#durci

This particular bar is the most floral chocolate I’ve ever tasted. This may sound totally obnoxious, but the best way to describe the taste of this bar is to say that eating it is like stepping into a flower garden. The delicate, perfumey flavor reminds me of… roses. Or violets, maybe?

It was my husband who finally nailed it: the chocolate tastes like orange blossom water. He’s right. The Corona Arriba bar’s unique taste is strongly suggestive of the aromatic flavoring agent in my mother’s favorite cocktail, the uber-indulgent Ramos Gin Fizz.

If you’re hosting a chocolate tasting and want to include a floral chocolate in the mix, I recommend this one, hands down. You can order it on the Durci website or from the “Chocolate Collection” on Cococlectic.

Note: I noticed Durci is currently offering a special on their website– $45 for a sampler pack of six Durci bars from different origins. That’s about $9 less than you would pay for the six individual bars — a pretty good deal if you’re interested in trying out a fantastic new American bean-to-bar chocolate maker.

Well… today I have a new chocolate delivery crush: Choco Rush.

Choco Rush is a craft chocolate subscription service based out of South Carolina, and… I love them.

Why? Well, two reasons really. First, they’re all about little known American craft chocolate makers. My first box included bars from several chocolate makers I’d never even heard of before, let alone tasted.

Also, and more importantly, the chocolate curators behind Choco Rush clearly have awesome taste, because two of the chocolate bars in my first shipment were blow-your-mind delicious (made by Durci and Hello Cocoa — find them!!)

Plus… Choco Rush’s customer service is outstanding.

It’s hard to understate how important good customer service is for customers of a chocolate delivery service. If you live anywhere that sees temperatures over 85 F in the summer (which is pretty much everywhere), you will probably find yourself emailing customer service at least once each summer to report a melted chocolate shipping disaster.

Christopher Lacey at Choco Rush is so responsive and helpful with shipping issues. But what really hooked me on the service was how genuinely interested he seemed in feedback on the chocolate bars themselves. Being a total chocolate nerd, I loved the opportunity to bounce tasting notes off an expert who is so friendly, knowledgeable and unpretentious. It reminded me of again of what a great community the chocolate world is.

So, for the detes: Each Choco Rush shipment includes four bars from different chocolate makers, shipped at the beginning of every month (so if you sign up for the service on the second week of the month, you’ll have to wait until the next month for your first shipment). Their subscription choices include a month-to-month package for $39 ($9.75/bar), a 3-month subscription for $110 ($9.17/bar), plus a couple of longer subscriptions. You can skip a month or cancel your subscription at any time, and shipping is free in the U.S.

I know $9+ is steep for chocolate, but remember your money is going to small batch chocolate makers with comparatively high overhead compared to large industrial chocolate producers, plus they often pay direct trade prices (much more expensive even than fair trade) for their cocoa beans, so I think it’s money well spent.

But just as important, with Choco Rush you will be introduced to chocolate makers you’ve never heard of before, and the bars you recieve will probably be delicious. For me, those two things alone make the service well worth the premium.

Note: This post contains only my personal opinions about Choco Rush. I did not receive payment (or free chocolate) for this review.