Handmade in the Aztec tradition, the unique opaque patina and rustic, brittle texture are the result of a cold production process that maintains the full flavor of each ingredient.

Opaque patina indeed – one first glance it appeared that the chocolate had melted and resolidified. This is exactly the appearance the card warns about: one closer inspection you can see the actual granules of cane sugar used.
So, on with it: how is this chocolate? Awesome, simply awesome. It’s almost an unchocolate. You take a piece into your mouth and bite into it; it’s more like a chocolate sugar cube. The sugar dissolves, mixing into the 45% cocoa, and then 15-20 seconds later, the chili kicks in – medium spicy, just the right amount.
The best way to summarize this bar? It’s like eating a spicy hot chocolate – you feel like you should be drinking it.

Like the other hot chocolate varieties Lake Champlain produce (there’s several) the basis is the same: dutched cocoa, evaporated cane juice. The traditional also has vanilla, and that’s it. Simple, sweet, to the point hot chocolate. More to the point, this instructs to use milk (ok, so I’m purist about this, but why shouldn’t I be? Wouldn’t you prefer half and half instead of powdered instant creamer in your coffee?)

So how good can dutched cocoa be? Well, let’s say that this isn’t Hershey’s. It’s richer tasting, and more chocolate tasting. I’m not knocking Hershey’s, it’s just that considering the quantities they produce (and produce consistently, which in itself is no easy task) the differences are like those between a Sierra Nevada and a Budweiser.

If you want a nice, solid, quality hot chocolate, this is worth a try.

This is another variation on the spicy chocolate theme, and while ingredients only say chilies and spices, I believe these are chipotles and/or cayenne. If there is cinnamon, it’s minimal and very subtle. More noticeable is the vanilla from the 58% cacao dark chocolate. The text on the container suggests the chocolate is all Venezuelan, but does not outright explicitly claim that.

It’s a pretty good spicy mix – but because you use water and this includes dehydrated milk, you need a full 3 tablespoons of mix to a 1/2 cup of hot water, so the servings to mix proportion is lower. Overall: pretty good, fair on the spicy, creamy taste.

On first taste, what really stands out is how well-rounded it is: not overly sweet, not over doing it with too much chocolate, and it has just enough heat from the ancho and chipotle to complement the cocoa and cinnamon. Interesting also is looking through the ingredients – dark chocolate shavings is the lead ingredient. This, plus the ancho, gives this a nice solid taste that develops into a creamy, cinnamon-laced delight.

A final note – I wonder if this is from an interpretation of the original recipe, or for production reasons, or both, but this contains a minute amount of cornmeal. Presumably to assist with the dissolving of the chocolate shavings? Or to act as a natural dessicant?

Being that it is such a wicked cold day outside here in the Northeast, it seemed only fair (and self-serving) to compare this to the Lake Champlain we reviewed earlier:

Summary: these are both delicious, but have distinctive differences. The Lake Champlain is a bit spicer and probably to offset that, a little sweeter. Its taste leans more to the cocoa end of the spectrum, where the Vosges leans more into chocolate. The Vosges is not as spicy, but has a nice creamyness and complex flavor.