I’ve written about a few chilli chocolates on this blog, and I tend to make one of two statements at the close of such reviews. I either say that I think the chilli is mild enough to be enjoyed by those who profess sensitivity to heat, or I posit that the chilli level might be better suited to those who truly enjoy a spicy kick in the mouth. (A metaphorical kick in the mouth, that is. I’ve just finished watching a rather gruesome episode of True Blood*, which has proved to be more than enough violence for me.)
However, after making my way through the following sweet creation, I have a new closing statement about/category for chilli chocolate.
It goes something like this:
Oh dear holy pickle on a paddlepop stick, only eat this if you really and truly know that you love the sensation of burning in your throat. BURNING.
(NB: I do.)
Verē Organic Single Origin Dark Chocolate with Cayenne and Cacao Nibs
This vegan chocolate bar is made of naught but four ingredients, which are organic cacao mass, organic raw cane sugar, organic cacao nibs, and organic cayenne. Verē prides itself on using less sugar in its bars than do other chocolate makers, with the aim of creating an overall flavour that is more intense and “dark” than might otherwise be the case for a 75% blend.
I tried quite a few Verē chocolates during my 2007-8 American exchange year, and I feel sad that such tastings were pre-blog. The taste truly is dark and intense, which I love. Verē’s chocolate is earthy, bitter without being acrid, slightly-smoky, and punchy (again with the violence… sorry, folks).
The colour of the bar is a deep brown-black, and the aroma is equally deeply chocolatey. There’s also a hint of fruity cayenne lurking in the background, which somewhat fooled me into thinking the cayenne would be subtle here.
Not quite. What was that I said about a pickle on a paddlepop stick?
Popping a square in my mouth, I started writing “not too sweet, almost bitter, I can taste the fruitiness of cayenne” in my tasting notes before, suddenly, the letters morphed into capitals and this appeared: “HELLO BURNING WOW WOW STRONG HEAT THROAT BURNING HEAT HEAT”. Yep. Keepin’ it real.
Now, I’ve had spicy chocolate before, but this Verē cayenne chocolate was nigh on painful. In fact, I believe this would be unpleasantly burn-y for anyone who isn’t dedicated to spiciness. For my part, I was able to pick out occasional woodsy flavours from the nibs and some molasses notes in the chocolate itself but, in truth, this bar is all about heat.
Which is probably what a lot of ladies would say about Eric Northman, but there’s a time and a place for that kind of talk, and it usually involves more wine than (I assume) any of us has on hand at the moment.
* Anyone else reading the books and watching the HBO show at the same time? I’m endlessly fascinated by where the two meet and where they diverge. Sometimes I think I know what’s about to happen, and then it turns I don’t, but I kind of do. Crazy town.
I can’t deal with chili, so anything mild enough for me would suck in flavour for a chili chocolate
Bust as long as the chocolate was tasty, it wouldn’t matter
What a waste of chocolate making it high on the throat seering pain scale. I’m on my second glass of bubbly just now-which is taking away the pain of a long day of housework while I cook dinner, check a few blogs, and washing the dog blankets all the more bearable. So you never know what your readers are up to. I am much too old for anything to do with vampires, and have studiously avoided True Blood, Twilight etc in either book or visual form.
I still enjoyed it – no pain, no gain, right?
Twilight should never be in the same sentence as True Blood… the former is the antithesis of good writing, whereas the latter;s is quite commendable, really!
Super duper burny burny chilli? That sounds right up my alley! Did you save some for me?
I only watched 3 episodes of the TV show before I had to stop. I wanted to THROW THINGS at the TV I found it so annoying. I read the books afterwards and liked them much more. Mhmm Eric!
You know, there actually *are* a few squares left, but somehow I think they may not last until my still-in-the-imaginative-sense trip to Melbourne… What did you find annoying about the show?
Oh I couldn’t bear the vacant look that was on Sookie’s face 90% of the time…. the characters were all awful cardboard stereotypes…. Bill was so unbelievably annoying.. I did get told it got better, but I couldn’t get past the annoyingness!
Oooh burning! I think boys would love this (well ok Mr NQN and his friends would because they love “surviving” food
Funny boys!
You’re so right! I love chilli, but it’s my brother who has been multiple times to a restaurant in Melbourne that is famous (infamous?) for serving meals that burn your face off, metaphorically-speaking…
tingling I can cope with in chocolate but burning does not interest me at all – but am impressed you persevered in identifying other flavours – I would have just been dunking my head in a bucket of water!
You’d be better with a bucket of yogurt, right?
I only learnt a few years ago about how water doesn’t help with burning…
I’ve been told I should watch True Blood, that I’d like it, but I’m just not sure. I’m loyal, pretty exclusively so, to Ricean vampire lore (or, of course, that of Mr. Stoker), so I’m endlessly skeptical of things like True Blood, Twilight (shudder), Underworld, etc. Lestat has my heart. (Have you read Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles? You MUST!)
I haven’t read any Anne Rice, actually! I’ve never been particularly interested one way or the other in vampire fiction, and all the Twilight books ought to be rounded up and burnt (and I say that having read all 4), but if it’s good writing then I’m in
I think you should give True Blood a go, if only for the fact that Eric becomes veeeeery pretty once he cuts his hair 
a vegan chocolate bar – something new for me to try!!
I have a horrible feeling the company went bust, but if you find any, let me know!
Oy, my acid reflux is killing me just reading this. Chili is not quite my equivalent of your orange, but it does remind me of paaain. I liked it with cinnamon, like the Chuao bar, but the burn ultimately is never a good one, and I’m off to find the Nexium.
I watched a full episode of True Blood the other day. I just can’t get into it, even though my entire family + Lincoln + Snoop Dogg love it. I was really into Buffy back in the day, though.
Oh, Buffy! Good times, good times (I still know every lyric to Once More With Feeling by heart). Sadly, Lauren, I can’t trust your aversion to TB seeing as you watch Jersey Shore. You lost a lot of cred with me for that
P.S. I jest! I heart you!
Ironically! Ironically, I swear! Haha.
oooh I was wondering when the cayenne choc would make an appearance!!! I love spice so this may be just for me
Sadly this is an American chocolate, but I have found Plamil’s Cayenne chocolate before at As Nature Intended, which has quite a fruity spicy kick to it
I’m not averse to strong chilli in chocolate, but with Mr Migraine deciding to exert his presence on me this morning, I think I’ll pass on this one and go back to bed….
Good idea – much better to dream of chocolate than stay awake wishing you were well enough to eat it!
I have never tried a chili chocolate before. Seriously. This is definitely making me want to, though. I’ve said it before, I’m pretty sure, but I love all the chocolate on your blog
Aw, thank you! I am surprised that you’ve never tried chili chocolate, but now that I think about it salt chocolate is more the craze in America right now, I think. Maybe start with Lindt’s chili excellence bar? It’s quite mild in heat, so is a good, tasty introduction
I am amazed at all these chocolates I had no idea even existed, Is there any good places in canberra to get chocolate like this?
Sadly, my favourite interesting-chocolate-bars shop closed down last year, but you can find interesting chocolates at places like As Nature Intended, Urban Food, Mountain Creek, fancy delis, the Wine and Cheese Providore in Manuka… I am starting to showcase more Australian chocolate, but in all honesty I still have quite a few from my travels!
i absolutely LOVE chilli chocolate. (i’ve talked to complete strangers about it as we they were deciding in Woolworths.) not sure if i’ve had the extra strong stuff before, but i’m definitely interested. thanks for the review:)
You’re welcome! Gotta love finding another chilli chocolate lover
This one isn’t available in Australia but if you do like real spice, then keep an eye out for Ten Degrees’ chilli chocolate or Plamil’s Cayenne dark chocolate 
Hahaha! I had this quote from the book I’m up to (#7 I think?) I was going to use on my blog and then thought maybe not but now I think I might just be brave enough…some people will read it innocently enough! Now you’ve got me thinking about Eric…although I turned into a big werewolf girl (although now I’ve moved on to, um, bigger things…).
Hmm, do I detect a trajectory of Eric -> Alcide -> Quinn?
(Unless you’re talking about real-world bigger things….)
Whatever quote you’re thinking of using, DO IT. I’ve been missing the Stackhouse quotes on your blog
Yep, I think you’ve pretty much got me sussed out! I suspect I like my men to be of the warm variety! But Eric is good, um, eye-candy
And yes, I have used that quote next so stay tuned…
Uhuh…, thinking this bad boy is a bit too strong for my likings, I don’t mind a bit of spicy kick in the mouth but throat burning sensations are reserved entirely for the flu (nasty memories of near death experience in London… )
I’ve heard the books are really good, but the DVDs are a bit much (in a mildly addictive way)
Near death experiences are NEVER fun, so I wholeheartedly avoid you avoiding anything that remind you of one! The books are fun escapism for me… much more entertaining than reading Durkheim!
Agnes: Fair enough! I do think it improves, though. Early episodes of shows are often like that – the characters are simplified so that the audience knows precisely what their roles are. But as long as you aren’t a closet Jersey Shore devotee, I think we’ll be right
Vaala: I wonder who they’ll cast as Quinn? I don’t know if I want to have someone foisted upon me as him… I like my imagined man
(I was a bit ambivalent about Alcide’s casting at first, but now I think it’s pretty good 
)
Hmmm, good question. I have my own fantasies about what he looks like (did I really write that?!) but I suspect he will look nothing of the type. We do tend to project onto a character we are quite fond of a certain look that, well, does it for us whether or not that is how they actually look…
Don’t worry, it’s not like these comments are incredibly public or anything
The funny thing for me is that I’m *not* a visual person at all, so when I imagine a character, it’s only in a very vague sense. Which is why I get so nervous about people playing them – because I don’t have a crystal clear image in my own mind, I tend to get swamped by the real person. Does any of that make sense?!