Just for Fun: What Kind of Chocolate Should I Buy?
So…my launch party is in 24 days. Me, counting?
There will be cupcakes. There will be Dove bars. Perhaps cookies. There will be a wonderful bookstore location where, before and after the launch, you can browse to your heart’s content. See what I’m offering?
There will also be a raffle.
I’m having a lot of fun putting together the package. No, I’m not telling you all what’s in it, but just think about the tools of critiquing, and you’ll be able to imagine. (Use your little grey cells, mon cher Hastings!)
I’ll tell you one thing, though. The raffle package will, of course, contain some chocolate-one of life’s, and critiquing’s, necessities.
So here’s today’s fun. The chocolate is the one part of the raffle package I have not yet bought. Why? Well, because–as I mentioned–the launch party is 24 days away, and by that time, the chocolate would get…eaten! And I haven’t yet decided what kind of chocolate to buy. My new favorite is Lindt’s Excellence Intense Pear Bar. One square of that and I’m writing (or critiquing!) productively for the next hour!
But I want to hear what you think. What’s the best chocolate bar you’ve ever tasted? What’s your regular fix? Let’s skip anything with peanuts, because I’m not risking an allergic reaction to my raffle goodies! It should go well with tea and the smell of ink, and it should contain the capacity to inspire brilliance.
Leave your “vote” in the comments. I’ll tell you what! Everybody else is running contests for me this month (check out Solvang Sherrie’s that ends today and PJ Hoover’s that just went up). Let’s get one started here. This contest is now officially open until Launch Day, January 15th. I will pull one voter’s name from a hat (or I might just ask Solvang Sherrie how she does that cool, random-name-generator thing), and I will send the winner a copy of The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide (print or PDF) AND a bar of the Lindt’s Pear Bar. How can you pass that up?
Ready, set…think chocolate!
beckylevine.com 
24 Comments
Congratulations! You must be beside yourself. How very exciting!
I never heard of the Intense Pear Bar. I’m mesmerized by the thought. Their Raspberry Bar seems so pedestrian all of a sudden. That’s always been my favorite. If you’re done with Pear and ready for another, Raspberry may be the way to go.
Thanks for running the contest – very cool. Most of all, what a great time in your life. I’m so happy for you!
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Jessica, thanks for stopping by! I haven’t tried the raspberry–it’ll definitely have to go on my list. And the pear bar IS mesmerizing. Don’t know why, but the flavor is just…different. And thanks for the congrats!
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Oo-lah-lah! I got a whiff of chocolate from the other side of the country! My highly trained olfactories perked up immediately. Have never tried the pear bar, sounds intriguing.
The best chocolate I’ve eaten so far is by Valrhona, a small company based in France. Any one of their dark varieties is to die for.
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I turned the fan on and pointed it East just for you! We have the Valrhona out here-I think my husband (the REAL dark chocolate eater) has tried it. I’ll have to ask what he thinks. 🙂
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Dove dark chocolate Promises are my staple. But the *best* chocolate is the uber-expensive Egyptian chocolate from this site: http://www.verdunchocolates.com/
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I know what you mean about “staples,” and Dove totally fills that need. Those Verdun chocolates look incredible. I really just want to go sit for a while in that store they show on the website!
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Crooning the praises of the Intense Pear Bar right along with you, Becky. Valrhona’s my favorite chocolate, but I also vote for Callebaut 70% chocolate chips and for Chocolove 73% organic. (Have I mentioned I like *dark* chocolate?)
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Oh, Amy, this is very cool. I love their motto:
“Chocolate for professionals,
chocolate inspired by professionals.”
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When I was in college I loved the ad for Skor bars: You can never be too rich or too thin. Of course, I wasn’t getting thin eating them!
My favorite chocolate bar was discontinued. It was a mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate by Endangered Species and had a panda on the wrapper. I cried when it went extinct. Seriously.
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Were you getting rich? 🙂
So sad that your favorite went away. Maybe the pear bar will be a decent replacement?
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I see I will be beating Susan to the punch in recommending Richard Donnelly chocolate. Besides being generally supreme chocolate awesomeness, he is in Santa Cruz. Go to his shop and have a taste.
http://www.donnellychocolates.com/
And I must always sing the praises of Vosges Bacon Chocolate bar (available at Whole Foods). Not a good choice for vegetarians, but if a non-meat-eater wins, s/he can give the bar to me!
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I have driven by that shop a hundred times and never stopped! So silly–this may be the excuse I need to get back there. Bacon & chocolate, see–that could be really good or really weird!
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I didn’t even scroll up to see that you mentioned Richard. Well she might have mentioned him first but did she say drop my name when you go by? She did not! 🙂 I shudder to think how much $$$ we have spent there.
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Susan, do they have wrapped bars there?
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Congrats on your launch party. How exciting. And chocolate, well, I love it all, but my favorite would be the little chocolate balls from Starbuck’s. They have coffee inside of them, I think. Yum!
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I know those–I think they’re Lindt, too! Defintely the perfect little snack. 🙂
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There are any number of great chocolate candies. For chocolate-chocolate, the best I’ve had in recent years is Dagoba.
http://www.dagobachocolate.com/
When I eat M&M’s or any other milk chocolate, it triggers an ‘eat more’ response — which is good for the candy seller. When I eat Dagoba I satisfy the chocolate jag without triggering the binge.
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Mark, that’s how the pear chocolate is for me–definitely another reason I love it!
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now…my favourite chocolate is Ritter – a German chocolate – the best of all is the one with hazelnuts…….the second best is the milk chocolate with butter biscuit. Also Ritter supports organic cocoa agriculture and reforestation in Nicaragua. The packaging is also green, SO really you are supporting enviromental issues when you eat this – my favourite chocolate in the universe!
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Ooh–where do I get this? Does Lunardi’s have it?
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Okay, late to this party but I have to put in a vote for the absolutely fabulous (but not cheap) Donnelly’s Chocolates in Santa Cruz http://www.donnellychocolates.com/
They do mail order too!
Love the carmels. Love the marshmallow chocolate cookies. Love the tequila filled and well, just about everything Richard makes.
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I may have to head over there & try something out. Wait, did you say TEQUILA-filled? Yum.
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I’m pretty basic with my chocolate needs — Reese’s Peanut Butter cups or else, you know, a can of frosting … Congratulations!
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Madelyn, I agree–Reese’s cups are awesome! Frosting cans, yes…back in my college days. Now I’d have to share with my son, so just not the same!
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