I love chocolate. This site is here to share that love with anybody of a like mind in the form of news, recipes, reviews, and any other chocolate fun that happens to cross my screen.

The first thing I feel I need to say is that I am an equal opportunity eater when it comes to chocolate. There are really two types of chocolate to my mind-set: chocolate for tasting and chocolate for eating. High-end chocolates are generally about the chocolate itself and are made for tasting. At the other end of the spectrum are all of the candy style chocolates like your Kit Kat and Crunch bars. And I'm not about to limit myself to candy or fine chocolate. All chocolate is fair game. I love chocolate ice cream and have been known to imbibe the occasional chocolaty beverage (even some of the alcoholic variety). There isn't a lot I won't try.

That said, the whole idea of this blog is really just to share my thoughts and experiences as they apply to the most perfect of foods. Anything that I find interesting I'll probably share. As I consider chocolate a wonderful thing all about joy and happiness I will tend not to post negative stories. I know there is a very dark side to chocolate cultivation, but I prefer to focus on the positive. And while I do focus on the positive I also shy away from the articles where some batch of scientists somewhere have found some other way in which chocolate is healthy. Chocolate is not a health food and I'll not portray it as such.

Hyperbole? Maybe. Just a little. Ok, a lot. Chocolate does have a lot to offer, though. It is a one of a kind food characterized by a truly unique and intense flavor. There is nothing out there quite like chocolate. It has mood enhancing effects. It is (possibly) good for the heart and mind. But, at the same time, it tends to arrive with heaps of fat and sugar. All of the positives and that wonderful flavor come at a price. And that, in it's own way, adds to the appeal. You can't eat it all day every day. You need to limit yourself so each bite becomes that much more precious and wonderful. For me it’s all about the flavor: any health benefits are purely secondary.

I will admit up front that this is not going to be the most professional of blogs. I am not great with Movable Type just yet and I am usually rather busy and have a hard time finding the time to blog. I put a lot of thought and time into what I post here and time is in short supply. On top of that you will always get a healthy (or unhealthy, depends on how you look at it) dose of opinion with everything. This is my blog featuring my views on chocolate and it is a work rooted much more in my personal feelings than in fact.

I am a big fan of dark chocolate. I like milk chocolate well enough and some white chocolate now and then isn't a bad thing but I really do love the dark stuff. Funny thing is that I used to hate it. Now I can't get enough. I think it's because of the purity of the flavor. Not that I don't like or won't eat white chocolate or milk chocolate. I'm beginning to find that what I used to eat as a child wasn't quite the same quality as what I'm finding today and I find myself liking something unexpected on a regular basis.

Beyond the white/milk/dark question there isn't a ton to say. I like high quality tasting chocolate just fine, but I do like chocolate with things in as well. I love nibs and nuts in my chocolate and coconut is a favorite flavor. I adore truffles with and without liqueur. I love salt and chocolate together (I.e. chocolate covered pretzel stick or french fries with a chocolate shake). About the only things that I haven't liked were overly strong fruit flavors in my chocolate (most likely via orange, lemon, or lime oil - they are so easy to overdo) and malted milk balls. I'll extend that to include truffles that don't have a ganache but are just a puddle of fruit goo in a chocolate shell. In my book, at least, that is not a truffle. It's fruit goo with chocolate on and it's disappointing and I just generally don't go for fruit goo so it isn't likely to go over well with me. A ganache with fruit goo lovingly blended in it is just fine, though.

When I started this blog I never expected to need to lay out guidelines as to what I will and will not do. That changed the first time I was offered free chocolate. In the interest of being honest with both my readers and any company that may want to get a review out of me I need to say the following:

• I am not asking for free samples. There are very few situations where I would ask. I prefer to buy my own chocolate.
• I will accept samples. Free chocolate is a good thing. There are rules, however.
• If a company wishes to send me samples they should contact me first. I don't want to accept something I'm unlikely to enjoy or have already tried so I really prefer that you check with me first.
• If a company really wants to send along unsolicited samples they can feel free. I won't refuse them, but I certainly won't guarantee that I'll eat them.
• Accepting a sample is not a guarantee of a review. A review is likely, but not guaranteed.
• Accepting a sample is most definitely not a guarantee of a good review.
• I will always offer up my honest opinion of a product whether it is positive or not.
• If I accept a sample and review it I will state in the review that it was a sample.
• I've said it once already, but I really do prefer to buy my own chocolate. Spending money entitles me to my opinion. Or at least that's the faulty reasoning I use.

That said, if anybody out there is comfortable with the above statements and wishes to send me chocolate by all means bring it on. This is the address to send it to:

William Kinder
927 Adara Dr.
Columbus, OH 43240

This is the part where I tell you who I am. There really isn’t that much to tell. My name is William Kinder (known elsewhere as normyk) and I am a software developer by day and general-purpose geek by night. See, not much to tell. I have a rabbit. I play games. I read comics. I watch anime. I eat chocolate. Not much more to tell.