Hello! My name is James.
I am not a professional food critic OR a recognized connoisseur of fine candies - at least not by any standards of notoriety (yet).
I simply love chocolate, and I am fortunate to live around the corner from some of the finest chocolate in the country.
I am not biased, I didn't grow up in Montana, and I'm not a co-owner or relative, but in February of 2010 I lucked out and moved to a little town in rural Montana, only a stones through from Charbonneau's Chocolate Company.
I quickly came to realize that I had found a hidden treasure of the west.
I "attend" religiously, sampling numerous truffles and other chocolate treats...
and I have a frequent shopper's card! My wife and I, (and our 5 children), make regular trips to our local home-grown chocolate shop, and we make regular work of their inventory of deliciousness! In fact, without revealing the threshold of purchases that a frequent customer needs to make to be awarded the $10 of free chocolate on a full shoppers card, I admit publicly that we have received our "bonus" chocolate on 4...
count them, FOUR separate occasions in the past year.
The scale in our bathroom will attest to this claim.
Fortunately, and as luck would have it, we can now walk to our local treasure without even crossing a major roadway...
and that's worth an extra chocolate! I understand that making my "debut" as a chocolate critic with what I claim is a perfect 10 in the world of "Cacao" could prove detrimental to my reputation, but the chocolate made by our neighbors is so delectable that after 34 years of loving chocolate, Charbonneau's has become my own personal benchmark.
I wouldn't dare take the thunder away from the chocolatier (Sheila), so rather that give you a full menu, I'll simply give you some family favorites, and you can simply find out for yourselves what you're missing! Red Pepper Passion Truffle - A little spicy for the rest of the family, but I can't get enough.
The combination of heat and dark chocolate is amazing.
Honolulu Salted Truffle - My wife's favorite.
Chunks of sea salt make the dark chocolate and caramel combination even sweeter.
Cookie Dough Truffle - loved by all, and the best cookie dough filling for thousands of miles in every direction! Marshmallow Smooch - An oversized kiss of milk chocolate and marshmallow filling - you just can't go wrong with this one.
Chocolate Orange Stick - A delicious orange gelatin center with dark or milk chocolate coating.
Fruit lovers will be in heaven.
Huckleberry Pretzel - Large salty pretzels covered in the irresistible (and local) Huckleberry Bark.
All the salty sweetness, with a surprising zing.
Finally, the Mint Fudge Truffle - We confectionately refer to it as our "after dinner mint" - and that "dinner" is often several other truffles!;) This is just a sampling.
There are dozens more worth trying, so I encourage you to get your fill of the benchmark of Chocolate making...
and chocolate eating.
I will talk to you all again very soon, with more chocolate news.
In the mean time, ENJOY all the chocolate out there, and should you pay a visit in person, or online line, to Charbonneau's, make sure you tell them James sent you!
I am not a professional food critic OR a recognized connoisseur of fine candies - at least not by any standards of notoriety (yet).
I simply love chocolate, and I am fortunate to live around the corner from some of the finest chocolate in the country.
I am not biased, I didn't grow up in Montana, and I'm not a co-owner or relative, but in February of 2010 I lucked out and moved to a little town in rural Montana, only a stones through from Charbonneau's Chocolate Company.
I quickly came to realize that I had found a hidden treasure of the west.
I "attend" religiously, sampling numerous truffles and other chocolate treats...
and I have a frequent shopper's card! My wife and I, (and our 5 children), make regular trips to our local home-grown chocolate shop, and we make regular work of their inventory of deliciousness! In fact, without revealing the threshold of purchases that a frequent customer needs to make to be awarded the $10 of free chocolate on a full shoppers card, I admit publicly that we have received our "bonus" chocolate on 4...
count them, FOUR separate occasions in the past year.
The scale in our bathroom will attest to this claim.
Fortunately, and as luck would have it, we can now walk to our local treasure without even crossing a major roadway...
and that's worth an extra chocolate! I understand that making my "debut" as a chocolate critic with what I claim is a perfect 10 in the world of "Cacao" could prove detrimental to my reputation, but the chocolate made by our neighbors is so delectable that after 34 years of loving chocolate, Charbonneau's has become my own personal benchmark.
I wouldn't dare take the thunder away from the chocolatier (Sheila), so rather that give you a full menu, I'll simply give you some family favorites, and you can simply find out for yourselves what you're missing! Red Pepper Passion Truffle - A little spicy for the rest of the family, but I can't get enough.
The combination of heat and dark chocolate is amazing.
Honolulu Salted Truffle - My wife's favorite.
Chunks of sea salt make the dark chocolate and caramel combination even sweeter.
Cookie Dough Truffle - loved by all, and the best cookie dough filling for thousands of miles in every direction! Marshmallow Smooch - An oversized kiss of milk chocolate and marshmallow filling - you just can't go wrong with this one.
Chocolate Orange Stick - A delicious orange gelatin center with dark or milk chocolate coating.
Fruit lovers will be in heaven.
Huckleberry Pretzel - Large salty pretzels covered in the irresistible (and local) Huckleberry Bark.
All the salty sweetness, with a surprising zing.
Finally, the Mint Fudge Truffle - We confectionately refer to it as our "after dinner mint" - and that "dinner" is often several other truffles!;) This is just a sampling.
There are dozens more worth trying, so I encourage you to get your fill of the benchmark of Chocolate making...
and chocolate eating.
I will talk to you all again very soon, with more chocolate news.
In the mean time, ENJOY all the chocolate out there, and should you pay a visit in person, or online line, to Charbonneau's, make sure you tell them James sent you!
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