Chococurb, a new online chocolate emporium and month subscription box services, promises to help US customers “discover extraordinary chocolate”. Aaron and I tried a Classic Box and did the grueling work of eating a lot of chocolate to bring you this review. You’re welcome!
The Chococurb subscription options start at $20.99 per month (for 3 chocolate bars) or $35.99 per month (for 5-7 chocolate bars). In warm weather months, a required “warm weather” shipping fee is added to pack your box with styrofoam and ice packs. Depending on your state, this varies from $13-$20. Some states (Georgia, for example) have the warm weather shipping fee year round. If you like a product, you can purchase it in the online store. If you don’t like it, there’s a support team to contact for exchange options.
We received 5 chocolate bars in our box. We were happy to see a variety, with some familiar brands as well as some we hadn’t seen before. I was also pleased to see that some of the bars were dairy-free. The site does not have official options for dairy, nut, or gluten free chocolate, but the subscription seems customizable enough that those with special diets can still get chocolate that works for them. Here are our feelings on the individual bars:
Theo- Cinnamon Horchata (45% Milk Chocolate)
List Price: $3.00
Aaron: This one was pretty good. The cinnamon taste was subtle at first, but it persists as you’re chewing it. Eventually, it tastes sort of like a chocolate-covered graham cracker. I think I liked this one the best out of all of them.
Kitty: I didn’t try this one, because it’s not vegan-friendly. I did notice that it has 79% certified fair trade ingredients.
Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate- Belize Toledo (72% Dark Chocolate)
List price: $8.50
Aaron: It’s very plain and bitter. I’m not as big a fan of bitter chocolate as my wife, so this one didn’t rank very high for me.
Kitty: I liked this one a lot more than Aaron did! I usually go for at least 80% dark chocolate, but this was tasty. The ingredients are just cacao and sugar. The package had “tasting notes” that included dried plum, tart cherry, and jasmine. I didn’t get any of those, but it was a nice, strong chocolate.
Pitchdark Modern American Chocolate – Pinot Noir Salt & Chocolate (73% Dark Chocolate)
List price: $8.00
Kitty: Salt in chocolate is a good thing, but I thought this was too salty. The hint of wine taste made it a little sweet, and sweet and salty enhance each other.
Aaron: It was extra-salty and bitter. This didn’t improve my opinion of bitter chocolate.
Fran’s Macadamia Gold Bar (Caramel and Macadamia Nuts in Dark Chocolate)
List price: 6 bars for $30.00 ($5.00/bar)
Aaron: This bar was sweeter than everything else in the box, so it was more to my liking. It was chewy and very thick, with small nut pieces mixed into the caramel. It was very good.
Kitty: I didn’t try this one, because it has dairy. I noticed that the beans and sugar are fair trade. I appreciate that, because chocolate and sugar are two crops with a history of labor exploitation.
Amedei Tuscany- Toscano Blond (63% Dark Chocolate with Peaches and Apricots)
List price: $7.97 (ships from Italy)
Aaron: The fruit was extremely subtle in this chocolate. If someone hadn’t told me what kind of fruit it was, I wouldn’t have been able to guess. It was OK, but too mild to be really noteworthy.
Kitty: This one might be my favorite. The apricot flavor was there, but I couldn’t pick out the peach flavor. It was smooth and slightly bitter. It reminded me of some of the fruit-flavored Endangered Species bars, which I like because they’ve made a pretty strong commitment to environmentally friendly and fair trade ingredients.
Overall, it was definitely fun to get some chocolate in the mail! If you or someone you love is very into confections, this could be the right gift. Subscription boxes like these also give small chocolate businesses exposure. You may indeed discover your new favorite brand through Chococurb.
Like Gold for Chocolate
Summary
It was fun to get some chocolate in the mail, however, it’s relatively easy to find unique chocolate with ethically sourced ingredients in most American grocery stores and pharmacies these days. Personally, I don’t think the curated box is worth the price. If you’re looking for a subscription snack or candy box, there are others that offer free shipping and more variety for the monthly price. Chococurb will undoubtedly be a huge hit with some, it’s unlikely to draw and retain the casual chocolate fan. If the company committed to some niche market certifications (all organic, all American-made, etc.), they may find chocoholics are more willing to shell out the cash.
Pros
- Customizable
- Brands you may not see elsewhere
- Delivered to your door
Cons
- Shipping costs vary largely by state and season
- You’ll likely get some things you don’t like
- Pricey
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2.5 Stars (or 50% Cacao, in Chocolate Terms)
