By Denise Kitashima Dutton: There are lots of tastes that taste great together. Peanut butter and jelly. Buttered popcorn and champagne. (Seriously, try it.) And, of course, chocolate and licorice. But there’s one that doesn’t get enough love here in the States, and that’s chilies and chocolate. But we need to fix that right now. Taza’s Guajillo Chili chocolate is just the thing to make converts out of all chocolate lovers.

This chocolate is three ingredients.  Cocoa, sugar and chili powder. The end. (Note: it’s processed in a plant that also makes nut-filled chocolate, so there may be trace elements of those things if you need to avoid ’em.) This stone-ground chocolate has a lovely texture; it was like I could feel every grain of sugar, cocoa, and bit of dried chile on my tongue as I let it melt after I chewed. It’s not the usual mouthfeel, but I loved it. It chews easily, and falls apart quickly, letting the sweet and spicy blend together instantly. There’s a lingering aftertaste of spice, but that’s to be expected from this chile. The guajillo chile is medium-hot; think less than a jalapeño but more than the smoked anchos I use in my chili…I’ve said too much.

For my fellow chocolate lovers that like a good excuse or two when they indulge, Taza’s chocolate is organic, Fair Trade, Direct Trade, gluten/dairy/soy free and vegan. Think of all the good you’re doing!  Think of all the healthy you’re putting in your body!  Okay, maybe not so much with the second one; chocolate is still a treat, not a health food. Well it all depends… but it’s good to see that this brand made the healthy list.

It’s so yummy. I don’t want it to end. But, as with all good things, it will. However, this time I know I can go get more. Can’t say that about everything.

Denise Kitashima Dutton has been a reviewer since 2003, and hopes to get the hang of things any moment now.  She believes that bluegrass is not hell in music form, and that beer is better when it’s a nitro pour.  You can find her at Green Man Review, Atomic Fangirl, Movie-Blogger.com, or at that end seat at the bar, multi-tasking with her Kindle.