Well, That Was Unexpected!

Have you ever had one of those really odd experiences where you walk into something thinking you're going for one reason, but walk out realizing that you'd go back for another? For example, walking into an ice cream shop and, though their ice cream is good, you just can't get enough of the jam that they just so happen to sell at the counter?

I just had one of those experiences. Tumbador Chocolate sent me some of their vegan snacks to try the other day and, given the name, I expected to fall in love with a chocolate.

Well, I did.

The mint crunch bar is on the German/Swiss level of excellence, some of the creamiest chocolate I've had in the United States (including non-vegan chocolate). It is vegan, however (except for possible traces of dairy - so I guess it depends on how strict you are).



It's a gourmet handcrafted chocolate bar out of Brooklyn, NY and is intensely chocolately with the crunchy cacao nibs complementing the refreshing peppermint perfectly. Oh, and all Tumbador Chocolate products are kosher, as you'd hope for from a good Brooklyn-based company. :)



But that's not the most unexpected part.

Nope, this is:

The Tumbador Vitality bar, a trail mix bar in a sweet brown rice syrup. Here's what's in it:

The thing is, I wouldn't reach for this if I wanted a granola/food bar - it's a candy bar and seriously sweet (for my tastes, it could be a little less sweet - maybe leave out the sugar or the glucose or the inverted sugar? Or just reduce one/all of those? The dried fruits bring extra sweetness and the amazing flavors of the ingredients get a bit lost in all the sweet...)

Though the sugar syrup is a bit much for my liking, the other ingredients were well chosen and make this a tasty bar - and if you're reaching for a candy bar (like a chocolate bar, but don't really want a chocolate fix) I recommend it!

To cut the sweetness a bit, I paired it with some soy yogurt , some coconut yogurt, and cereal - a very tasty afternoon snack to hold me over to dinner. :)

Same goes for the endurance bar.

It had an unexpected ginger-pineapple-peanut flavor combo that was really tasty!

Again, though, they could do without so much sugar - the fruit is sweet enough if this is to be a food bar! But considering that I'm treating this as nutritious candy bars...

...yum. Again, I paired it with some soy yogurt and cereal to cut the sweetness, for a super fabulous snack!

The ginger made it a winner. Tee-hee, that rhymed :)

The energy bar was super tasty, too!



I really liked the figs in it...

...and by this point I was used to the super sweetness and enjoyed the candy bar :)

Served with coconut yogurt, a baked sweet potato, and a side of black beans.

Before you go - don't forget to enter my virgin coconut oil giveaway!

What's one unexpected thing that's happened to you today?


Have you tried any Tumbador Chocolate Products?