By Sue Mayfield-Geiger and Carla Medlenka
Once Upon a Time…
Okay, do we really care how it all started? Do you want a lot of research
about the cocoa bean and its origins? Some sources say that the product
was consumed as early as 1100 B.C., likely used as a source of sugar for
an alcoholic drink. The Mayans were drinking chocolate around 400
A.D. Today, roughly two-thirds of the entire world’s cocoa is produced
in Western Africa. We will spare you all the details because we all know
that chocolate not only brings immense pleasure to the palate, it has
recently been discovered that dark chocolate possesses cardioprotective
properties. Throw in some red wine, and we will all live to be 100!
The many varieties of chocolate are incredibly vast. But for the purposes of
this article, we will stick to the basic dark and milk chocolate. Chocolate makers
(large and small) number well into the hundreds, with Hershey’s, Mars and Russell
Stover dominating the North American market, and brands like Ferrero (Italy) and
Ritter (Germany) captivating the international markets. Godiva (formerly produced
in Belgium) was bought by Campbell Soup in 1967 who just recently sold the icon to
a Turkish holding company for $850 million. What some people won’t
pay for good chocolate! Cadbury, a long-time British favorite, is currently
licensed in the U.S. by Hershey. But, the recipes have not changed, so
you can still enjoy the same intoxicating flavors.
So, do less expensive chocolates taste just as good as those costing as
much as five bucks a piece? We decided to have a tasting party and the
results were not too surprising, but we had a lot of fun doing it.
The Event:
 Chocolate contains some caffeine, but we decided to combine it with
even more caffeine and hold the tasting challenge at a coffee
shop! We all met at Beyond Latté in Deer Park, owned by Shirley
Terry-Lopez who is also the owner of the Beyond Beauté spas in
Clear Lake and Deer Park. Right after work on a Monday afternoon
seemed like a good time to kick back and load up on caffeine.
It was holiday shopping season, so we'd all have energy to
finish our gift buying.
Change publisher Carla Medlenka and Change editor Sue Mayfield-Geiger brought in a
variety of chocolate, putting the pieces on unmarked plates (identities
were concealed on the bottom). Then the fun began.
Brands Tasted:
Godiva (variety box), Russell Stover (variety box), Ritter (dark and milk chocolate bars from Germany),
Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa, Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa (dark chocolate; Swiss) and Perugina (milk
chocolate; Italian).
The Results:
One vote came in for the “cheap chocolate.” The tester’s comment was that it proved she was a “low-end consumer,” but
then she thought maybe the cheap chocolate (Russell Stover) had more sugar in it. She really liked the Russell Stover caramel. But she also liked
the Godiva Milk Chocolate truffle.
Another favored the Godiva Raspberry truffle. She claims her record for seducing one was 45 minutes! She wanted to savor the experience.
She also liked the Ritter German milk chocolate and said it reminded her of a cup of delicious hot cocoa – very smooth.
Two other testers picked the Godiva Midnight Swirl as their favorites. One said it was “sensual – perfect with candlelight and a glass of red
wine.” Another called it “sophisticated.”
Another tester chose the Ritter German Milk Chocolate and the
Perugina Italian – calling it a tie. Everyone seemed to agree that the
Godiva Key Lime truffle was a real hit as well.
No one cared much for the Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Extra Dark.
We all agreed it tasted like baking chocolate. But everyone seemed to
like the Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa; it was not as bitter. One chocolate
that we forgot to include, but highly recommend by our publisher,
is Green & Black’s Organic “Maya Gold” – bittersweet dark chocolate
with orange and spices. Actually, Green and Black’s chocolates in general
are delicious and environmentally friendly.
All in all, the Godiva chocolates ranked first (midnight swirl, raspberry and key
lime truffle); the Ritter milk chocolate second.
We left the chocolate tasting flying high, what with all the caffeine buzzing in our
system. We hope this helps you with your chocolate selection when you
go candy shopping for your sweetheart. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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