{"id":24245,"date":"2021-06-10T16:28:20","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T23:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=24245"},"modified":"2024-12-14T15:05:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T23:05:41","slug":"a-real-treat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/outsidechocolate\/a-real-treat\/","title":{"rendered":"A real treat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chocolate
See\u2019s packs their chocolate covered coffee beans in a branded travel tin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See\u2019s Candies<\/a><\/strong> are a sentimental favorite, and if you like old fashioned chocolates, they are a good choice \u2014 still using their original recipes, but also coming out with new items regularly, and made with\u00a0mostly OK ingredients (some artificial flavors and soy lecithin are the only potentially objectionable ingredients, I think).<\/p>\n

Also, visiting their stores is a fun experience with the distinct white and black retro decor and the staff in their 1960s-ish uniforms handling out free samples.\u00a0But even though there was a See\u2019s store<\/a> at the end of my block when I lived in SF for 11 years, I rarely visited because their chocolates are too sweet for me. So I was very intrigued when I saw they were teaming up with local chocolate pioneer\u00a0Guittard Chocolate<\/a> and local coffee legend\u00a0Peet\u2019s Coffee<\/a> for a limited time treat. Could this be a See\u2019s candy for me?<\/p>\n

\"open
Real beans in good chocolate make for a simple, satisfying treat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Local excellence<\/h2>\n

The partnership is important because Guittard and Peet\u2019s both have excellent reputations for quality goods. For the Chocolate Coffee Beans, Peet\u2019s roasts the coffee beans, and Guittard provides the dark chocolate couverture that See\u2019s coats the beans with. The beans are then packaged in\u00a0a cute, See\u2019s-branded tin, similar to an Altoid mints tin.<\/p>\n

Cutting to the chase, these are good. Nice crunchy beans, and the chocolate has a good chocolatey flavor. They are not bitter, with a good balance between the mellow coffee and distinct chocolate flavors.<\/p>\n

However, like all See\u2019s dark chocolates, they are not a true dark chocolate \u2014 the ingredients list includes milk fat \u2014 but they have some key differences which make them better tasting to me:<\/p>\n