piece was creamy and wonderful.

Today's two Love Bites Raw Confections were free of gluten, soy, corn and milk, and were sweetened with organic maple sugar. While not a chocolate-maker who starts with whole cacao beans from growers, Merissa is clearly focused on providing consumers with healthy end-products, and sources her ingredients carefully. (The company used cacao products from David Wolfe's Longevity Warehouse to make these raw chocolates.)

Thank you Katy for sending these chocolates from Southern California!