Comments on: nicobella vegan organic chocolate truffles: Decadence with antioxidants

By: nichole

nichole — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:46:11 +0000

Hi Siel! Thanks for asking :)

We are taking email orders right now. We have Mama Munch (www.nicobellamama.com), Coco-Nut Munch (our version of a healthy Almond Joy) and Maple-Nut Munch (maple pecans coated in dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt) available now in 2 oz kraft bags for $4.95. You or your readers can email us directly at nichole@nicobellaorganics.com and let us know which flavor and how many bags you would like. Our new website with more information and a new shop page with the latest products should be up and running within the next 4-6 weeks.

Thanks again for asking about them Siel!

By: Siel

Siel — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:03:06 +0000

I am really looking forward to nichole’s new product — the nutty concoctions we got to sample at the EcoStilleto 2-year anniversary party. When will those become available?

By: nichole

nichole — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:38:44 +0000

Thank you Richard. And we love Abe’s Market! Friends & family of ours have received a number of gifts off of the Abe’s Market website and they give nothing but amazing feedback. Abe’s has such a variety of eco-friendly products coming from artisans with some fantastic stories. There is something for everyone on Abe’s site…and it’s such a FUN shopping experience! We are honored to be a part of their community :)

By: Richard Demb

Richard Demb — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:05:49 +0000

Only element that this otherwise fantastic piece forgot is how terrific Nichole is! We have had the chance to spend time with Nichole and we are fortunate she is spending her fun and boundless energy toward making truffles for the mindful consumer. You can find her organic truffle delights on AbesMarket.com (I am admittedly a little biased as one of the co-founders but Nicobella embodies all we stand for:) – her is a link directly to the 3 pack which happens to be on sale and include free shipping – http://www.abesmarket.com/3-box-gift-set-vegan-organic-chocolate-truffles.html

By: james

james — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:37:32 +0000

Fructose can increase appetite, did you ever notice you are never really “full” from a glass of soda or sweet juice, you tend to want to snack on something or follow it up with a glass of water?
james´s last blog ..Effects of Fructose on Diabetes

By: cybele

cybele — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:55:48 +0000

nichole – still, HFCS is very rare in candy. Chemically it simply doesn’t do the job. Glucose is used for a reason and HFCS doesn’t do the same thing and any cost savings will result in a product that is grainy and unattractive.

By: nichole

nichole — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:34:03 +0000

Siel-great idea re: post about agave nectar. It is still sugar, just like HFCS, but with nicobella we try to stick with raw agave when possible to try and stay true to our natural theme and using less processed foods. The amount of agave we use is pretty minimal compared to the rest of the ingredients. Everything in moderation! :)

Cybele-when I mentioned HFCS I was thinking candy (taken from your original post)…not chocolate. I completely agree with your comment.

By: Siel

Siel — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:42:06 +0000

Well dude, if the choco doesn’t contain dairy, then of course it’s likely to be vegan! It’s not like choco products, dark or not, are known for containing chunks o’ meat! :P

Making agave nectar sound like corn syrup’s really a skewed oversimplification IMHO, but regardless, maybe I should do an agave nectar post soon, since so many new products with the stuff are hitting my co-op’s shelves. Thanks for the suggestion :)

By: cybele

cybele — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:18:33 +0000

siel – the vast majority of dark chocolate (without some dairy in it) is already vegan. Vegan chocolate has been around for over a hundred fifty years. It’s one of the first solid chocolate products innovated. (The only issue becomes whether you accept the use of white cane sugar in your chocolate, then finding one with beet sugar or evaporated cane juice is a little harder, but still not so difficult that it can’t be done at any Target or Ralph’s.)

nichole – please tell me a chocolate that uses HFCS. I grant that yes, most use “processed sugars” but really, candy is not in the HFCS debate. HFCS simply do not perform the same duty that plain corn syrup does (as a glucose syrup it’s used for a specific reason, it prevents crystallization of sucrose). HFCS in a chocolate ganache makes crap – there’s too much moisture and it causes graininess.

Siel – I think it’d be great if you could demystify this “agave nectar” business. First, it’s not a nectar (which comes from flowers), it’s a syrup made in a similar fashion to corn syrup. It’s been a few years since you did a little article about it.

By: nichole

nichole — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:12:46 +0000

Hi Ladies!
Siel, thanks so much for the great review! Wanted to add to your high fructose corn syrup note…some candies may use HFCS, as well as other processed sugars. Typically truffles are made with some sort of processed sugar, as well as cream and possibly butter for the ganache (center). We created nicobella truffles as an alternative to traditional truffles. We wanted to take out the cream, butter and processed sugar and replace them with healthier ingredients like oat milk, coconut oil and agave nectar. Because nicobella truffles taste like traditional truffles we often compare them to traditional truffles…just a healthier version! Thanks again Siel!