Theo: Peppermint Cocoa Cups

In addition to the three flavors of chocolate-dipped marshmallows, this year Theo has also put out these Peppermint Cocoa Cups. While the cute and Christmasy box is still something you could give as a gift, the fact that these are individually wrapped makes them ideal for sneaking into gifts separately or stuffing stockings. I'm considering stocking stuffing their main purpose.

And I love that. You see, it isn't just a festive box; the wrappers are also fun. Sometimes the fair trade chocolates, well, they look like the "ethical" option. Which is sometimes okay--but other times you just want to blend in with what we're come to expect from holiday candy. The red label mentions the whole organic and fair trade thing, but the peppermint stripes add in the merriment. So your friends and family can see that this was an ethical choice, but they won't feel like you're trying to shove it in their faces that you bought the fair trade chocolate and wrapped their gifts (shampoo bars and loose tea) in old socks to save on wrapping paper waste. Do I digress? (And I'm not making fun of anyone who chooses ethical/environmental options. I do, too--but I also know that not everyone gets it.)

Theo's slightly-heart-shaped chocolate cup sits inside the striped wrapper. Right on opening, I wished that I could share the scent with you. A burst of peppermint, nice and strong and fresh. Especially after the, um, rather non-pepperminty marshmallows from yesterday, this minty burst was quite welcome.

Officially the labeling describes these cups as having a "creamy milk chocolate shell" with a "peppermint dark chocolate meltway filling." That sounds a lot like Lindor truffles--which is fine as those are always popular.

The chocolate has just the texture you'd expect. It's creamy and melty, in a different way from the usual chocolate way. How did they achieve that texture (which is also distinct from ganache and also must be able to have a long shelf life)? Coconut oil, like what Alter Eco uses in their truffles. No coconut flavor, just a soft and melty texture that is also not oily. If you're going to take this approach, coconut oil is a good way to go.

Taste-wise, the peppermint oil gives this chocolate a flavor like Andes mints, except that you can taste the chocolate more. I taste more milk chocolate than dark, so I'd put them on the sweeter side of the scale. They have just enough dark chocolate in there to keep the mint grounded. And yes, if you're looking for a peppermint chocolate product this winter, I'd definitely recommend these over the marshmallows.

They're good and they're a familiar flavor, so they're going to have mass appeal. This is something that can be great for kids and adults alike, for those who usually choose fair trade (aka. the person who buys them) and for those who just get regular candies (aka. the relative of the person who buys them who receives them as a gift).

So it's great to see something like this on the shelves. It's a good product made with good ingredients. Theo used something that they already make (the chocolate cups) and they gave it a holiday spin and they made it like something we as consumers already like (Andes mints) and so by putting all this together they made a product that is specific to Theo but also approachable. New and different but also not so different. The perfect stocking stuffers.