The Chocolate Gift Basket Experience

Everyone loves to receive gifts. As a chocolate lover I always hope and pray for a chocolate gift. Last week I received my favorite gift of all time. It was an amazing gift basket overflowing with chocolates of every type. It truly had some of the best chocolates in the world. It was a basket of divine gourmet perfection. I had large luscious truffles that were rich and hypnotic. They were a true treasure on my tongue. It even had small chocolate cheesecakes that were so rich and dreamy I had to take a nap after eating them. The basket came with a healthy amount of crunchy chocolate biscotti and dark chocolate covered coffee beans. This was enough to leave me breathless from consumption. Of course it also came with high quality traditional chocolate flavors like milk, dark and white. This basket was like an edible chocolate sculpture. It was pure art and represented the pinnacle of chocolate gift perfection. I received my wonderful chocolate gift basket almost two months ago. I still think about it every day even though I consumed all of it many days ago. If there is a any down side to a chocolate basket it has to be eating the last chocolate. On my last chocolate I always get a nasty twinge that all addicts must feel when their stash is about to expire.

I have found many varieties of chocolate gift baskets online. I expect many are truly delicious but you should always be on the lookout for only the highest quality fresh chocolates. Sometime price should not be an issue since you will get what you pay for. You will find chocolate baskets are versatile gifts that come in many forms. They can be used to make a perfect birthday gift for your favorite chocolate lover or a great all purpose gifts for corporate and fund-raising events. With some research you can even find sugar free baskets if need be. If you really want to go all out for someone special a gourmet basket will make a big impression. They come in many shapes and sizes and some companies even offer towers and complex boxes with engraving so you can personalize it. One great thing about the basket is well the basket. It can be used for anything from a flower pot to a knitting bucket for many years to come. This will make the memory of your gift last for a long time. Some of the baskets are so large you can make a nice bed for your dog or cat out of it. I can think of nothing better than sleeping in a nice chocolate basket.

Chocolate gift baskets are available almost everywhere. You can deliver them to almost any location in the world. Buying online will give you many options to find best prices. The biggest concern should always be how fresh the chocolates are and if they can be delivered with climate controlled shipping. There is nothing worse than a melted chocolate gift basket. Do not forget to look at the actual basket to make sure it is well made and interesting. This will help your gift make the greatest impression. As a dedicated chocolate lover I promise you that a chocolate basket is the best gift option for your favorite person. As for me I have moved beyond baskets now I want buckets of chocolate.

For more chocolate information visit Sharon Karen at Chocolatefly.com

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Dark Chocolate - A Great Stress Reliever

Chocolate is the most luscious, the most tempting and the most irresistible sweets in the whole planet. One look at it is enough to tell you that it is very delicious and just a small bite could start your craving and you would end up asking for more. What is it with chocolate that it lures everyone to it? I myself am a chocolate lover and I always see to it that I get to eat chocolates every now and then because that's what I love to do. I love to eat chocolates. But I am nothing compared to how L.A. Lakers superstar; Lamar Odom is addicted to it. He's so into it. He brings a pack every practice and eats a lot of it.

However, the thing is that chocolate is not good for our health especially in huge quantities. It is the main reason why people gain weight. It is also said that it could give you diabetes and other health problems as well. People used to say that if you want to live long and healthy, chocolates are one of the things that you should avoid. That has changed now. Science has proven that dark chocolates are good for you. It could help prevent high blood pressure and even heart disease. Weird, right? Well, I will explain to you further.

Warning: dark chocolate is really good for you but that doesn't mean that you are now allowed to eat sacks of it per day. Too much of anything is bad.

There are case studies that tested subjects by feeding them dark chocolate. The results are astounding. These subjects had indeed shown signs of lowered blood pressure, the majority of them, at the very least. It is also proven that it is much healthier than prescription drugs. Dark chocolates also contains anti-oxidants. This anti - oxidants are very beneficial because they remove toxins from the body and other free radicals. These toxins and free radicals are the reasons behind many types of diseases and that definitely includes heart disease. Dark chocolates also relieve stress and help you get into a good mood. The reason is the cocoa content of dark chocolate which has phenols, a known anti - oxidant. So if you are planning to eat sweets, eat dark chocolates instead of other sweets.

Before you dive into these chocolates, a friendly reminder. To get the full effect of the anti-oxidant in the dark chocolate, you should eat it alone, you should not partake any other food or drink together with it because it would cancel the anti - oxidant. Also, remember to partake it in moderation because too much of anything is bad. Also, take care of your teeth. After eating dark chocolates, you should always remember to brush your teeth.

So now all you chocolate lovers have an excuse not to avoid it. Eat in moderation; eat it for your health. Eat it because you love it.

Interested in the benefits of chocolate?

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Is White Chocolate Really Chocolate?

Is white chocolate really chocolate? Truth must be told I also asked myself this question long ago. And after some research I learned that white chocolate is not really chocolate, if you know what I mean. But before that, let us discuss more about chocolates.

Chocolates are known all over the world. For me, it's the number one stress reliever. One bite and you know it's magic. How can something so delicious and luscious exist on this planet? These are one of the few things that make me think that life is indeed good. Now, wouldn't it be appropriate to learn more about it?

Chocolate is actually made up from natural stuff;it's from the cacao bean which is taken from a cacao tree.

To create chocolate, you need to first extract cocoa from the cacao bean. This is done by harvesting cocoa pods. After harvesting them, you need to crush them and extract the pulp. When the pulp is extracted it is then taken to undergo fermentation. Natural fermentation would take about six days and it could either be executed through the use of boxes or just lay they all down in open heaps. Artificial fermentation does exist but the natural method is much favored because it brings about the best tasting chocolates. After fermentation, the beans are categorized by grades and it is roasted. The roasting itself varies depending on the size and the kind of cocoa beans present. The roasting has a lot to do with the taste of the chocolate afterwards. Some manufacturers add the nibs to enhance flavor which is disapproved by some purists. These nibs contain high - fat content or what we also call the cocoa butter.

Now, to create white chocolate, manufactures uses only the cocoa butter in making it. The process is pretty much similar with dark chocolates the U.S> Food and Drug Administration considers it not chocolate because it doesn't use chocolate liquor in creating it. Calling it white chocolate is the best way to address it however, it is still not chocolate. To make white chocolate, makers would only use the butter and add up some milk solids, sugar, vanilla and lecithin to complete this recipe.

However, you should also be aware that there are manufacturers who use substitutes for the real thing. Like for example, instead of using the natural cocoa butter, they use vegetable oil. Mind you, it's not the same. Using substitutes would definitely change the taste. Genuine white chocolate are usually ivory in color. When you eat it you would instantly taste vanilla and cream which is irreplaceable. You will know it if the white chocolate is made up from vegetable fat. The taste is different.

So basically, to answer the question, white chocolate is not chocolate in a sense, but also chocolate if you really look at it at a certain perspective. It's different but it is made up of the same cocoa seed.

Are you an addict of chocolate like me?

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