All about chocolate: the good, the bad, the ugly

[Lil]

I like the very dark stuff too, but have a current obsession with Lindt Lindors which I have been eating in vast quantities. I also like Cadbuy's Twirls, Galaxy Caramels, and Maltezers. I don't think much of Hershey's chocolate though - it seems fatty and tasteless to me.

[FierceKiten]

^^For some reason, I could never eat a plain hershey bar, the blanded chocolate I ever tasted. However See's and Worlds Finest will do it for me. I give those little girl scouts the evil eye, cause I dont know what im gonna do when I see or smell chocolate. I just wanna destroy the whole bag and run away with it.

[Titania]

Originally Posted by sputnik

dark chocolate freak here. i'm a purist. i need a high cocoa content (minimum 70%), and i like my choc plain, no fancy fillings, liqueur, fruit, nuts or anything.
the only exceptions are cafe-tasse's wonderful dark chocolate with fresh ginger bits (douple aphrodisiac there), and villars dark chocolate with whole almonds, and the dark chocolate with candied orange rinds.
i live in switzerland, so needless to say, chocolate is everywhere. and there are loads of confiserie places that make the most wonderful, artisanal chocolate ever. i'm spoiled.

we share the same passions!

[pacific breeze]

Originally Posted by sputnik

dark chocolate freak here. i'm a purist. i need a high cocoa content (minimum 70%), and i like my choc plain, no fancy fillings, liqueur, fruit, nuts or anything.
the only exceptions are cafe-tasse's wonderful dark chocolate with fresh ginger bits (douple aphrodisiac there), and villars dark chocolate with whole almonds, and the dark chocolate with candied orange rinds.
i live in switzerland, so needless to say, chocolate is everywhere. and there are loads of confiserie places that make the most wonderful, artisanal chocolate ever. i'm spoiled.

Orange and ginger are my two favourite chocolate pairings, although I occasionally like caramel. You are lucky to live where you do.

[pacific breeze]

Originally Posted by Sojiita

Another good thing about chocolate even extends to the garden: cocoa shells! They make a great mulch! You can buy a 3 cubic foot bag for about 6 bucks-great to use in outside potted plants or in flower beds near a patio, porch or deck. After watering or a nice rain on a warm summer night the smell is intoxicating!!!

I've never heard of cocoa shells being used this way. What a fantastic idea, Soljiita. I may steal it from you.

[sputnik]

Originally Posted by pacific breeze

Orange and ginger are my two favourite chocolate pairings, although I occasionally like caramel. You are lucky to live where you do.

it's both a blessing and a curse. ;-)

[twitchy]

Wanted: dark chocolate! Must be European, uncompromising and sensual. (my personal ad)

With regards to the hulls as mulch, theobromine, a chemical found in cocoa mulch, can be harmful to pets. According to the ASPCA:

"Cocoa beans contain the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Dogs are highly sensitive to these chemicals, called methylxanthines. In dogs, low doses of methylxanthine can cause mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain); higher doses can cause rapid heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures, and death.

Eaten by a 50-pound dog, about 2 ounces of cocoa bean mulch may cause gastrointestinal upset; about 4.5 ounces, increased heart rate; about 5.3 ounces, seizures; and over 9 ounces, death. (In contrast, a 50-pound dog can eat up to about 7.5 ounces of milk chocolate without gastrointestinal upset and up to about a pound of milk chocolate without increased heart rate.)"

So, best used by people with out pets or in flowerbeds that are separated from the animals by some sort of fence. Sorry to come off alarmist in the midst of such a heavenly topic, but I'd hate to see somebody's baby get hurt.

[Sojiita]

Originally Posted by twitchy

Wanted: dark chocolate! Must be European, uncompromising and sensual. (my personal ad)

With regards to the hulls as mulch, theobromine, a chemical found in cocoa mulch, can be harmful to pets. According to the ASPCA:

"Cocoa beans contain the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Dogs are highly sensitive to these chemicals, called methylxanthines. In dogs, low doses of methylxanthine can cause mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain); higher doses can cause rapid heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures, and death.

Eaten by a 50-pound dog, about 2 ounces of cocoa bean mulch may cause gastrointestinal upset; about 4.5 ounces, increased heart rate; about 5.3 ounces, seizures; and over 9 ounces, death. (In contrast, a 50-pound dog can eat up to about 7.5 ounces of milk chocolate without gastrointestinal upset and up to about a pound of milk chocolate without increased heart rate.)"

So, best used by people with out pets or in flowerbeds that are separated from the animals by some sort of fence. Sorry to come off alarmist in the midst of such a heavenly topic, but I'd hate to see somebody's baby get hurt.

I had no idea. Thanks for the info. I don't have a dog but I love them and would hate to see one get poisoned!