Chocolate and Love is a 9-year-old company that makes its chocolate bars in Switzerland using organic cacao and other ingredients from Fairtrade certified cooperatives. The bar we tasted is the Dark Chocolate with Mint 67%. It’s vegan, kosher, and certified organic. The cacao is from Peru and the Dominican Republic. The sugar is from Costa Rica and Paraguay. The vanilla is from Madagascar. We bought our bar from Chocolate Covered in San Francisco.

First, let’s start with the wrapper. It is flat-out beautiful. The original designs are hand-painted in New York. This one has a riot of mint leaves and flowers and purple Asian symbols. With the “USDA Organic” seal on the front and back, our wrapper is made specifically for the United States. The artwork differs between bars sold in Europe and the United States. The wrappers are equally beautiful, but the European design is representative of a nature scene whereas our wrapper has more of an “inspired by nature” look to it. And, finally, on the front of the wrapper, our bar is called “Dark Chocolate with Mint” and on the European it’s called “Dark Chocolate with Mint Crunch”. On the inside of the wrapper, there’s information about the company and pictures of the farmers who grow the crops.

We were immediately impressed with the look and texture of this bar. It is smooth to the touch and has a pleasant, natural mint smell. There is a crisp, audible snap when the bar is broken. It is a fascinating bar because once you pop it in your mouth to let it melt, you first taste the dark chocolate before the mint starts to come through. The chocolate itself is velvety — very luxurious on the tongue. Then the promised “mint crunch” appears and it is delightful. There are tiny bits of raw cane sugar and natural peppermint oil that add a texture that is playful and a taste that is fresh and mild. The texture of the mint crunch is delicate and it seems to enhance the soft richness of the chocolate. This bar offered a long and pleasant aftertaste.

Dark Chocolate with Mint is the first Chocolate and Love bar we’ve tried. The texture makes it one of the most interesting chocolate bars we’ve had, and the taste makes it one of our favorites. If you enjoy flavored bars or mint, we think this bar will become one of your favorites, too.

Let us know what you think of Chocolate and Love if you are already familiar with their bars. And, if not, tell us what’s in your candy drawer.

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