FAQ

FAQ

1. How do you store Chocolate? 

Truffles and chocolate like it cool and dry with temperatures of 14-18 °C (57-64 °F) with a humidity lower than 40%. Keep them out of the fridge (fridges are high in humidity) and will put chocolate out of temper. Please note chocolate will absorb strong aromas, so not next to the garlic please. A cool dry basement, pantry or if you’re lucky to have one, a wine cellar does quite nicely. Chocolate is best eaten at room temperature.

2. What is the shelf life of chocolate? 

Our products do not contain any preservatives but if stored with care (see previous question) will give you a good shelf life

    Use the following as a rule of thumb:

    Gelato You have 5 min starting now
    Truffles 5 days after received   
    Dark Chocolate 2 years from production date (check the inside wrap)
    Dark Chocolate with nuts or fruit 1 year
    Milk Chocolate 1 year
    Milk chocolate with nuts or fruit 1 year
    Fruit Bars 1 year
    Fruit Bars with cookie 6 months
    Hot chocolate mix Maya, Dark side, A La Taza  2 years
    Hot Chocolate mix Malted 1 year
    Hot Chocolate mix Gianduja 6 months
    Travel Bar, twigs, Birch Branch 1 month
    Majoun 6 months
    Anything with toffee (clusters, toffee) 2 wks in the summer or humid months, 2 months any other season

    3. Do you ship outside of Canada?

    Yes, but please keep in mind that shipping can get pretty expensive especially in the summer. Heat is like kryptonite to chocolate so when temperatures soar the only option is to ship express to keep the journey short and to keep the chocolate from melting. We do our best with insulated boxes and ice packs but time is still of the essence. Let us know if you see a Kickstarter for a star trek style transporter, we would be all over that. [Our shipping policies]

    4. Do you make any sugar free chocolate?

    Why yes we do. We make a bar called the Arcana that has no sugar added; the only ingredient is cacao beans. I think a big group of us remember grabbing a chunk of baker’s chocolate out of the cupboard as a kid and thinking what the….?! The Arcana is nothing like that, 3-4 types of cacao beans are carefully blended to make a chocolate that has layers of flavour and complexity. People tell us it’s strangely addictive. It is quickly becoming our most popular bar.

    5. I have an allergy can I eat your chocolate?

    All our chocolate may contain traces of nuts, tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, flour, and soy. If you have a severe allergy to any one of these ingredients we must sadly advise that you do not partake. For any allergy concerns send us a message and we can guide you though the ingredient details of our chocolate.

    6. Is your chocolate vegan?

    A large portion of our collection is vegan! Send us a quick note and we can quickly fire off a list of our vegan products to you. You can also do a search on our site we try our best to tag our products.

    7. What does SOMA mean?

    Soma in Sanskrit means “food of the Gods” By coincidence, Theobroma Cacao which is the Latin name for the cacao tree also means “ food of the Gods”

    In Aldous Huxley’s novel, “Brave New World” Soma was the substance that kept everyone in a constant state of bliss. Soma is also referenced in the Rig Veda as being the mysterious plant used to achieve nirvana. To date there is much speculation but no clear consensus on the exact identity of the plant.

    8. Where do your cacao beans come from?

    Our cacao beans come from many different farms and sources that we have developed over the years and include: direct from origin, cocoa bean importers, and through our network of other chocolate makers. Some of the more exotic beans are sourced with the help of specialists.

    9. Are your cacao beans fair-trade or organic?

    We have chocolate that is made with fair-trade certified and organic certified beans (for example most of our Dominican Republic beans are fair-trade and our Madagascar beans are always organic, all our chocolate is made with organic cane sugar) We use beans for our microbatch chocolate from many [different origins], and never use the type of cacao that is associated with child slavery or other labour issues. We generally pay 4 or 5 times the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) daily price.

    We are founding members of the [Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative] that protect the natural reproduction of fine flavoured cacao. The project funds the growers that cultivate these precious plants naturally without GMO practices.

    10. What does the % mean in chocolate?

    The percentage on a chocolate bar label represents the amount of cocoa content. For example a 70% bar is 70 part cocoa beans and cocoa butter and 30% sugar.

    A milk chocolate bar also contains a proportion of milk ingredients.

    11. Where are cacao beans grown?

    Cacao beans like a very specific climate. Generally they grow in regions around the globe that are within 20 degrees north and south of the equator.