Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate - Focus - Jan. 22, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate
Focus chocolate
Good
Weight: .325 oz. (9.5 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 60 calories in 1 piece
Cost: $(missing information) for 1 package of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week.

How about a chocolate with a golden unicorn mascot? That's a little surprising.

We've featured chocolates with names that span the entire alphabet; however, we've never run a series of chocolates that corresponded to an animal alphabet.

If we did, the letters M (chocolate monkeys and mice), S (chocolate squirrels) and C (chocolate cows and cats) would likely be over-represented, as would T (chocolate turtles).

Whereas today's Focus chocolate from Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate (Beverly Hills, CA) might be the only U (unicorn).

The package of four round, peanut butter cup-shaped dark chocolates were made with "beyond fair trade" Arriba Nacional Heirloom Cacao. There was no soft center in these cup-shaped pieces. They were solid chocolates that contained Cordyceps, Siberian Ginseng, Lion's Mane Mushroom, Mesquite, Lucuma and Ashwagandha, and were sweetened with Birch Xylitol and Stevia. They were also sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan.

The texture was fairly smooth. However, not surprisingly, these "superfoods and superherbs" imparted some taste—a slight bitter, medicinal herb flavor; although it was better balanced than it sounds.

Addictive Wellness - Beauty, Tranquility chocolates - Jan. 24, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness

1.) Beauty
Good - Good +
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA


2.) Tranquility
Good
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week. I'm featuring two more raw chocolates from Addictive Wellness (Beverly Hills, CA) that included both alternative plant-based sweeteners as well as somewhat unique plant inclusions (herbs).

Addictive Wellness chocolatiers created both of today's dark (83% cacao) chocolates using fair trade Arriba Nacional Cacao. And both chocolates were sweetened with a combination of birch xylitol and stevia, with lucuma likely providing a small touch of additional sweetness.

One might argue that chocolate by itself includes the ability to pep one up a bit. However, using it as a carrier or medium for additional plant-based substances goes back many centuries.

Today's "Beauty" chocolates contained tremella (mushrooms), chaga (mushrooms) and horsetail (Equisetum arvense). It had a pleasing, subtle chocolate aroma, and nutty, slightly earthy flavor. The texture was firm (like you'd expect from solid chocolate) with a very slight grittiness (like you'd expect from less processed chocolate), while still remaining fairly smooth. It was described as "the perfect balance between sexy, stunning and sweet." And, in fact I think it was the tastiest of the three Addictive Wellness chocolates I tried this week.

The "Tranquility" chocolates contained ashwagandha, reishi (mushrooms) and He Shou Wu.*
It had a similar, subtle, pleasant chocolate aroma and similar solid chocolate texture (as other Addictive Wellness chocolates). It had a very faint sour-bitter plant note, but it was nothing distressing. (I look forward to the implied bliss effect that may kick in later. Just the absence of a sugar buzz may qualify.)

Addictive Wellness chocolates are not only sugar free, but also vegan, gluten free, trans fat free, nut free, soy free, dairy free and GMO free.

Note: The 2-piece serving size for these chocolates seems very benign. However, as with any active substance like chocolate and/or herbs, please research before taking something in larger doses that you're not familiar with, especially if you're already taking medications for an illness. (I myself am sensitive to caffeine and would never have more than 1 cup of coffee. But, all of us are different.)

*He Shou Wu (a plant from China) is also known by several other names, including Fo-ti root, Chinese knotweed, and Tuber fleeceflower.

Addictive Wellness - Love chocolates - Jan. 23, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate
Love (chocolates)
Good - Good +
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories (per label) in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 package of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Addictive Wellness (Beverly Hills, CA) offers a series of raw (83% cacao) chocolates with "superfoods and superherbs" that are sugar free, vegan and gluten free.

Today's Love chocolates (4 pieces to a package) were made with Arriba Nacional Cacao, mesquite, lucuma, maca and reishi mushrooms. Other ingredients included: He Shou Wu, cistanche, mucuna and epimedium*. I can't say I understood the exact benefits these latter four plant items offered, but they didn't cause any ill effects.

Sweetened with birch xylitol, stevia (and the lucuma mentioned above), and seasoned with a bit of Himalayan salt, these round chocolates molded into paper cups had a faint, pleasing and authentic chocolatey aroma, and a very slight coffee and bitter herbs flavor note that added interest.

*Epimedium, native to Asia, is also known as horny goat weed.