If there's anything that can put a smile on my face, it's chocolate. If I had to subsist on just one type of food for the rest of my life... chocolate. When you've had a rough day and need a pick-me-up... chocolate. Something great happened and you need to celebrate? Chocolate. Want to show someone a lil' love? Chocolate! I'm pretty sure there is no situation in life where chocolate would be an inappropriate response.
So, now that we've clarified that, what could possibly be better than an entire party dedicated to eating tons of different premium, hand-crafted chocolates?! I would submit that there is NOTHING better. Honestly I didn't think I would get chosen for this opportunity, so I really was excited when I got an e-mail from Tryazon saying I was picked to be a host and receive a box full of samples. I had never heard of the company before, but as a lover of all-things chocolate I could tell from just a little bit of reading that they were a good company producing what I was sure would be high-quality, super tasty treats. (Guess what? I was right!) Plus, I saw a bunch of their little commercials about their hand-crafters which I thought were pretty humorous, which is always a plus with any company.
At first I was worried about the timing of the party, because originally I had planned on hosting it on the earlier date in October, until they decided to hold off in case of warm temperatures during shipping. I had to re-arrange some things and I wasn't sure the package would arrive in time for the day that worked best, but it all ended up working out. And I have to say, it was probably a good idea they decided not to ship a few weeks earlier when it was still super warm here in Texas. I could tell that some of my chocolates, while not actually melted, had probably gotten a bit warm and were mildly clumped together. But it was not bad at all and the taste of the chocolates was not in any way affected.
So I decided to host my #niagarachocolates party on a Saturday when I knew some friends and family would all be in town together for another event. It worked out that we could host them all at our house afterwards for lunch. Part of the morning's activities included a 1.5mile walk - which meant we were totally justified in eating as much of the chocolate as we wanted, right? 😅At least that's my story. We invited everyone to come hang out and visit with us for lunch and some chocolate tasting to learn about a "new" company. (They're obviously not new, but like me, no one else had ever heard of them before.) Free food AND free chocolate definitely piqued everyone's interest.
I set up a display to showcase the wide variety of options Niagara Chocolates offers - from bars, to cups, to clusters. There really is something that I think ANYONE could find to enjoy (unless you really just don't like chocolate, in which case, I'm not sure we can be friends...). I also made up a few different platters to set the chocolates out - some that were just straight chocolate, and others that included other items to pair with the chocolate like wafer cookies, marshmallows, fruit, nuts, pretzels. I mean really, there's not a whole lot that chocolate DOESN'T go with. As I mentioned, no one else had heard of the company so I made sure to emphasize that they are an American business (that was a big thing for some of the guests!), that they hand-craft the chocolates to get that perfect small-batch quality, and "good-for-all" perks such as having non-GMO ingredients and using responsible/sustainable practices (Rainforest Alliance Certified).
I had to encourage everyone to come "dig in" and help themselves to tasting each kind, but once they started I think they got hooked - it didn't take long for the plates to be empty! Some people were playing guessing games, some tried (unsuccessfully, haha) to be sneaky about how many pieces they were eating, and some were just raving about their favorite kind. Know what it was? Coconut. I was totally surprised because I'm not a big fan of coconut and I was worried how a cluster packed with coconut would be received, but that one went so fast! Some of the guests were seriously just going on and on about how amazing it was, haha!
It was a really fun afternoon, and I enjoyed getting to talk one-on-one with some of the guests about the company. Near the end, I had everyone enter their name for a drawing to win some of the packages I had saved as door prizes. That was a hit for sure, to be able to take some home, and luckily I had held back enough aside from the sampling that I was able to also give some "consolation prizes" to those whose names hadn't been drawn. A couple of people were really excited to go check out the website later and asked to take multiple coupons, so I'd say Niagara Chocolates is doing something right and really producing some quality, delicious items. For some, they really loved that the company made their product here in the USA, as supporting 'local' is important to their family. And for me, I really love the hand-crafted, small-batch quality that they emphasize. You really can taste the difference versus a random box you just pick up in the candy aisle at any store. The chocolate was so smooth and creamy, it just melted perfectly in your mouth. I definitely prefer milk chocolate over dark, but they have done an excellent job with their dark varieties. It still has a sweetness too it - not overly bitterly like many I've had, and the fillings are the perfect touch to round out the richness of the dark chocolate. I am a crazy peanut butter lover as well, so those were my favorite kinds, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the flavors they have created.
I also saved a milk chocolate bar for all of us to try out using on s'mores later that night. The little squares were maybe a bit thick for a s'more (especially for a child trying to open their mouth wide enough, haha), but honestly I don't think any of us would complain about it. It taste amazing! The edges were melty from the heat of the marshmallow, and it just was a perfect blend of flavors. Seriously, soooo good. There was no question the Niagara chocolates were preferred over some other brands that night.
The party was a definite hit - I think a lot of people were happy to have found a delicious new indulgent treat, and you really just can't go wrong when chocolate is involved. I was glad to have gotten this opportunity and look forward to seeing this brand around more when I'm shopping! To see a bit of the fun we had, check out the photos below!
#tryazon #niagaraparty #niagarachocolates #niagarahandcrafted
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