Sugar Plum Chocolates Nostalgic Chocolate Bars for Summertime Fun

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If you are seeking delicious chocolates this season, then Sugar Plum Chocolates is worthy of your consideration! All of Sugar Plum’s delicious gourmet treats are lovingly handcrafted and made from in bakery and kitchen in Kingston, Pennsylvania.

About Sugar Plum Chocolates,

On March 1, 1995, Sugar Plum Chocolates opened their first store in Northeast Pennsylvania. The mission: develop a candy business to give the world a little taste of happiness one bite at a time. Frann along with her son, Neil, established the company with an unyielding focus on quality, service, and value which enabled them to quickly expand their local business. 

For over 28 years, the Edley family has offered quality and premium chocolate confections to its clients. Using only the finest ingredients for delectable treats, customers have responded by depending upon Sugar Plum for all their special moments.

The vision has always revolved around being a creative, independent, female owned business. And the focus always remains clear - to help make a difference in the lives of people by offering high quality and delicious treats that can be used for employee recognition, client appreciation, weddings, birthdays, and numerous other special life events.

According to Sugar Plum Chocolates,

Choose your flavor of Nostalgic Chocolate Bars by Sugar Plum. Bring back fond childhood memories with our unique flavors. We have six types of handmade candy in our collection. 

Each Nostalgic Chocolate Bar is 3.5 oz. and they offer five packs.

Choose from any of these flavors:

• Apple Pie has creamy and smooth milk chocolate with spicy fall or autumn flavors. We add cinnamon, dried fruit chunks, then kiss the bar with a dash of sea salt. Sugar Plum reimagines a fresh-baked Apple Pie. Get the taste of this savory dessert with our handmade creation. 
• Pancakes & Syrup Nostalgic Chocolate Bars are for the ultimate breakfast lover! We hand-craft a mix like we would whip up a batter. The maple-inspired candy has smooth milk and hardy dark chocolate. Sugar Plum also adds vanilla wafers and finishes the bar off with a syrup flavor.
• Peanut Butter and Jelly is a classic fave, made with our creamy Milk Chocolate. The bar takes you back to being a kid with a PB & J sandwich. Sugar Plum hand crafts a new spin on a timeless go-to. We make Peanut Butter and Jelly more fun and tasty!
• Fruity Flake Bars will have ya sayin’, “Yabba Dabba Doo!” We use white fudge chocolate that tastes decadent. Remember Saturday morning cartoons when you eat this delicious candy. The Nostalgic Chocolate Bar has dashes of fruity pebbles in it.
• Milk and Cookies throwback to a time when you enjoyed a comforting snack. Sugar Plum crafts this unique decadent and smooth candy bar. We mix milk chocolate, cookie pieces, and chips. Blended all together, the ingredients leave you satisfied.
  
• Cinnamon Roll Bars blend silky smooth white chocolate with sweet cinnamon flavors. Imagine an ooey-gooey sticky bun in the form of candy. Sugar Plum captures the essence of the hot glaze. Sink your teeth into our Cinnamon Roll Nostalgic Chocolate Bar. Our candy makes less of a mess than a warm sticky bun!

Their nostalgic flavors from childhood are delightful, but these melt-in-your-mouth chocolates are delicious for kids of all ages!

Click to enlarge (to see the ingredients and nutritional information)

Overall Assessment: These chocolate bars are delicious and nostalgic, and they are so much fun to share with loved ones!

$25.00 for a 5 Pack from Sugar Plum Chocolates (Unaffiliated Links). Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own. Copyright © 2023 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Aftelier Perfumes Areté Fine Chocolate Ylang Ylang- Pear White Chocolate Bar

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Aftelier Perfumes has taken artisanal chocolate to an unimaginable height in their collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate! Available in three utterly sublime flavor juxtapositions, Areté Violet-Raspberry 63% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate (REVIEWED HERE), Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar and Areté Ginger-Rose 67% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate Bar (REVIEWED HERE), these melt-in-your-mouth chocolates are unlike anything that you have ever tried. As you may have noted in my previous review, I had all but the Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar, and now that I have that masterpiece I wanted to review it for you before you commit to your Valentine's Day chocolate purchases.

Aftelier Perfumes and Areté Fine Chocolate are both exceedingly proud of their brilliant collaboration in creating these delectable flavored chocolate bars. Made using Aftelier Perfumes legendary Chef's Essences and Areté Fine Chocolate, these otherworldly creations are to be savored slowly. Of the three flavors, I have tasted all of them except the Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar.

According to Aftelier Perfumes, "So proud of these amazing chocolate bars from our collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate asserts, "We collaborated with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel to create these special bars. A divine marriage of our Belize Maya Mountain Chocolate and her 100% natural Chef's Essences. We spent six months working together to get the balance just right."

Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar is described as an, "incredible unexpected butterscotch notes appear in this delicious third collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate posits, "this bar is the third in our collaboration with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. We were looking for the perfect backdrop and pairing for her magical Ylang Ylang Chef's Essence, and we found it in our 35% white chocolate and Mandy's Pear essence. This bar is as subtle and elegant as our Ginger-Rose and Violet-Raspberry bars are bold and daring."

Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar is the most delightful, complex and unexpected juxtaposition of flavors that I could have ever envisaged. One might expect that the marriage between ylang ylang and pear would result in a muting of the pear by the assertive warm, creamy and peppery ylang ylang, but that simply is not the case. Instead, the pear tempers the ylang ylang, and when mixed with the richness of the white chocolate a decidedly butterscotch flavor merges. It has a creamy round flavor that is warm, refined and not too sweet. It is elegant and sublime, and quite possibly the most delectable chocolate bar to grace your palate. The texture of the chocolate is velvety smooth, without any of the waxiness associated with lower quality mainstream chocolates, and it should be savored rather than devoured. My recommendation is to break off a small piece and let it dissolve in your mouth, rather than chewing it, as this allows each of the flavors to unfold slowly, and it invites one to luxuriate in the otherworldly texture and fragrance.

Each handcrafted bar is signed by the artisans.

As soon as I read Mandy's enclosed note, I knew that I was going to experience a very special chocolate bar.

Overall Assessment: Aftelier Perfumes Areté Fine Chocolate Ylang Ylang- Pear White Chocolate Bar is unlike any chocolate bar that I have ever tried, and I cannot sufficiently underscore the extent to which this chocolate bar should not be missed! If you are buying Valentine's Day Chocolates, then I highly recommend trying this one or the Aftelier Perfumes Areté Fine Chocolate Violet-Raspberry or Ginger-Rose instead of mainstream chocolates.

$12.00 for a 2.2 oz. bar from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links).
Gift. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2020 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Aftelier Perfumes Areté Fine Chocolate Violet-Raspberry, Ginger-Rose and Ylang Ylang- Pear Chocolate Bars

Gift (Unaffiliated Links)

Rather than purchasing the typical box of chocolates this Valentines Day, I highly recommend selecting something far from ordinary, and Aftelier Perfumes has created just that with their collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate! Available in three utterly sublime flavor juxtapositions, Areté Violet-Raspberry 63% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate, Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar and Areté Ginger-Rose 67% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate Bar, these melt-in-your-mouth chocolates are unlike anything that you have ever tried.

Aftelier Perfumes and Areté Fine Chocolate are both exceedingly proud of their brilliant collaboration in creating these delectable flavored chocolate bars. Made using Aftelier Perfumes legendary Chef's Essences and Areté Fine Chocolate, these otherworldly creations are to be savored slowly. Of the three flavors, I have tasted all of them except the Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar.

According to Aftelier Perfumes, "So proud of these amazing chocolate bars from our collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate asserts, "We collaborated with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel to create these special bars. A divine marriage of our Belize Maya Mountain Chocolate and her 100% natural Chef's Essences. We spent six months working together to get the balance just right."

Areté Ylang Ylang- Pear 35% White Chocolate Bar is described as an, "incredible unexpected butterscotch notes appear in this delicious third collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate posits, "this bar is the third in our collaboration with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. We were looking for the perfect backdrop and pairing for her magical Ylang Ylang Chef's Essence, and we found it in our 35% white chocolate and Mandy's Pear essence. This bar is as subtle and elegant as our Ginger-Rose and Violet-Raspberry bars are bold and daring."

Areté Violet-Raspberry 63% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate is a beautifully perfumed chocolate bar of the highest quality that is smooth, rich and aromatic. The marriage between the violet and raspberry essences result in the perfect balance of flavors that delight the senses. The complexity of the flavors unfold when you eat it slowly and allow for the subtlety and refinement of this elegant bar to gradually unfurl.

Mandy Aftel asserts that she is, "so proud of this amazing second chocolate bar from our collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate posits, "we worked again with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel to create this second collaboration bar. A magical pairing of our Belize Maya Mountain Chocolate and her 100% natural Violet and Raspberry Chef’s Essences."

Areté Ginger-Rose 67% Maya Mountain Belize Dark Chocolate Bar is a beautiful and perfectly balanced commingling of ginger and rose, and while you might wonder whether the ginger is too sharp to pair with the delicacy of the Turkish Rose, I assure you that this flavorful encounter is pure unmitigated perfection. It is subtle, yet complex, and it never overpowers the senses. The ginger is tempered by the rose, and the rose asserts its elegant disposition and ethereal wonderment without diminishing or suppressing the ginger's inherent spicy character. I recommend eating it very slowly to savor every single bit of its magnificence.

Mandy Aftel is, "so proud of this amazing chocolate bar from our collaboration with Areté Fine Chocolate!"

Areté Fine Chocolate assets, "we collaborated with renowned artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel to create this special bar. A divine marriage of our Belize Maya Mountain Chocolate and her 100% natural Turkish Rose and Indonesian Ginger Chef’s Essences. We spent almost four months working together to get the balance just right, and if you’re a fan of ginger we think you’ll agree that this bar is as close to perfection as you could hope to get."

Overall Assessment: Rather than going to the candy store in your local mall, I highly recommend trying Aftelier Perfumes Areté Fine Chocolate Violet-Raspberry, Ginger-Rose and Ylang Ylang- Pear Chocolate Bars instead. You will be so grateful that you did, and so will the recipient of this perfect gift!

$12.00-$15.00 for each 2.2 oz. bar from Aftelier Perfumes (Unaffiliated Links).
Gift. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2020 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Choffy El Sonado French Roast Brewed Chocolate

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I drink coffee, and while I don't drink more than one to two cups per day– it is definitely one of my vices. However, I avoid drinking it after about 11:00AM in an effort to avoid getting the coffee jitters. I was recently introduced to Choffy, which is a cocoa bean based beverage, that has a flavor that resides somewhere between coffee and cocoa. It is, in a word, delicious. It is rich, smooth and utterly delectable, and one can add a creamer and sweetener to give it a creamier and sweeter flavor. They are available in pods or ground, and since I use a French Press, I opted for the latter. It is as easy to make as coffee, and very bit as enjoyable to drink.

About El Sonado French Roast,

El Sonado French Roast was born out of the greatness of it's predecessor El Sonado Dark (to date our fastest growing product.) This French roast is without a doubt the darkest and most robust product that has ever been in our line up.  How does it taste? Bold, but not bitter.  Strong, yet smooth.  Certainly the El Sonado estate has a coffee-like flavor, which this french roast is the most coffee-like of this estate line up and is the best replacement for coffee that we offer.  If you like dark, rich, robust, get this one.  It's a winner.

According to Choffy,

100% Natural dark chocolate drink!  Choffy – Brewed Chocolate is made with cocoa beans that are roasted, ground and then packaged so that you can brew them just like coffee, but get all the health benefits of dark chocolate.

Unlike coffee, Choffy supplies you with long-lasting energy throughout the day without the crash, jitters, or other negative effects of caffeine. Which means you can drink as much as you want, whenever you want. So if you wake up craving a cup of Choffy, it’s only because it tastes so good!

Since cocoa beans are not naturally sweet (kind of like a baker’s cocoa) you may want to add a little something to your Choffy. There are all sorts of things that you can add to Choffy, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

Directions: You brew it just like you would coffee.  In a French Press, Percolator, Pour Over, Areopress, Coffee Maker with a reusable filter, and even in K-Cups! If you are using a coffee maker or a French press here are a few directions.

Overall Assessment: I am really enjoying drinking Choffy, and plan to buy another bag once I finish this one.

$14.99 for 12 oz. from Choffy Amazon Store (Affiliate Links).
Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2018 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.