When I was a kid, my aunt used to gift me and my siblings our own box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day. That heart-shaped box featuring cute animals, characters and phrases like “be mine” always made me feel so special. Yes, I wanted the whole box to myself, but for lack of better words, I thought that gesture was as sweet as my treats.
I remember watching my siblings with their boxes. They would devour their chocolate treats within minutes of receiving the box. I had a different approach.
Even as a child I loved to savor everything. So, I would take my time picking my chocolate of the day. Using the chocolate chart on the box, I’d select the flavor I had a taste for at that time. I was (and still am) partial to chocolate paired with nuts or a caramel center.
But.
Every once in a while, a piece of chocolate—whether it was the filling or flavor profile—would surprise me. And if you ask me, a chocolate-covered surprise is always exciting. That’s why when Ethel M Chocolates invited me to a virtual chocolate tasting, I quickly accepted.
Ethel M Chocolates is inspired by the kitchen of Ethel Mars (as in Mars chocolate). Or in other words, M&Ms.
Chief Chocolatier Mark Mackey led the virtual chocolate tasting. During the 30-minute tasting, he shared tidbits about chocolate. For instance, chocolate, which comes from cocoa pods, is the fruit of the tree. Also, cocoa pods need tropical weather to grow. That’s why most of the world’s chocolate is grown within a few degrees of the equator.
This information was woven between bites. During each one, he helped us identify notes of each chocolate. For the milk chocolate sea salt, we placed the salt on our tongue. I tasted the buttery quality of the chocolate and caramel. For the dark chocolate dessert honey truffle, I noted how the taste lingered long after the chocolate had dissolved. And for the dark chocolate lemon satin crème, for the first time ever, I noticed the snap of the chocolate.
While they were all delicious, my favorite, was the tart lemon curd wrapped in dark chocolate. I was NOT expecting that at all, but again, sometimes a piece of chocolate will surprise you and your taste buds.
What’s more, thanks to my love’s work schedule, I had the box all to myself. As you can imagine, that made me feel as special as I did when I was a kid.
p.s. For 15 percent off a box of chocolate from Ethel M Chocolates, use the code TASTE15. The code is good until Valentine’s Day. You can redeem the promo code here.
