We made the switch to fair-trade chocolate a few years ago, and in that time I’ve done my civic duty sampling a variety of chocolate to figure out what tastes best. It’s the least I could do. Anyway, I’m hear to report a few of my favorites, in case you are looking for a mother’s day gift (or a stash of chocolate to eat yourself.) A few folks had asked about the bars in my kids’ Easter Basket . . . they were the salted almond chocolate bars from Theo. I order most of my chocolate from Amazon (because I order just about everything from Amazon) but many of these can be found in regular grocery store (and certainly at Whole Foods.) 
1. Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries – This one is very light and sweet, with a great strawberry kick. My kids really like this as well. 2. Alter Eco Velvet Truffles – These are very similar to Lindt truffles. A good cross-over if you are getting your palate used to the stronger flavors inherent in most fair trade chocolate. 3. Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries – You had me at dark chocolate with raspberries. 4. Pink Himalayan Salt Caramel Bar – Gooey caramel and crunchy salt. SOOO messy. So good. My kids love this one as well. 5. Taza Mexican Sampler – Taza chocolate has a really unique flavor. It’s less processed so it has some grit to it. I love it. Not everyone does. But this sampler has really fun flavors like salted almond, chipotle chili, and salt and pepper (my favorite.) 6. Green & Black’s Spiced Chili – This bar is really unique. It’s spicy . . . it’s got a little kick to it, but also a strong flavor of anise seed. If anise seed isn’t your thing, skip this one. It is very much my thing. And this paired with red wine? So good. A few bites go a long way. 7. Organic Bug Bites – If you are looking for little treats for the kids, these are great, and the milk chocolate flavor is nice and mellow. 8. Green & Black’s Maya Gold – This dark chocolate bar is flavored with orange, nutmeg, and cinnamon. 9. Vosges Mo’s Bacon Bar – I love/hate this one. The bacon and chocolate combo is so good, but the little bacon pieces kind of get in my teeth. Jafta love/loves this one. 
Full disclosure – fair trade chocolate is quite a bit more expensive than conventional chocolate (which is kind of the point, since the worker are earning a fair wage from your purchase dollars.) But for me, this is mitigated by the fact that the flavors are so much stronger. I don’t eat through a bar in one sitting. Usually a square or two will suffice. This is chocolate to be savored, not chomped. Kind of like a glass of wine vs. a solo cup of jungle juice. Now, when I eat regular chocolate, it tastes sickly sweet and plasticy . . . like the actual chocolate is missing. It’s an acquired taste and an investment, but we enjoy treating ourselves with the occasional bar that usually lasts the whole week.
