BY SCENE AND HERD

To whomever submitted the question, “I love chocolate, what type should I try next?” to the student voice box.

Chocolate. Wonderous, delicious chocolate. As a treat, guilty pleasure, or comfort food, people have been enjoying chocolate for many years, all the way back to the mesoamerican period where it was a very common drink. Nowadays, there are so many different flavours of chocolate that choosing the next one to try might be a bit of a challenge. But never fear, dear anonymous person who left this comment, we’ve got your back!

Chocolate can be made with two components of the cacao bean: the cocoa solids, and the cocoa butter. These two are products of fermenting, roasting, and grinding the outside shell of a cacao bean. White chocolate has only cocoa butter from the cacao bean, but has the added enhancements of sugar and milk, whereas brown chocolates have varying amounts of cocoa butter and cocoa solids, along with milk, sugar, and any other added flavours.

Sweet Fact! White chocolate has no caffeine because caffeine, as well as theobromine, phenethylamine which are chemicals that make us feel (without going into super nerdy details here) happy, are present in cocoa solids and not cocoa butter.

Vegan chocolate exists! Yes, contrary to popular belief, vegans can eat chocolate and enjoy it, especially since there are more and more options for vegans to choose dairy free sweets. As mentioned above, cocoa butter is plant based, so when looking to buy chocolate, read the ingredients and make sure you find things without “Allergy warning: may contain milk”. Also, oreos, aka the best cookies ever that would be gone in 0.02 seconds after entering my hands, are vegan.

Aside from vegan but still on the path to being healthy, reading the ingredients is a great idea for anyone to do! Making sure your chocolate has the least amount of ingredients as possible is healthier, and probably a good rule of thumb.

The News Team has come together to share their favourite chocolate flavours and brands to hopefully answer the anonymous question.

I (Thea Richinson) love dark chocolates. Anything from 65% to around 90% cocoa is probably the best kind of chocolate out there. Lindt is one of my favourites because of how many different flavours you can get with almonds, lime, orange, raspberry, and so on. My absolute favourite would have to be any kind of dark chocolate with caramel inside. By the way, I pronounce it “care-a-mel”, how do you pronounce it?

I’m Zainab Fatima, and I love ALL sorts of chocolate!! But white chocolate has got to be my favourite since I have such a sweet tooth (for which I’ve been to the dentist endless times). I’ve tried all sorts of brands of chocolate: Nestle, Cadbury, Lindt, Ferrero Rocher… However, recently I’ve been trying to eat more Fair Trade chocolate, since we’ve discussed it in my english class and I want to support the cocoa farmers. As it turns out, this isn’t very difficult, either, because Canada has many Fair Trade chocolate companies in its grocery stores. Some include: President’s Choice, Cadbury, Green & Black’s, and many more can be found on the Fair Trade Canada website. One particular brand that I’ve been really into lately is Endangered Species Chocolate. I love animals and Fair Trade, and I can support both by purchasing chocolate from this brand! Another awesome fact is that most of the chocolates they make are VEGAN, gluten-free and Kosher! Not only that, but they have many interesting flavours like, ‘Caramel & Spiced Apple’ and ‘Cranberries, Orange and Cinnamon,’ just to name a couple. I found their chocolate bars at Sobey’s (in the gluten-free and vegan section), but you can also purchase them at Amazon. So, I wish you all the best in whichever chocolate you decide to try next, though I bet it’ll be delicious, because what chocolate isn’t?

Maija here, and honestly, I’m satisfied with the less expensive or fancy chocolates. Just simple Nestlé® milk chocolate bars such as, Kitkat®, Coffee Crisp®, and especially Aero® are simple and sweet treats. Other than candy bars, chocolate covered anything are my favourites. Chocolate strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, pretzels, and raisins are the superstars of the chocolate-covered universe. Try Glosette® chocolate covered raisins and you won’t regret it (available at most dollar stores). My last bit of advice? Mini M&Ms® are better than regular M&Ms® hands down.

I’m Jasmine, and while I simply adore every single chocolate, my favourite chocolate is a Dairy Milk bar of milk chocolate. I find that white chocolate is wonderful, but anything more than a chocolate chip sized portion can be overwhelming and give me a headache. As for dark chocolate, that too tastes lovely in a small amount (and makes me feel very sophisticated), but having too much can make the bitterness difficult. Milk chocolate is the perfect balance between the two different chocolates, and I can never grow tired of it. Dairy Milk in particular has an irresistible flavour and the texture of the chocolate is so smooth, it melts in your mouth once you have it. As for chocolate candies, Aeros and Maltesers have always been dear to me; although Maltesers are rather expensive, they can be a fantastic treat for birthdays or times spent with loved ones and friends. Overall, my advice would be to try as much chocolate as possible to find your favourites and to be open to experimenting with new flavours!

Iman, reporting for duty, and wow do I have a lot to say about this topic. I’m well-educated in all things chocolate, one of my favourite foods. My favourites include mint chocolate, white chocolate, super dark chocolate, and salted caramel chocolate. My favourite brand chocolates are Lindor (DARK SEA SALT CARAMEL FTW) and this amazing brand called 4Fun. It’s like a super thick Kit-Kat, and you can find them near the cash registers in Milton Dollar Stores/Dollar Trees.

I’m Tithi Mayani, and my personal favourite type of chocolate is Ferrero Rocher, by Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA. With a hazelnut core surrounded by creamy chocolate, put inside a wafer shell, sprinkled in chopped hazelnuts, all topped off with a coat of chocolate, it is pure perfection. I love how it’s decorated in golden foil, and put inside a brown paper cup with a rim. It looks as good as it tastes. I know how some people love dark chocolate, but I just can’t seem to find a taste for it. I know how it’s supposed to be real chocolate, with milk chocolate being very diluted and all, but I just find it too bitter. I suppose it’s an acquired taste, like coffee and tea. One of the types of chocolate I do like, however, is caramel chocolate. I know how sticky it is, and how it can get everywhere, but I think that the taste is worth the hassle. Chocolate is the best!

I’m Nicole Rottgen and chocolate is actually one of my many loves, especially dark chocolate. That sadly seems to be a bit of an unpopular opinion here, but let me remind you that not only is dark chocolate healthy for you (…in moderation), it is a more pure form of chocolate compared to milk which only needs to be 10% actual chocolate. White chocolate isn’t even technically chocolate at all! My pretentious rant aside, I’ll have to agree with Thea that the best kind of chocolate is dark Lindt chocolate. I usually go for 70-90% chocolate, plain but sometimes with mint or sea salt added for something different.

I’m Prema Kapoor and honestly, chocolate is probably one of the best creations. I absolutely adore milk chocolate and Ferrero Rocher, just not dark chocolate. I love when chocolate is sweet and when it melts in my mouth. I love nutty chocolate and chocolate with caramel. Dark chocolate isn’t my cup of tea because of its bitter taste and weird aftertaste it leaves me with. If we’re on the topic of chocolate bars, the reigning chocolate has to be Snickers, because honestly, I’m not me without it. Chocolate is definitely delicious and appeals to everyone.

I am Hillary Ford and I love almost all kinds of chocolate, except dark chocolate. My all time favourite type of chocolate are Kit Kat chocolate bars. I love how there is not too much chocolate but just enough. The crunchy wafer in the middle just ties the whole thing together. The way the chocolate is mashed between the wafers just makes them so good. I highly recommend Kitkat chocolate bars!