Sugar Savvy

Looking over my past posts on Sugar Savvy, I realize that I have reviewed several candies of which I haven’t been particularly fond (marshmallow burgers, anyone?) And for somebody who loves candy as much as I do, this seems rather a shame. I decided, then, that it’s time I tell you about something of which I AM particularly fond.


Endangered Species BLACK RHINO BAR
Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Toffee

Not being a huge fan of hazelnuts in general and especially not in my chocolate, I never would have picked this out if not for the rave review from my fellow chocolate-loving pal, Heather. Our tastes in chocolate run fairly akin, and, she assured me, the hazelnuts are really subtle and small and don’t overwhelm the chocolate.

Boy was she right. And so is the Black Rhino Bar. It totally rules and has become my gold standard over the past 3-4 months since I was first introduced to it. The 3-ounce dark chocolate bar possesses an almost smoky quality, the tiny shards of sweet and salty hazelnut toffee offering the perfect texture balance to the dark and creamy 70% cocoa content. They typically run about $2.50 apiece, but are frequently put on sale at 2/$4.

And if that weren’t enough, Endangered Species uses “all-natural, shade-grown, ethically traded chocolate” and prints the wrapper on recycled paper using “6.2% soy inks.” Additionally, on the inside of the label you can read interesting details about the black rhino. Did you know that their population has dwindled from 65,000 to 2,500 since 1970? And that they are nearsighted? I did not.

You see, eating this chocolate makes you smart. So, you can partake in an Endangered Species Black Rhino (or any of their other many species/flavors) because doing so will make you a more environmentally aware and socially responsible person. Or, you can eat it because it’s just really freakin’ good.

P.S.
If you enjoy orange chocolate, the Organic Dark Chocolate with Tangerine Zebra Bar is also pretty fantastic. But I agree with Heather, who pointed out that ES devotes a disproportionate (too much) shelf space to white chocolate. Fortunately, the Black Rhino and Zebra (and also Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs and Extreme Dark Chocolate) serve to offset these chocolate imposters.