CHOCOLATE NEWS ROUNDUP

Q: What is your shipping policy?

Warm weather policy starts April 19, 2021: We want you to receive your chocolate in perfect condition and as quickly as possible. In warm weather, we ship on Mondays and Tuesdays (and Wednesday if the destination is close enough to guarantee arrival before the weekend). We add insulation and an ice pack at no charge, and we strongly encourage you to choose an expedited shipping method if your order is traveling outside of New England. We cannot be responsible for chocolate that is heat-damaged when you open it, so please have someone be home when your package is expected to arrive or provide a safe, cool delivery spot. We may need to delay shipment altogether if the weather is too hot here or there, and will notify you if this happens. You will receive an email when your package ships. We do not ship internationally at this time.

Q: What is your return policy?

Your chocolate is shipped in perfect condition and, as described above, we take every precaution to make sure it arrives in perfect condition as well. If it is damaged in transit, we will gladly replace it but cannot refund shipping costs. We cannot accept the return or exchange of chocolate that was received intact. Having said that, if you are unhappy with your order, we hope you will reach out to us. Our products are created for you, and we want to hear if we need to make changes to our product, our shipping methods, or anything else in order to keep you as a happy customer.

Q: How should I store my chocolate?

Best is to keep it between 65 and 70 degrees and in low humidity (less than 55%) and darkness, like a pantry or cupboard. Refrigeration is a good choice as long as you first put it in something else with as little air as possible such as a baggie with the air forced out. Please let it come to room temperature before enjoying it. Hot temperatures as well as big swings in temperature make chocolate “bloom” or go out of temper, meaning the cocoa butter separates from the cocoa solids. When this happens, although there is nothing wrong with the chocolate, it will have chalky whitish/greyish patterns (that’s the cocoa butter) and a different mouthfeel. When stored in ideal conditions, your chocolate can be enjoyed long after you got it, but we like it the most when it’s as fresh as possible.

Q: What does 70% mean?

It refers to the percentage of cacao by weight in the finished chocolate. Because Tangle Chocolate has only two ingredients, you know that our chocolate consists of 70% cacao and 30% sugar.

Q: Do you make other kinds of chocolate besides 70% dark?

Not right now...but what do you think we should make next? Please let us know!

Q: What's the big deal about Tangle Chocolate being freshly made?

Some foods improve with age, such as wine and many cheeses. Others lose some of their taste over time. We find that the flavors in chocolate mellow. Now, this may not concern you, and you may have been perfectly content your whole life with chocolate that arrived in a shop perhaps many months before you purchased it. But we invite you to try our chocolate and see if you notice a difference in the number and quality of distinct flavors straight from the cacao bean that you can taste.

Q: Is Tangle Chocolate single-origin? And what does that mean?

Yes, Tangle Chocolate is single origin. That means that all of the cacao beans used in our chocolate are from the same region. Those cacao trees experience the same soil, weather, altitude and so on that contribute to the distinct flavor of the chocolate. Tangle Chocolate uses cacao beans from a single region of Guatemala, the Cahabón region.

Q: What's the difference between bean-to-bar and craft or artisan chocolate?

These words, along with other ones like "small batch" and "handcrafted," are used in an attempt to differentiate specialty chocolate from large-maker industrial chocolate. However, none of them has a legal definition in the U.S., so their presence on a label doesn't necessarily guarantee anything, which can be confusing and even misleading. Bean-to-bar chocolate means that the maker started with cacao beans, did all of the roasting and refining in house, and ended up with the finished chocolate. That describes Tangle Chocolate. Very large companies technically can be bean-to-bar chocolate makers too, but the term is generally used to describe small chocolate makers like us. The terms “craft” and “artisan” imply that the chocolate was made by a small company with lots of human involvement in the process, whether or not the chocolate is bean to bar...but again, without a legal definition, it's hard for us as consumers to know what "small" is. Industrial chocolate makers have noticed consumer interest in craft products, and some now use words like "craft" and "artisan" on their labels. In addition, while some “craft” or “artisan” chocolate companies are also bean to bar, others buy ready-made chocolate, melt it and perhaps add special touches, and then remold and package it with their label. If you're unsure about a chocolate company's label language, call them and ask any questions you have.

Q: Is your chocolate certified organic?

Not at this time. Although the cacao beans and sugar that we currently use are certified organic, we have chosen not to go through the process to be certified organic as a company. This enables us to keep the door open in the future to using non-certified organic beans that we love. We understand that sometimes a farmer can't meet the costs and administrative duties associated with getting and maintaining organic certification even though their products are up to organic standards.

Q: Is Tangle Chocolate Fair Trade?

No. We are committed to paying more than the Fair Trade price standards and to meeting or surpassing any ethical standards you can think of. We buy our cacao beans from good people who know their many small farmers (average farm size: 2.5 acres) and are super transparent about their practices and finances.

June 3, 2021

June 3, 2021. Frogs and cicadas and chocolate... oh my! There have been some unusual and exciting chocolate news stories lately, from chocolate-covered cicadas to the tracking of deforestation. Here’s a recap of several of the stories that caught our eye here at Tangle Chocolate.

Chocolate Covered Cicadas

There has been a lot of hype about the billions of Brood X cicadas that are currently emerging after 17 years of being underground. This phenomenon is happening in 15 states, from Tennessee to New York. Chouquette Chocolates in Maryland is smack dab in the middle of it and decided to take advantage. They are currently selling chocolate-covered cicadas in your choice of milk or dark chocolate coating. These cicadas are frozen, lightly boiled, air-fried, and seasoned with cinnamon. Once dipped in decadent chocolate, owner Sarah Dwyer claims the insects taste like "chocolate-covered potato chips.” This novelty product is so popular that there is currently a 10-day wait to ship, but the small team is not worried about running out since millions more of the insects are emerging daily. If these chocolate treats are not your cup of tea, but you would still like to partake in the cicada season, Dwyer also sells cicada-shaped chocolate—free of bugs!

Note: the FDA issued a warning yesterday, June 2, 2021, that people who are allergic to seafood should NOT eat cicadas. They have some similar proteins as shrimp and lobster and can cause anaphylaxis.

Chocolate Frogs

An Australian frog specialist named Steve Richards just identified a new species of frog named Litoria Mira. Richards found the cocoa-colored frog in the rainforest swamp of New Guinea back in 2016 and has been doing genetic studies since then to prove that the frog is, in fact, a new species. The frog's glossy brown appearance has earned it the nickname “Chocolate Frog.” The reason this frog remained undetected until now is that it has a keen ability to camouflage itself. The swamps where it lives are humid, brush-filled, and filled with malaria-ridden mosquitos. Apparently, most scientists refused even to embark on such a treacherous journey. Also, many may have confused this frog with the common Australian green tree frog which is also small in size and lives nearby. The Chocolate Frog grows to about 3” and was named after the Latin word for “surprised.” We love this little cutie!

Forest Protection

As we know, deforestation continues to be a major environmental issue around the world. EcoVision Lab at ETH Zurich, sponsored by Barry Callebaut Chocolate, is creating a project to limit these deforestation efforts. By the end of 2021, The EcoVision Lab at ETH Zurich predicts to have mapped out the entirety of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia according to their carbon stock. This new carbon map is created through high-resolution satellite imagery. This elaborate map differentiates between six categories of vegetation cover, meaning different colors are used to catalog vegetation density. Deciphering the density differences throughout these countries will help limit deforestation by prohibiting companies from entering these areas.

Barry Callebaut is a major cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer and owns the world’s largest chocolate factory (which is located in Belgium). He believes all chocolate can be ethically and sustainably sourced by 2025. His ability to provide financial support on such an ambitious project could lead to real environmental change and the preservation of forests.

If you would like to learn more about this effort, click here.

While Tangle Chocolate does not sell any chocolate-covered bugs (or frogs, for that matter!), we do make delicious chocolate, including our signature 9-calorie dark chocolate slivers that melt on your tongue. See all of our fine products at https://tanglechocolate.com/ .

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/22/us/cicada-chocolate-maryland-trnd/index.ht ml

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/29/australian-scientist- discovers-chocolate-frog-in-new-guinea-swamps

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/chocolate-giant-funds-high-resolution-car bon-map-to-protect-forests/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/02/health/dont-eat-cicadas-fda/index.html