The best chocolate in the world

And it will soon be gone forever.

Theo's 91% Venezuela bar originally arrived as a special edition chocolate. I hugged it close to my heart and savored every bite for I knew it might not last. I even wrote to Theo and implored them to continue producing this blissful delight. They replied that they had every intention of doing so.

I was giddy with relief.

But a few years later when I visited the Seattle area and sought out my beloved 91% Venezuela bar I found something peculiar: there, where it ought to be, was a 91% Costa Rican bar with a decidedly different wrapper.

Uh oh, thought I.

I bought a few bars hoping that 1) the Costa Rica would be just as tasty and that 2) this didn't mean the demise of my favorite chocolate in the world. Alas, when I got home and surfed to Theo's blog, sure enough the Costa Rica was *replacing* my sweet Venezuelan love. Worse? I sampled the new bar and could barely choke down the Costa Rican rendition.

Oh woe. What a terrible shame.

When I learned that Portland's Chocosphere still had a few boxes of my beloved bar left I ordered them immediately. Now I am doling out these precious bites carefully. I know they won't last forever--letting them go past their prime would do them no favors--but I am appreciating them while I may still bring bites to my mouth.

Ahhh, it is bittersweet.

This truly is the best bar of chocolate I've had in my life. It's flavor is full, complex and rich with no sense of overbearing sweetness. With a single 70 calorie strip, it fills me up, ends my appetite completely and leaves me competely satisfied. In addition to being astonishingly delicious, full of healthful properties and kind to humanity and earth, it is a dieter's best friend.

Please, oh pretty cacao-loving please, let peace blossom in Venezuela so that the people may prosper and Theo may once again summon the loveliness of those irreplaceable Venezuelan beans.

~L

I love chocolate.

It's really that simple. While I'm an enthusiastic fan of food and an adventuresome eater, my passion for chocolate eclipses all my other culinary concerns. I strive to eat at least an ounce of the dark stuff (minimum 85% cocoa solids) daily. Due to health concerns I don't eat chocolate with more than a trace of sugar, so most days I stick to 99% or 100% pure bars.

For many moons I've kept a livejournal of chocolate reviews, but incorporating photos in LJ posts is tedious enough that I've determined to make the switch to blogger for the remainder of my cacao-indulging days.

Happily,
~L