We started the show by sampling some Debrand chocolate bars. Debrand has been one of my favorite chocolate companies for a long time. Years ago, one of our listeners suggested we try some of their goodies, so I ordered a box of both their classic chocolates and their connoisseur chocolates. I gave a few pieces in each box a 10 out of 10 rating. Their creations are outstanding.

The chocolate with the coffee cup on it is fucking amazing! This is the connoisseur collection. 

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Peppercorn, a local shop, carries a few Debrand products. The Man and I settled on three of the sampling or tasting bars. It's cute that the bars are scored in bite-, nibble- and chunk-sized pieces.

What I absolutely love about Debrand chocolates are the  perfectly balanced flavors. Each ingredient is distinctive on the palate, yet the flavors combine in a wonderful mixture. For example, with the first bite of the dark chocolate raspberry bar, a marvelous burst of natural fruit flavor exploded in my mouth. I was transported to a warm summer day, plucking fresh raspberries off the bush and plopping them in my mouth. Just when I started wondering about the chocolate, it hit my taste buds, a deep, rich chocolate flavor with no hint of bitterness whatsoever. Beautiful. It was seductive and elegant and definitely not overly sweet like so many other chocolate-raspberry bars on the market.

We tried two other bars -- the Hazelnut Sea Salt Bar and the Sweet Potato Bar. I generally love any combination of hazelnuts and chocolate, and I wasn't disappointed with the bar we sampled. I found it a little bit sweet, but not obnoxiously so. It's a milk chocolate bar with hazelnuts, crispy wafers and sea salt. The taste reminded me a little bit of the chocolate-filled wafers pictured below, only better, more chocolaty, and the hazelnut flavor was distinctive and pure, no rancid nuts used by this company, which, unfortunately is typical of many companies. No, the ingredients in Debrand bars taste fresh:

The Sweet Potato Bar was very interesting. From the Debrand website, it is described in the following way: Sweet potatoes cooked into a made-from-scratch pecan brittle, crushed and blended with milk and white chocolates. The spices build in your mouth and mix so nicely with the chocolates. Despite the odd color, it's a definite must try for anyone looking for something different, as the flavor is intriguing and makes you want to try more than just one bite. Though it's sweet, the flavors of the spices seem to counter the sugar, making the bar perfectly delicious.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Debrand chocolate bars to anyone who claims to be a chocoholic and to anyone who simply wants to try some quality chocolate with superb flavors. Check out their website at www.debrand.com. Make sure you go to the chocolate guide tab on the upper right side. There's a video for each chocolate that makes your shopping or browsing experience quite fun. Each chocolate is described, and you get to see what's inside.

Debrand tasting bars. Check out the wild flavors!