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I Love Where I Live: For the Best Chocolate...Try Sweet Earth Chocolates!

• Posted On: February 10, 2012 5:14 PM
• Posted By: Laura Gurreau
• Related Subjects: Wine & Dine in SLO County

  I Love Where I Live: For the Best Chocolate...Try Sweet Earth Chocolates!

Loving food as I do, I'd be remiss if I didn't let you in on one of San Luis Obispo's little known treasures: Sweet Earth Chocolates.

Yes, I know that gourmet chocolates are all the vogue, and that a million and one new purveyors have popped up across the country offering up a mountain of unusual and exotic sounding confectionary creations; but honestly, why wander when we've got the best there is right here in SLO?

Yep, I stand behind what I say: The folks at Sweet Earth Chocolates were experimenting with what seemed to be odd and unusual pairing in their chocolates, well before it became fashionable to do so. For them, it's not about fad or fashion... it's all about FLAVOR. And let me tell you, Sweet Earth Chocolates is the Grand-daddy Godmother of that most precious substance - Cocoa, or as we know it: chocolate.

My first experience with Sweet Earth began just over a year ago when a hardcore foodie friend of mine, dragged me through their door into their quaint little retail shop and demanded that I try their chocolates. "What gives?".... I asked Jules. Rarely, had I seen her worked up into such a state of insistence. "I'm telling you: you NEED to try this chocolate. We're not leaving until you do", she replied. I figured we'd each pick out a truffle, but before I knew it, she had asked for an empty box that would soon be holding twelve such lovelies.

It took us a good 15 minutes to make our selection, weighted as we were by the depth and enormity of choices. And, we did haggle over more than a few, even though we had decided to cut each in half so we'd each get to enjoy all 12 varieties. Still, I can't imagine we were a pretty sight standing there that day arguing/opining on which chocolate deserved it's place in our box. The folks at Sweet Earth Chocolates were wonderful: offering us advice, and even tastes to help us decide.

It's been a year since that fateful day, and I've never looked back. Despite the fact that I live in Northern San Luis Obispo County and Sweet Earth's stores are located in the city of San Luis Obispo, not a week passes without a visit to the store for at least one truffle. I've decided I'm a lifelong ‘user' of their Aztec Cocoa (a spicy hot cocoa drink.)


Fortunately, for us, they package the Aztec Cocoa so that we can keep a ready supply of it at home. The Aztec Cocoa is quickly becoming a family tradition: my husband, fitness freak that he is, insists upon his morning constitutional. "It gives me life", he insists. A most interesting perspective in that he watches every calorie and morsel he puts in his mouth.

I just figure that's the magic of Sweet Earth's chocolates: there is something more than the incredibly delicious flavors, the unusual juxtaposition of ingredients, and the ongoing inventiveness of their collections....

To know what I speak of can only be experienced by trying it.

Sweet Earth Chocolates
1445 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, Ca.
950 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo, Ca.
http://sweetearthchocolateshop.com/

Enjoy.

Laura Gurreau
www.CentralCoastFoodTours.com