A Little Chocolate Haul
Chuao is one of my favorite brands. At one time there was a shop near me, but it has since closed. My dad was the one to tell me about it, so every time we went to the Irvine Spectrum, I would grab a strawberry balsamic bonbon (or two) as well as something different. On a side note, if you have a positive relationship with your parents, you are never too old to hang out with them. I have great memories associated with this wonderful brand. Anyway, this is the first online order I placed with them, and it did not go quite as I had planned.
My order consisted of two 16-piece bonbon/truffle custom boxes, one 5-piece custom box, two Share the Love gift sets, four S'Mores bars and one Caramel Apple bar. There were some great promotions happening, so I got some things for my friends in Australia and some things for my household. After placing the order I assumed it would be shipped within a couple of days (giving extra time because of the holidays). I was contacted at the end of the week that the items would be shipped that coming Tuesday. Since the weather had been in the 90s they didn't want the items to melt if they were left out. That was fine-- I'd prefer the products to come in their intended form, even though you can't always control for that. My box shipped Wednesday, and the box was in my hands by Thursday. Everything arrived in perfect condition-- not a thing melted (granted, it ended up being cold and rainy). Originally I wasn't going to open all of the boxes, but then had second thoughts because...well, you never know. Needless to say I'm glad I did.
I had custom ordered bonbons because Modena, now Strawberry Seduction, is one of my favorites. Dark chocolate envelops a sweet and tangy strawberry balsamic caramel resulting in a perfectly balanced bite (bottom right in the image). That arrived, as did the other bonbon/truffle boxes that contained a mix of dairy, non-dairy, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate pieces and the individual bars. I opened the other two boxes to make sure that the Share the Love gift sets were there. One was, but the other wasn't. Instead, one was a Milk Chocolate Bar set. I wrote to the company to let them know, and they are shipping out the correct item on Monday. The customer service (chocolate concierge as they call it) representatives I had been in contact with were wonderful.
You may be wondering what the point of this story is. Chuao is not only one of my favorite brands because of the wonderfully flavorful chocolates; they are also my favorite brand because of their customer service. Yes, they did ship the wrong product, but they are also correcting the situation, and could not have been nicer about it.
To make a custom order, all you need to do is place an order, then email the chocolate concierge so they can make adjustments. If you are interested in purchasing the items I did, here are the pictures, prices, flavor profiles, and items included (all lists & images courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com). Each bonbon/truffle set comes in 5-piece, 9-piece, or 16-piece boxes.
Dairy-Free Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
Citrus Crunch: Roasted almond slivers, pistachios and caramelized
orange peel in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Grignotinne.) Contains
tree nuts.
Framboise: Raspberry “pate de fruit” and almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains tree nuts.
Marzipan: Almond marzipan covered in dark chocolate and topped with a roasted macadamia nut. Contains tree nuts.
Smoky Macadamia: Macadamia nut praline spiced with smoky chipotle in a dark chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Candela.) Contains tree nuts.
Trail Mix: Dark chocolate topped with dried fruit and roasted nuts. (Formerly known as Mendiant.) Contains tree nuts.
Milk Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
Almond Truffle: Almond hazelnut praline rolled in sliced, caramelized
almonds & pistachios in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Bananas Foster: Ripe banana, brown sugar and butter caramel in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Cambur.) Contains dairy.
Crunchy Praline: Roasted almonds & hazelnuts blended with caramelized sugar and covered in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Rio Caribe.) Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Dulce de Leche: Traditional Latin American milk caramel in milk chocolate. Contains dairy.
Hazelnut Latte: Roasted hazelnuts blended with fresh vanilla and a hint of coffee in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Gianduja.) Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Maple Bacon Caramel: Maple caramel with crunchy bacon and bonfire smoked sea salt in milk chocolate. Contains dairy.
Meyer Lemon Mojito: Meyer lemon caramel with fresh mint-infused cream in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Le Citron.) Contains dairy
Nut & Honeylicious: Almond hazelnut praline and a touch of honey in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Miel.) Contains dairy, tree nuts, honey.
Salt Butter Caramel: Soft caramel with a bit of sea salt in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Melao.) Contains dairy.
Rosemary Salt Caramel: Salt butter caramel infused with fresh rosemary in a milk chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Romero.) Contains dairy.
Sweet Passion: Exotic passion fruit cooked into soft caramel in a milk chocolate bonbon shell. (Formerly known as Parchita.) Contains dairy.
Dark Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
Black & White: Creamy white chocolate with almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Chocolate Margarita: Lemon tequila dark chocolate ganache topped with a preserved lemon chip. (Formerly known as Cinco de Mayo.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Citrus Crunch: Roasted almond slivers, pistachios and caramelized orange peel in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Grignotinne.) Contains tree nuts.
Dark Passion: Exotic passion fruit cooked into soft caramel in a dark chocolate bonbon. (Formerly known as Parchita.) Contains dairy.
Firecracker Truffle: Chipotle caramel fudge, sea salt and popping candy in dark chocolate. Contains dairy.
Framboise: Raspberry “pate de fruit” and almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains tree nuts.
Ginger Green Tea: Dark chocolate ginger ganache infused with green tea. (Formerly known as Zen.) Contains dairy.
Goat Cheese & Pear: "Tangy goat cheese, Pear Williams and crushed black pepper buttercream. (Formerly known as Chevere.) Contains dairy.
Honey Truffle: Dark chocolate ganache sweetened with honey and rolled in confectioner's sugar. Contains dairy, honey, liquor.
Marzipan: Almond marzipan covered in dark chocolate and topped with a roasted macadamia nut. Contains tree nuts.
Mocha: A rich coffee buttercream inside a coffee bean shaped dark chocolate bonbon. (Formerly known as Java.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Smoky Macadamia: Macadamia nut praline spiced with smoky chipotle in a dark chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Candela.) Contains tree nuts.
Salted Chocolate Crunch: Toasted panko breadcrumbs, olive oil dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of sea salt. (Formerly known as Pan Con Chocolate.) Contains dairy, wheat.
Spiced Cabernet Caramel: Napa Valley cabernet caramel infused with spices in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Picante.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Spicy Maya: Cinnamon dark chocolate ganache infused with pasilla chile and cayenne pepper. Contains dairy.
Strawberry Seduction: Sweet strawberry caramel with a touch of tangy balsamic cradled in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Modena.) Contains dairy.
The Darkest: Bold 73% dark chocolate ganache. (Formerly known as Gran Cacao.) Contains dairy.
Trail Mix: Dark chocolate topped with dried fruit and roasted nuts. (Formerly known as Mendiant.) Contains tree nuts.
Wild Truffle: Dark chocolate ganache rolled in cocoa powder. Contains dairy.
Share the Love Gift Set $36.00
This set includes mini bars (x3) of each of the following:
Firecracker mini bar: Sea salt, a dash of chipotle and popping candy crackle in dark chocolate. Contains milk lactose, soy.
Honeycomb mini bar: Luscious amber honey, caramelized into crisp bits and enrobed in dark chocolate. Contains soy, honey.
Baconluxious mini bar: Crisp bites of bacon drizzled with delicate maple sweetness and a sprinkle of bonfire smoked sea salt, bathed in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Potato Chip mini bar: Crisp kettle cooked potato chips and a hint of sea salt, mix and mingle in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Salted Chocolate Crunch mini bar: Crunchy, toasted breadcrumbs dusted with sea salt and swirled in dark chocolate. Formerly known as Panko. Contains soy, wheat.
Spicy Maya mini bar: Seductive cinnamon, pasilla chile and warming cayenne bedded in dark chocolate. Contains soy.
Pop Corn Pop mini bar: Mixed puffed whole grains, toasted corn chips, and a sprinkle of sea salt with a surprising POP in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Orange-A-Go-Go mini bar: Rich dark chocolate grooves with zesty bits of candied orange and soulful orange bergamot. Contains soy.
Sweet & Salty mini bar: A sprinkle of sea salt, swirled into creamy milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Cinnamon Cereal Smooch: Scrumptious cinnamon toast cereal spooning in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Caramel Apple Crush: Tangy green apple flirts with buttery caramel in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Strawberry Waffle Wild: Crunchy waffles fall for bits of tangy strawberry in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Oh My S'Mores! & Caramel Apple Crush, $6.00/each
My order consisted of two 16-piece bonbon/truffle custom boxes, one 5-piece custom box, two Share the Love gift sets, four S'Mores bars and one Caramel Apple bar. There were some great promotions happening, so I got some things for my friends in Australia and some things for my household. After placing the order I assumed it would be shipped within a couple of days (giving extra time because of the holidays). I was contacted at the end of the week that the items would be shipped that coming Tuesday. Since the weather had been in the 90s they didn't want the items to melt if they were left out. That was fine-- I'd prefer the products to come in their intended form, even though you can't always control for that. My box shipped Wednesday, and the box was in my hands by Thursday. Everything arrived in perfect condition-- not a thing melted (granted, it ended up being cold and rainy). Originally I wasn't going to open all of the boxes, but then had second thoughts because...well, you never know. Needless to say I'm glad I did.
I had custom ordered bonbons because Modena, now Strawberry Seduction, is one of my favorites. Dark chocolate envelops a sweet and tangy strawberry balsamic caramel resulting in a perfectly balanced bite (bottom right in the image). That arrived, as did the other bonbon/truffle boxes that contained a mix of dairy, non-dairy, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate pieces and the individual bars. I opened the other two boxes to make sure that the Share the Love gift sets were there. One was, but the other wasn't. Instead, one was a Milk Chocolate Bar set. I wrote to the company to let them know, and they are shipping out the correct item on Monday. The customer service (chocolate concierge as they call it) representatives I had been in contact with were wonderful.
 |
| So many boxes!!...of love & chocolate. |
 |
| ...and the dark box as well. |
 |
| As you can see, we sampled the milk chocolate box... |
 |
| This is the set they sent instead of the second Share the Love. |
To make a custom order, all you need to do is place an order, then email the chocolate concierge so they can make adjustments. If you are interested in purchasing the items I did, here are the pictures, prices, flavor profiles, and items included (all lists & images courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com). Each bonbon/truffle set comes in 5-piece, 9-piece, or 16-piece boxes.
Dairy-Free Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
Framboise: Raspberry “pate de fruit” and almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains tree nuts.
Marzipan: Almond marzipan covered in dark chocolate and topped with a roasted macadamia nut. Contains tree nuts.
Smoky Macadamia: Macadamia nut praline spiced with smoky chipotle in a dark chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Candela.) Contains tree nuts.
Trail Mix: Dark chocolate topped with dried fruit and roasted nuts. (Formerly known as Mendiant.) Contains tree nuts.
Milk Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
Bananas Foster: Ripe banana, brown sugar and butter caramel in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Cambur.) Contains dairy.
Crunchy Praline: Roasted almonds & hazelnuts blended with caramelized sugar and covered in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Rio Caribe.) Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Dulce de Leche: Traditional Latin American milk caramel in milk chocolate. Contains dairy.
Hazelnut Latte: Roasted hazelnuts blended with fresh vanilla and a hint of coffee in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Gianduja.) Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Maple Bacon Caramel: Maple caramel with crunchy bacon and bonfire smoked sea salt in milk chocolate. Contains dairy.
Meyer Lemon Mojito: Meyer lemon caramel with fresh mint-infused cream in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Le Citron.) Contains dairy
Nut & Honeylicious: Almond hazelnut praline and a touch of honey in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Miel.) Contains dairy, tree nuts, honey.
Salt Butter Caramel: Soft caramel with a bit of sea salt in milk chocolate. (Formerly known as Melao.) Contains dairy.
Rosemary Salt Caramel: Salt butter caramel infused with fresh rosemary in a milk chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Romero.) Contains dairy.
Sweet Passion: Exotic passion fruit cooked into soft caramel in a milk chocolate bonbon shell. (Formerly known as Parchita.) Contains dairy.
Dark Chocolates, $12.95-31.95
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
Black & White: Creamy white chocolate with almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains dairy, tree nuts.
Chocolate Margarita: Lemon tequila dark chocolate ganache topped with a preserved lemon chip. (Formerly known as Cinco de Mayo.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Citrus Crunch: Roasted almond slivers, pistachios and caramelized orange peel in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Grignotinne.) Contains tree nuts.
Dark Passion: Exotic passion fruit cooked into soft caramel in a dark chocolate bonbon. (Formerly known as Parchita.) Contains dairy.
Firecracker Truffle: Chipotle caramel fudge, sea salt and popping candy in dark chocolate. Contains dairy.
Framboise: Raspberry “pate de fruit” and almond hazelnut praline in dark chocolate. Contains tree nuts.
Ginger Green Tea: Dark chocolate ginger ganache infused with green tea. (Formerly known as Zen.) Contains dairy.
Goat Cheese & Pear: "Tangy goat cheese, Pear Williams and crushed black pepper buttercream. (Formerly known as Chevere.) Contains dairy.
Honey Truffle: Dark chocolate ganache sweetened with honey and rolled in confectioner's sugar. Contains dairy, honey, liquor.
Marzipan: Almond marzipan covered in dark chocolate and topped with a roasted macadamia nut. Contains tree nuts.
Mocha: A rich coffee buttercream inside a coffee bean shaped dark chocolate bonbon. (Formerly known as Java.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Smoky Macadamia: Macadamia nut praline spiced with smoky chipotle in a dark chocolate shell. (Formerly known as Candela.) Contains tree nuts.
Salted Chocolate Crunch: Toasted panko breadcrumbs, olive oil dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of sea salt. (Formerly known as Pan Con Chocolate.) Contains dairy, wheat.
Spiced Cabernet Caramel: Napa Valley cabernet caramel infused with spices in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Picante.) Contains dairy, liquor.
Spicy Maya: Cinnamon dark chocolate ganache infused with pasilla chile and cayenne pepper. Contains dairy.
Strawberry Seduction: Sweet strawberry caramel with a touch of tangy balsamic cradled in dark chocolate. (Formerly known as Modena.) Contains dairy.
The Darkest: Bold 73% dark chocolate ganache. (Formerly known as Gran Cacao.) Contains dairy.
Trail Mix: Dark chocolate topped with dried fruit and roasted nuts. (Formerly known as Mendiant.) Contains tree nuts.
Wild Truffle: Dark chocolate ganache rolled in cocoa powder. Contains dairy.
Share the Love Gift Set $36.00
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
This set includes mini bars (x3) of each of the following:
Firecracker mini bar: Sea salt, a dash of chipotle and popping candy crackle in dark chocolate. Contains milk lactose, soy.
Honeycomb mini bar: Luscious amber honey, caramelized into crisp bits and enrobed in dark chocolate. Contains soy, honey.
Baconluxious mini bar: Crisp bites of bacon drizzled with delicate maple sweetness and a sprinkle of bonfire smoked sea salt, bathed in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Potato Chip mini bar: Crisp kettle cooked potato chips and a hint of sea salt, mix and mingle in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Salted Chocolate Crunch mini bar: Crunchy, toasted breadcrumbs dusted with sea salt and swirled in dark chocolate. Formerly known as Panko. Contains soy, wheat.
Spicy Maya mini bar: Seductive cinnamon, pasilla chile and warming cayenne bedded in dark chocolate. Contains soy.
Pop Corn Pop mini bar: Mixed puffed whole grains, toasted corn chips, and a sprinkle of sea salt with a surprising POP in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Orange-A-Go-Go mini bar: Rich dark chocolate grooves with zesty bits of candied orange and soulful orange bergamot. Contains soy.
Sweet & Salty mini bar: A sprinkle of sea salt, swirled into creamy milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Cinnamon Cereal Smooch: Scrumptious cinnamon toast cereal spooning in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Caramel Apple Crush: Tangy green apple flirts with buttery caramel in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Strawberry Waffle Wild: Crunchy waffles fall for bits of tangy strawberry in milk chocolate. Contains dairy, soy.
Oh My S'Mores! & Caramel Apple Crush, $6.00/each
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
 |
| Image courtesy of chuaochocolatier.com |
Comments
Post a Comment
Please feel free to comment, but note that anything that I deem offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Have a wonderful day!