Best Chocolate of 2017 on The Chocolate Cult

Lots of variety in terms of what we tested and wrote about in 2017. Here's the list of our Saturday Sacrament and Special Sacramental Reviews from the year. At the end we'll name our "Best" for 2017.

Previous Best of the Year on The Chocolate Cult have included:

Equal Exchange (2016)
Chocion (2015)
Michel Cluizel (2014)
Askinosie Chocolate (2013)
TCHO (2012)
American Heritage Chocolate (2011)
Guittard (2010)
Theo Chocolate (2009)


Here is 2017 List of Brands, Companies, and Individual Makers we've looked at. Products marked with a * are eligible because they food or drink items. This is a very difficult year to make a choice. We had a lot of returning brands but I don't want to name the same brand even though we welcome them back with new products to share with you all. So below I'm listing a few comments along with the potential winners.

*Enjoy Life Foods -- loved their baking chips but not all of their processed line was Sacrament worthy

Kernel Season's

*goodnessknows -- not sacrament worthy

*Askinosie -- Already won in 2013

*Peanut Butter and Co. -- good but not really sacrament worthy

*Unreal -- some sacrament worthy items but not all their line that we tried was equally good

*Mrs. Fields - basic

*NuGo Dark -- philosophy of the brand is worthy but not every item was

*Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC in Disney Springs Florida -- awesome products but not enough to tell if full range was great

*Garden Grill at Land Pavilion in Epcot, Disney World -- small cake was great, philosophy good, not enough to full gauge potential of the brand

*PROBAR® -- got so tired of "bars" this year and like all those other brands it was hit and miss quality

*Splitsville Dining Room in Disney Springs Florida -- the cake was wonderful but they didn't make it

*Ococoa -- we had not seen a product from them in years but their Spring Collection was Sacrament worthy

*Sheila G's Brownie Brittle -- never disappointed but can a baked good beat out simple chocolate products from other brands?

Dawn Greenfield Ireland

*Mel's Toffee -- great toffee but the chocolate varied from one flavor to the next

*PowerBar -- much like other "bars" this was hit and miss

*Hershey's -- reminds us all of childhood but nothing from them stood out

*TCHO Chocolate -- Already won in 2012

*Bouchard Chocolate -- good but not great cheesecake bites

*Horizon Organic -- why put omega-3 in what was wonderful chocolate milk?

*Simple Truth Organic -- nothing that was just chocolate or cocoa

*Macalat -- definitely for folks who don't like chocolate but want the benefits of it

*Wilton -- melting pot is excellent, candy melts, I'd rather use chocolate and I do with that pot

Rose Art

*KIND -- could be better

*Roots Chocolates-  definitely Sacrament worthy and we had a good range of flavors just all the same type of chocolate

*Glee Gum -- improved information about the chocolate and a clear educational winner

Kroger

*Sugar Plum Chocolates -- would love to see more of their milk and dark chocolate items before considering this as a "best of" for a year

*Lindt -- basic but still not standing up to the best we've had

OXO

This takes us down to these brands who might win the 2017 Best Chocolate on The Chocolate Cult:
          Roots Chocolates
          Sheila G's Brownie Brittle
          Ococoa

And the Winner is....

Ococoa!



It was wonderful to hear from them again, to be able to do an email interview with Diana Malouf, and to see how their chocolates have changed over the years.

Congrats, Diana and Ococoa!

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