TCHO Chocolate Gift Box - Single Origin, Vegan, Oat Milk Chocolate Bars - 6 Pack of 2.5oz Bars - 100% Plant Based, Zero Dairy

I thought I’d give TCHO chocolate a try and so glad I did. I love the deep, dark flavor of all the bars I’ve tried and they’re all equally good. When possible, I purchase vegan and responsibly sourced products, so this chocolate is a total winner.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, thinking 6 square bars by the way it was packaged was an interesting concept, but each box has three individually wrapped small bars of three bricks each. Which I loved! The dark chocolate is decadent and amazing! I am a dark chocoholic but because I’m celiac I can’t just eat any chocolate… Barley malt is a common additive. 🙄 There was no mention of being GF along with the dairy-free and soy-free, organic, vegan claims but from the list of simple clean ingredients and no allergen warnings about being produced on shared equipment with wheat or nuts, I was confident in ordering this that it would be safe. So far, no adverse reaction! Anyway, the chocolate is so rich having it in small portion bars is a great way to keep it fresh. Even as a dark chocoholic two squares satisfied my desire. So I have one little square left to eat later today, which is a lot easier to keep fresh than if it was a big single bar. As far as giftability, as a “gift box” it certainly is an awesome gift but I’d definitely gift wrap it before giving it… This is more a critique for the brand than product review for the customer - The internal packaging and details are really well designed, the outside box on the other hand I’m not in love with the aesthetics especially if presented alone as a gift. It’s a simple one-color pattern and if the recipient hasn’t heard of this brand they’d have no idea what’s in there. The package design between the outside box and internal components are disparate and not cohesive. I’m not saying it has to be frou frou with a bow on it like other brands, but the outside box doesn’t reflect the high-end well-thought internal pieces other than it’s the same pattern that’s on the bar wrappers. I like the idea of keeping that pattern on the box, but bring more elements from the inside to the outside to pull it together better, and show that the recipient is about to open a box of chocolates. It doesn’t say high-end sophisticated chocolates because it’s not a typical chocolate box shape. I appreciate the avant-garde package design away from the standards, but that’s when the packaging has to communicate intent better than ever. Perhaps a beautiful sleeve with a simple cacao pic like the inside of the dark chocolate on the same card stock. It’s simple and clean, while communicating chocolate without screaming “boxed chocolates.” Why is my critique of this aspect of the “gift” so focused? In my past life, I was a package designer for a gift chocolate company, and then a package designer for another gift-centric company that leveraged my background to start offering its own private label chocolates in their boutiques, and I designed that packaging as well along with other gift items. I also have a marketing background, thanks to tuition reimbursement from company #2. So I know a few things about this “gift” segment… Simply put, this chocolate is so good, I think the initial packaging impression should reflect the quality inside.

These dark chocolate bars are rich and tasty. They come truffle-filled in 3 different flavors - fudgy, fruity and both. I like that they are plant-based, diary-free and soy-free. Clean from top allergens. The chocolate itself has a semi-bittersweet taste, which is pretty delightful. They come well-packaged in a nice giftbox with 6 individual boxes (2 per flavor) in it, each containing 3 bars. It is a nice variety pack. For the current price of about $2 per bar, it is a pretty decent value for the money. Worth giving them a try if you like dark chocolate and truffle.

As a long-time lover of dark chocolate I believe myself to be a good judge of its quality. I don’t know how great this chocolate started out, but all varieties in my box had the beginning of a fat bloom, and as a result were too brittle for even dark chocolate, and the aroma had suffered as well. I don’t know if the bloom happened during manufacturing, or is due to rapid temperature fluctuations in storage, but considering the price for this item that’s unacceptable. The best-by-date is still 7 months away. Needless to say, but I’ve had far better organic chocolate for a fraction of the price.

Since the Amazon listing title states this is a gift box, I gave the chocolates as a gift. As such, most of this review is from the POV of the receiver – seems appropriate, doesn't it? “Good quality chocolate. Nancy likes the higher cacao chocolate and the less sugary taste. For her the best one was Holy Fudge, which had the deepest chocolate taste and 75% cacao. It really does taste like hot fudge. My favorite was Born Fruity. While there is no other fruit (cacao seeds are from a pulpy fruit pod) it had a subtle berry taste and is more smooth with slightly lower cacao at 72%. I was pleasantly surprised as I assumed a fruity taste in chocolate would be weird, and it actually really worked for me. Third type is Dark Duo, which combines cacao from Peru and Ghana. Less distinctive than the other two but definitely a good bite of chocolate. Also at 75% cacao.” – this reviewer's mother From the POV of the gift-giver, me, I'd say the price is a bit high for the quantity and quality. But overall, a nice presentation of high quality chocolates.

This arrived nestled in an envelope, which resulted in the lid coming off the package and the bars scattered cattywhompus in the envelope. Despite that, the first pack I opened - born fruity - contained three intact smaller bars. The packaging is delightful, with the bars looking like small books inside the box. Each pack pulls out to open for three wrapped bars, with nutrition and allergen info on the outside of each box, not on the bars. The bars are considered a serving, with three breakable squares in each. I snapped off a piece to try it, and admired the delightful aroma and shiny, perfect dark chocolate appearance. The mouthfeel is exquisite, the flavor true to the name of a dark chocolate with a fruity hint without being too bitter. These will be savored one square at a time, as the flavor is rich enough to sate any chocolate craving without needing to binge.