Saturday Sacrament, May 2, 2009

Montana Tom's Chocolate Factory sent your Chocolate Priestess three products to try. They came in a small box with only one bubble wrap piece cushioning them, which is a appreciated. Remember, Sisters and Brothers, if we don't protect our planet, where can we grow the precious cocoa beans we need to help us connect with the Divine?

Today I'm going to reveal the true nature of the "Taste of Montana" (Chocolate Trout and River Rocks) they sent my way. Here you see them packaged in a simple plastic sheath with a stapled label which only identifies it as a "goodie" -- looking on the website I identified it further. Both of these are milk chocolate, and there are some additives, but not nearly as many as you find in many of the chocolates you can buy in any grocery or drug store. The Rocks also have artificial coloring, which as you can see here in this next photo gives them an interesting rock-like look with colors ranging from dark brown to off-white with red and blue shades as well.

The little Trout measures 3.25 inches long and about 7/8 inch wide. As you can see in the picture, it has a little face and fin details etched in it, which make it very cute. Neither the website nor the label has nutritional information, but this is only a 1.6 oz. package, so it can't be too bad if you use it wisely.

The Rocks do not smell like chocolate, and that's likely because of the hard candy shell on them. I take a gray one and put it on my tongue to see how long it will take to melt. I'm not pleased by the flavoring of the shell — a bit sweeter than an M&M, but when it melts, which takes about 45 seconds or longer, it reveals milk chocolate much like the M&Ms I'm sure we've all eaten. One of the smallest pieces is primarily sugar tasting with not much chocolate. If I don't let it melt, the candy shell crunches with each bite and blends in fairly well with the milk chocolate. However, I think it would take a fair number of these to get a buzz, and it might be more from sugar than cocoa.

So I turn to the Trout next. When I fish saw this wrapped in gold foil I thought immediately of the folktale about the Golden Fish. So as to not mimic the bad wife's judgement in that story, I will take this in multiple bites, enjoying what I have in each moment and not wishing for more.

Taking a deep breath in I can smell the smooth milk chocolate. The fish is not waxy, and I can feel the etched details if I close my eyes and focus for a moment, letting my mind merge texture with scent. Now I have a dilemma: do I start with the tail or the head? Given my desire to put the poor dear out of its misery, as I do with chocolate bunnies after all, I bite off the head, which makes a very soft snapping sound but no noise as I chew.

This first chewed bite seems almost a bit fruity, which is odd given the ingredients. The second bite I let melt to see if the taste is different. The fruity flavor isn't as strong, but it is there, and I can't quite place it — a bit citruslike, I think, not unpleasant, but certainly unexpected. Over a minute is required to let that second bite melt, and by the time it has, my eyes water with the rush of the cocoa and sugars. The remainder of the bites, six of them in all, I also let melt, so this buzz grows with each one.

I was pleasantly surprised by this adorable offering from Montana Tom's for the amount of buzz it offered. Given the cuteness and price, I think this is a nice idea to add a little fun to your Saturday Sacraments or as a gift. Just make sure that you don't confuse these rocks with decorative rocks you might have elsewhere in your house.

Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.

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