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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Is Tangle Chocolate vegan?

Yes! The only two ingredients are certified organic cacao beans and certified organic cane sugar.

Is Tangle Chocolate kosher?

Yes! Our chocolate is certified kosher by the Massachusetts Kosher Commission.

Is Tangle Chocolate gluten free?

Yes! There are only two ingredients in our chocolate, organic cocoa beans and organic sugar, both of which are gluten free, so our chocolate is gluten free.

Chocolate News | Tangle Chocolate

Jan 6, 2023

Truffle Hunting in Italy

A popular and unusual flavor of chocolate offered by Tangle Chocolate is our Italian Truffle Salted 72% dark chocolate. Recently, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Sabatino Tartufi, the company that makes our truffle salt, and go on a truffle hunt with one of of their hunters and his adorable dog! Read all about the experience.

Sep 1, 2022

The Life Cycle of a Cacao Pod

Here in Massachusetts, fall is coming, but it's not quite here. What's going on in Guatemala, the home of our delicious cacao? Read to find out about the life cycle of a cacao pod.

Jul 7, 2022

What is Gelato?

As the summer months roll in and the heat rises, we all look around for something to cool us off. Gelato with Tangle Chocolate Topping, anyone? But wait, what is gelato, anyway? And how is it different from ice cream? Which is healthier? This three-minute read will answer these questions.

Jun 9, 2022

Did You Know That Chocolate Is Fermented?

While the chocolate production steps of roasting, milling and tempering are well known for their impact on the final product, one that can have the greatest flavor impact is often forgotten. Much like kimchi and sauerkraut, cacao beans too require fermentation in order to create the chocolate we all know and love. Here's how it works.

May 5, 2022

FAT-FREE CHOCOLATE?

Recently, a customer asked if I had any fat-free chocolate dessert recipes. While I’m unaware of any chocolate or recipes that contain ZERO fat, there are lots of low-fat options. Here’s a little information about the fat that is in chocolate, the best options for low-fat chocolate, and a couple of very low-fat chocolate recipes that this chocolate lover finds worth trying. These are wonderful treats for anyone who cannot process fat (or has other reasons for not wanting to eat fat).

Apr 14, 2022

All About Milk Chocolate

Tangle Chocolate recently began offering a creamy, deep, 52% cacao MILK chocolate for the many folks out there who haven’t yet made the switch to dark (we refer to our milk chocolate as the gateway chocolate, so beware!). Want to know a bit about the process involved in developing our milk chocolate formula as well as a thumbnail history of milk chocolate? Keep reading.

Mar 3, 2022

How to Remove Chocolate Stains

A few days ago, a Tangle customer contacted me, upset because she had accidentally smeared some chocolate on her silk sofa. While I was unable to help her—a silk sofa stain of any kind would send me directly to a professional upholstery cleaner—I do have some suggestions for how to get chocolate out of clothing, and a professional dry cleaner and the Smithsonian Museum add their two cents as well.

Feb 17, 2022

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE AT HOME IN 4 STEPS

As a professional chocolate maker, I own a number of specialty pieces of equipment that you won’t find in your home kitchen. But did you know that you can make an approximation of chocolate yourself using what you likely already have? My introduction to chocolate making was in Belize, where I learned basic techniques that can be practiced almost anywhere. Keep reading, and maybe you’ll decide to give it a go yourself.

Jan 27, 2022

The Ultimate Valentine's Day Gift Guide

It's almost that time. You want to give your Valentine something that references Valentine's Day traditions, but that is also a bit surprising, a fresh take, an upscale twist on chocolate and flowers. We think you will find what you're looking for in this ultimate gift guide from Tangle Chocolate.

Nov 18, 2021

Sweet Birch Herbals and Tangle Chocolate Collaboration

Tangle Chocolate’s best selling Winter in New England gift box is full of products to keep you cozy and healthy and happy through a cold winter. One of the items in the box is Elderberry Syrup, an immune booster, made by local herbalist Hannah Jacobson-Hardy of Sweet Birch Herbals in Ashfield, Massachusetts. Want to know more about it?

Nov 11, 2021

Best, Richest, Real Hot Chocolate Recipe

So your taste in hot chocolate no longer includes powders that come in envelopes, but you don't know how to make truly rich, real, exceptional hot chocolate yourself. You are about to read the best of the best of hot chocolate recipes.

Oct 14, 2021

A Different Perspective on Child Labor in West Africa

As you may already know, the chocolate industry has a long and terrible history of using slave labor, including forcing children to work in ways that can harm them. Part of the driving force behind Tangle Chocolate and many other fine chocolate makers is to end such practices. But this issue is more complex and nuanced than it seems at first glance. I recently attended a panel discussion on child labor in west Africa that presented the issue in a cultural context and from the point of view of cacao farmers and the children themselves, and want to share what I learned.

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