Mostly Goodness Celebrating the things that are (mostly) good in life

"Tcho is a new kind of chocolate company for a new generation of chocolate enthusiasts," or so its website claims. Located in the heart of San Francisco, at Pier 17 between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building, Tcho is obsessed with amazingly high-quality, organic dark chocolate, with a social mission that it claims is the "next step beyond Fair Trade." The company works to help farmers by transferring knowledge of how to grow and ferment better beans so they can escape commodity production to become premium producers.

What I love about Tcho's chocolate, besides the clever packaging and perfectly square, bite-size bars, are the way they're categorized. Instead of categorizing the dark chocolate only by "X % cacao" as most chocolate manufacturers do nowadays, they also assign their chocolate a flavor based on this handy chocolate flavor wheel.


The flavors are not over-the-top, but are really subtle. I really liked "Fruity" and "Nutty." What's cool is that there's not actually any fruit or nuts in the chocolate, but the cacao beans have been grown in such a way that these natural flavors have been "coaxed out" of the beans, in a similar way that coffee beans can taste floral or earthy or nutty.


Tcho chocolates can be purchased on their website, but I first discovered them at the Starbucks in Strawberry Village, where they were on sale in a convenient plastic jar like the one shown above. It's a sampler that includes "Fruity," "Nutty," "Chocolatey," and "Citrus."


The label tells me to "take as needed for inspiration, happy heart, coping, focus, optimism, and even euphoria." Being the rule-follower that I am, I strictly follow the recommended dosage prescribed on the jar and eat at least one piece per day, for good health. Or if it's been a hard day, I might eat more than one! Each little square contains only 44 calories, so no guilt, either.
I haven't tried it yet, but I'm seriously considering ordering this "Mango Drenched in Dark Chocolate." What can I say, I'm a sucker for fruit and chocolate. Does that not sound ridiculously delicious?!