NewTree Chocolates: So Good, I'm Going to Share

Photo courtesy of the NewTree blog, since my camera has once again crapped out on me.

I'll be totally honest and say I was suspicious of NewTree chocolate bars from the get-go. I was sent four sample bars: Dark 65% cacao with flax seeds and crisped rice; Superfruit 65% cacao with cranberries, goji berries, pomegranate, grape and papaya; lavender; and ginger.
Now, you know how I am with chocolate. I (usually) much prefer nuts and mainstream fillings to more "exotic" flavors, so I was hesitant about these bars. And there's a whole New Agey-goodness about the packaging that made me look at them askance.
But I'm here to tell you ... heeyyy now! Wow. I was happily--very happily-- surprised. I first tried the dark with flax seeds and crisped rice. The chocolate was excellent quality. Not too creamy, not too bitter, and the flax and rice gave it a nice crunch. It wasn't at all gritty or grainy, as I feared it might be. Mr. Goodbar also enjoyed this bar. I know, because it was gone the next day.
Last night he was circling my desk like a shark, looking for an end-of-the-evening treat. "What about the Superfruit?" he asked.
Fine, I said. Just give me a piece.
What can I say? I LOVED it. Again, that lovely, balanced dark chocolate, only this time, there were little bits of dried, chewy fruit. Here's where they did things absolutely, totally right. The fruit bits are tiny, so you don't feel like you're eating a fruitcake. Instead you get smooth dark chocolate first, then a juicy, tart fruit burst at the finish. Now I'm totally anxious to get my hands on an orange or a cinnamon bar. This is some good shizz, my friends, and I'd like to share. So I'm giving away the last two bars, ginger and lavender, to one lucky Yumster.
Here's what you need to do to be considered: tell me about a food (doesn't have to be chocolate; it could be anything) that surprised you, either good or bad. What did (or didn't) you expect? Remember to leave a way for me to contact you in case you're the lucky random recipient. Also, U.S. residents only, please. I'll pick a name on Weds., Jan. 19 at approximately 8:38 p.m. EST.

Chocolate Fail.

(From left, Basil-Smoked Sea Salt Olive Oil; Ginger Baby; missing from photo: tequila and wine chocolates.)

My P.I.C. came over last week with a surprise for me: a box of truffles from Christopher Norman Chocolates. Her hubby works near there and gets his coffee there everyday, so when she recently when into the city for a visit, she brought me back some goodies. Yay!
There were four chocolates in the box: some sort of red wine/dark chocolate; ginger; tequila; and Basil-Smoked Sea Salt-Olive Oil. Ready? Okay, here we go. First off, she bought the tequila just to torment me. It's the one alcohol I cannot have. I can't smell it, definitely can't drink it, all due to one bad night in college. She insisted, however, that I would be able to handle this. Sadly, I must report that I couldn't. I had Mr. Goodbar take a nibble and then I smelled it. I couldn't do it. He said it was very good, so if you're a tequila aficionado, go for it! If, however, tequila causes you to hallucinate and give you the shakes, I'd say you might want to try something else. Like the wine chocolate. Now that was tasty. Very smooth dark ganache with a nice red wine kick. That was definitely more my speed.
The ginger was very tasty and very pretty.
And now, the last piece. Visually, it was lovely. And I dig basil and olive oil. But with chocolate? I had my doubts, but also tried to keep an open mind.
I bit off half and gave the other half to Mr. Goodbar. Usually I will love something and he'll hate it, and vice versa. This was one of the very few times we actually agreed on something. It was a serious fail.
I hate to say bad stuff about any chocolate, and especially artisan chocolate, because it's the result of someone's passion. But holy cannoli-- basil, olive oil and chocolate do not marry well. To be completely honest, I actually spit it out. Yes, I spit out a piece of chocolate. Why, why, why do confectioners feel the need to push the envelope all the time? This is a serious question. Bacon, chili powder, lavender ... do we really need to add these things to chocolate? Do they really enhance the already perfect taste of chocolate? Why must everything be over the top? I'm ready for the backlash against all this fancy-pants alchemy. Bring back the simple stuff. Pure chocolate. Basic flavorings like vanilla and caramel. Plain nuts, not curry-dusted or Dead Sea-salted. Am I being too naive? Am I showing myself to be a chocolate hillbilly? Perhaps, but I don't care. Save the basil for pesto with pasta. I want my chocolate straight up.

A very special Candy Yum Yum!

My in-laws were here a couple of months ago. It was a nice visit, but for not-so-good reasons: they both have cancer, so they were here to go to Sloan Kettering for some check ups. They're both doing well, though, and Judy brought my attention to something that's really helped her. Guess what? It's candy.

She gave me a little hard candy called a "Gin Gin."

Let me just say, I've traditionally stayed away from ginger. Ever since I od'ed on gingerbread when I was five and spent Christmas Eve with a major tummy ache, I've pretty much walked the other way whenever I saw a ginger snap or candied ginger. (Although I do love ginger ale, except Polar brand, which is vile, but I digress.) But I must say, the Gin Gin was pretty darn tasty. It had a nice honey flavor to it and the ginger was strong but not overpowering. Judy said they really help settle her stomach and I would imagine these would be great for morning sickness or sea sickness.

The candies are made by the Ginger People and they also make all sorts of other ginger products. They make a line of ginger chews that are seriously chewy, including a spicy apple that is SPICY. We're talking hot, hot, hot. If you like fireballs and apple pie, this is the candy for you. You can buy their stuff online or at natural food and specialty stores.