Super Foxy Sweets Classic Fudge and Chocolate Mint Fudge

I had never heard of vegan fudge before.  I had never thought of vegan fudge before.  But it exists, and it is actually pretty delicious.

So, as my friend Walter noted, it does not taste like butter the way non-vegan fudge sometimes does.  It has a light coconut taste, because they use coconut oil or milk or something.  But that's very mild.  It is quite chocolatey, as any decent fudge should be.  It is also incredibly sweet, as any good fudge must be.

They even have a mint flavor, and everyone knows we love mint.

I think by now you can guess where I procure this: Treehaus, of course.

Bottom Line: Vegan fudge that is delicious regardless of whether you are vegan.

Rescue Chocolate "Fosteriffic Peppermint" 66%

We have already reviewed Rescue Chocolate -- positively.  We noted it was made by Tumbador, which we like.  So one might make the naive assumption that the peppermint-flavored Rescue Chocolate would remind one of the Tumbador version.

And you know what?  Sometimes naive assumptions are accurate.  I didn't do a side-by-side comparison, but this definitely reminded me of Tumbador's delicious peppermint bar.

Bottom Line: Tumbador.  Which is a good thing.

Amma 85%

Another trip to Treehaus, another bar of chocolate.

... ok, three bars of chocolate, but only one I haven't reviewed.

Amma is a Brazilian chocolatier.  As in, not only are the beans from there, but the company is also based there.  That alone is really cool.  Generally, I consider Brazilian origin to be too fruity, but this 85% bar had more complicated notes, including raisin and citrus.  It wasn't quite as acidic, and so I enjoyed it way more.

Bottom Line: A very high quality, interesting bar of chocolate.

Fine & Raw truffles and bonbons

We have already reviewed Fine & Raw favorably before -- twice.  But I have definitely discovered their best line of products: the truffles and bonbons.

Here is a truffle bar:

It is shaped like a small chocolate bar, but it has the consistency of a truffle.  The real magic?  No heavy cream (or any other dairy) involved!

They also make bon bons, which have a slightly softer consistency:

The truffle bar is exceptional, but the bon bons are maybe better -- really special.

Lastly, they have a "bonbon bar," which is exactly as described -- a thin layer of bonbon on a dark chocolate bar:

It's also great, but it's the weakest link.  The real strength of the bon bons and truffle bar is turning the ingredients and taste of regular dark chocolate into a different and awesome texture.  This is very important to me.  While the bonbon bar is unarguably delicious, its texture is less distinctive than the truffle or bon bons.

Bottom Line: Truffle and bonbon texture with pure dark chocolate taste.  Genius.

Rescue Chocolate "Forever Mocha" 66% and "The Fix" 66%

Another couple stops at Treehaus, and another couple bars of chocolate.  

I had seen Rescue Chocolate offered before, and I was not interested.  My chocolate does not need a cause -- Chocolate is the cause.  Plus, if they can afford to donate proceeds anywhere, then they are probably skimping on quality to raise more money.  

So I ignored rescue chocolate until I tried one of their free samples.  Honestly, I was blown away.  It was the "Forever Mocha," and I don't even like mocha.  It was amazing.  

I later went back and got the more straight up version -- "The Fix."  It was also excellent, but not as good as the Forever Mocha, for some reason.  It was a little fruity, I think, which the mocha flavor helped cover.

In any case, Rescue Chocolate has made a believer out of me.  It was only later that I discovered the chocolate is made by Tumbador, with whom I have had a good experience before.

Bottom Line: If a mocha-flavored chocolate bar sounds up your alley, then I can't imagine a better bar for you than the Forever Mocha.  I have certainly never had one.  If that's not your style, the regular dark chocolate is still a great option.

Sandcastles

I got these cookies at Treehaus:

They are delicious and, surprisingly, vegan.  The kind of cookie that just crumbles and melts deliciously in your mouth -- thanks to the power of coconut oil, maybe?  They were sufficiently chocolatey to earn my approval, though not that kind of intense, decadent chocolatey that you can get at Levain.  I mean, let's face it -- Levain makes a puddle of chocolate with a little cookie visible if you hold it up to the light just-like-so.  This is a legitimate cookie through-and-through.

Bottom Line: Delicious chocolate cookies.  For people who like cookies.

Treehaus again: Fine & Raw 83% with nibs, Nibmor "Daily Dose" 72% mint + nibs

Treehaus continues to be my primary provider of chocolate bars, given its selection and proximity to my office.  On a recent trip I picked up a Fine & Raw 83% & nibs bar:

Leila recently reviewed the Blueberry bar and really liked it.  I had a similarly good experience with the 83% & nibs.  I tend not to prefer raw, but this was really excellent.  Also pretty:

I have reviewed NibMor twice before, to good and bad results.  The NibMor 72% & nibs was also really good:

It might not be the #1 mint bar around, but especially as a nice $1 bite, it really hits the spot for getting that chocolate & mint flavor without being overwhelmed.

Bottom Line: Two more successes with two brands we already liked.

Nunu 70%

At a subsequent trip to Treehaus, I picked up a Nunu 70% bar, which I liked better than the chocolate covered graham cracker.  I ate it with some other stuff, and it was nice and chocolatey, with a mild coffee flavor.  Exactly what I wanted.

With a clean pallet it was not quite as great -- it had a slightly acidic taste.  But I still enjoyed it.

Bottom Line: A nice, local 70% bar.

Treehaus: Featuring Nunu, Mast Brothers, and Tumbador (among others)

Manhattan Espresso Cafe was around the corner from my previous job, and they sold all sorts of secondary market deliciousnesses.  My current go-to is Treehaus.  Aside from baked goods and other great things, they sell chocolates by Nunu, Mast, and Tumbador:

I bought some Nunu chocolate-covered graham crackers.  They were good.  As described.  They didn't blow me away.

From Mast, I bought a black truffle sea salt bar.  Like with Nunu, I thought it was very good, but I didn't really get the hype.  Everyone with whom I shared it, though, did get the hype.  It was a bit salty and fruity for me.

Surprisingly, the winner for me was the Tumbador Mint Crunch, with nibs.  This is obvious, because I ate it too quickly to get a picture of the bar itself.  Readers will know Leila and my fondness for mint and nibs, so this might not be surprising.  It might not be the best mint bar in NYC, but it's yet another darn good version.

Bottom Line: This isn't even scratching the surface of Treehaus' sweet offerings, to say nothing of their savories.