John & Kira's "Urban Garden Mint" 62%

I bought this on a whim, walking through Philadelphia.

Ok, I had sort of heard of them before.  Maybe because I googled chocolatiers in Philadelphia.  Maybe.

Anyways, it is very aptly named.  It tastes like a garden.

Bottom Line: If you want your mint chocolate to taste like a garden, you should buy this bar.

Food Emporium 64% and Scharfen Berger 62% "Nibby"

Sometimes you just need an emergency fix.  I stopped by Food Emporium and could not decide between the store brand, plain 64% bar or the Scharfen Berger "Nibby" 62% bar.  So obviously I bought both.

Typically, I'm not the biggest fan of Scharfen Berger, because they intentionally make a fruity blend.  People who like that love Scharfen Berger, but it's not my thing.  That said, as has been the case previously, I find the presence of nibs really cuts the problems of a fruity bar, and so I love Scharfen Berger's "nibby" bar.  But the Food Emporium bar is just... super chocolatey.  I mean, it's nothing special.  It's the most generic "real" chocolate you can get.  In many ways, it is very similar to the CIBO Express bar I got at Laguardia.  But I never was snobby about this stuff.  This is chocolate.  It tastes like chocolate.  And that's a great thing.  Nothing fancy.  Next to that, the "nibby" just seemed to be trying to hard.

Bottom Line: I am a big fan of the "Nibby" bar, but sometimes you just want some plain ol' chocolate.

Vosges Peppermint Candy Cane Bar

The peppermint blitz continues!  Vosges makes "Haut Chocolat."  It's even the subtitle to their name.  And it's very true.  But how will a haut chocolatier fare when trying to make not just a peppermint bar, but a candy cane bar?

I will answer that question myself, because that is my job.  The answer is, "Very well."  The question was for dramatic effect.  Did you feel the drama?  I know I did.

So they literally use crushed candy canes.  As many of you know, candy canes are peppermint-flavored candy.  Which, in America, means they usually don't actually have any peppermint in them, or any mint at all. They are mostly corn syrup with some artificial flavoring.  Don't complain.  If you want to complain, buy a regular peppermint bar.  This is America.

But, as I stated, Vosges is haut chocolat.  They are not going to make a plain, artificial candy cane flavored bar and send you packing.  It's a Peppermint Candy Cane Bar, and so there is actual peppermint oil in here too.  Don't worry: the natural and artificial peppermints play nice together, and the candy canes add the perfect crunch.

My only real question is: If you cover candy in high quality chocolate, is it still candy?

Bottom Line: I know that you should buy and eat this.  I just don't know whether it is candy.