Lake Champlain Rum Caramel Chocolate Bar

Rum is often paired with confections, making for some very boozy treats. As a goody-goody child, I was wary of rum balls that smelled too strongly of alcohol - they were for grown-ups. These days, I love boozy chocolates, though I am partial to bourbon balls. It's been way too long, Rebecca Ruth.

I bought this Lake Champlain chocolate bar at a local fancy grocer around Christmas time (while making a gift basket for my in-laws) since I had heard good things about the brand. It was between $3 and $4 US, but I don't remember the exact price.


The bar had hints of a liquor scent that reminded me of rum. The gorgeous, almost too perfect-looking dark chocolate had such a strong snap that it was hard to break the bar cleanly. However, the chocolate was decadent and slow-melting.

The sticky rum caramel oozed out from the pods and had a wonderful burnt sugar flavor (though I couldn't taste rum). It was very rich and had a great consistency - not too runny but not firm. The chocolate had a clean, slightly bitter finish, which was a delicious match for the decadent caramel. This bar certainly piqued my curiosity about the brand, so I have since picked up three of Lake Champlain's 5 Star Chocolate Bars (reviews coming soon).

A-

Lake Champlain Chocolates website

Chocolaterie Chocolates

My sister and her husband went on a trip to New York City and the surrounding area recently, and sometime between sightseeing and attending a taping of The Colbert Report, they bought some chocolates at a shop in Nyack, New Jersey and brought them back home.

Chocolaterie is run by Annette van Loon, a Dutch woman who moved to the United States but missed the chocolate of her homeland so much that she decided to open a European chocolate shop. I've done my best to match the flavors my sister and brother-in-law brought back to the guide on the website, but I could be mistaken.


Papillon (French for butterfly) was Fair Trade Certified, and it had a very buttery filling surrounded by a nice, bitter chocolate. The honey and ginger flavors in the filling were subdued, but it was definitely a nice piece. B+

Aztec Spicy Truffle had a dusty brown sugar coating over sweet dark chocolate, but the ganache was quite spicy. Along with the chili flavor, there were hints of ginger and liquor. Despite the sugar coating, the level of sweetness was just right. A-


The Brandy Truffle had a sweet and milky white chocolate coating, balanced with a milk chocolate inner layer. The filling wasn't distinctively cognac, but it had a very tasty liquor flavor. B

The Rum Truffle was simply fantastic. The filling was ultra boozy and distinctively rum, and the chocolate coating was perfect with it. I'd love to eat this one again! A+


The Ginger & Honey Heart was another nice quality dark chocolate piece. The ginger flavor seemed stronger than in the Papillon, and the honey gave it a slightly deeper flavor. B+

One of the truffles was a bit stale in the middle. I'm not sure what happened, but it had a sugary grit throughout and I don't believe it was supposed to. That truffle was excluded from the rating.

Overall, I enjoyed the liquor chocolates and truffles the most, and was pleasantly surprised by the punch of the Spicy Aztec. If I'm ever in the area, I would definitely stop by to try other kinds!

Chocolaterie Website

Meiji Dark Rum Meltykiss

Dark Rum Meltykiss was one of the first treats I bought in Japan (along with Pure Blueberry gummies) from the Lawson near our hotel. As I've said many times, I'm a sucker for limited edition and new candies, so I couldn't pass these up. I'm also a huge fan of Meltykiss.

These are special for winter, and I think there were two other flavors available: strawberry and maybe a regular milk chocolate. I can't remember. Anyhow, Dark Rum sounded the most interesting, so my husband and I chose that one. Inside the box, the chocolates came individually wrapped in lovely metallic purple wrappers.

As usual with Meltykiss, there is a thin coating of cocoa powder on the outside of the chocolate (not nearly as uniform as the picture on the box). The first taste was a nice rum flavor, not overly strong but the taste of alcohol was definitely there. After that, as the chocolate melted, it was pretty much the usual smooth Meltykiss milk chocolate. Very tasty, but the rum flavor was mostly gone.

In any case, my husband and I both liked them, as did the friends who tried these. However, if you don't like candy that tastes like alcohol, you won't care for these.

B+

Meiji Website (Japanese)