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Top 10 Pinoy Chocolates

Local brands of of chocolate alway s conjure up childhood m em ories--as pasalubong from parents, titas, or older siblings, or the m any tim es y ou forked ov er prized coins to the neighborhood tindahan for a couple of precious pieces. These hom egrown v arieties defined our Pinoy childhood long before their im ported counterparts becam e as accessible as they are today . Nowaday s, no m atter how sophisticated and well-trav elled our palates hav e becom e when it com es to this cherished cocoa confection, we will, once in a while, get a hankering for a sweet fix of these local brands--just the sight, sm ell, or first bite of which has the power to im m ediately transport us into our carefree and innocent day s, like that piv otal scene from Ratatouille. SPOT.ph checked out the local superm arkets and shops and sam pled the local chocolates on their shelv es, fam iliar classics and new contenders alike--taking note of taste, texture, size and other distinct standout qualities to see which local chocolates deliv er the goods. Heres our top 1 0:

10. Cloud 9 Classic Price: around P7 .50 per piece

A sm all bar of caram el, chewy nougat, and peanuts wrapped in thin chocolate, the Cloud 9 Classic bar still has that chocolate m agic--peanuts offset the ov erly sweet chocolate while the nougat adds texture to the usual chocolate bar. Those looking for a quick and cheap chocolate pick-m e-up can count on one bar to do the trick. Sold indiv idually in conv enience stores and in packs of 6 or m ore at groceries, Cloud 9 Classic has rem ained consistent throughout the y ears.

9. Goy a Dark Mint Chocolat es Price: P2 5 to P3 0

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Goy as Dark Mint chocolates are circular-shaped nuggets with 9 pieces in a box. Upon opening the box and the foil that keeps the chocolate pieces fresh, a strong m int scents wafts out of the box, a telltale sign of how the chocolates will taste. The m int taste is stronger than the chocolate flav or, and the sem i-sweet chocolate is cream y , soft and sm ooth and easily m elts in the m outh. Those who hav e a penchant for m int chocolates will find Goy as v ersion a cheap and enjoy able treat.

8. Goy a Gold Coins Price: P1 9 -P2 5/ pack

Sm ooth m ilk chocolate shaped like coins and em bossed with a picture of a caboose on one side, Goy a Gold chocolate coins are cream y and hav e a m elt-in-y our m outh consistency , with a slight salty aftertaste. The chocolate coins size--about an inch and a half in diam eter--are perfect for nibbling on when y oure crav ing som ething sweet, y ou only need a few pieces for a sugar rush. The fun part about eating the chocolate coins: tearing off the gold tin foil packaging without cracking the chocolate in pieces.

7 . Goy a Milk Chocolat e

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Price: P1 6 / bar

Goy as classic m ilk chocolate is a cream y , soft bar of sweet m ilk chocolate. Av ailable in m ost groceries and conv enience stores, the current Goy a chocolate bars are richer in taste com pared to the chocolate bars sold y ears ago, which had a faint taste of chocolate. The im prov ed m ilk chocolate bars hav e a m ore cream y and m ilky taste rather than strong cacao flav ors, and is preferred by those who like their chocolates sweet instead of rich and bitter.

6. Chocolat e Mallows Price: around P1 6 for the snack pack (2 pieces)

These chocolate-coated m arshm allow biscuits sold in its signature y ellow box were popular back in the 80s. Av ailable in boxes of six, Chocolate Mallows now com e in snack packs of 2 and are som etim es quite hard to find in groceries. Indiv idually wrapped in foil wrappers, the chocolate m allows hav e a rich m ilk chocolate coating with subtle but noticeable hints of orange flav or. The white-colored m arshm allow inside isnt ov erly sweet and the
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biscuit adds texture to this well-lov ed chocolate snack.

5. Goy a Dark Chocolat e Price: P1 8/ bar

Goy as v ersion of the dark chocolate is av ailable in two v ariants: as a chocolate bar or as bite-sized circular chocolates packaged as Goy a Black & White (m ixed in with m ilk chocolates). Dark brown in color, soft and easily m elts in ones fingers, Goy as dark chocolate does not hav e a strong bitter taste and is actually a tad sweet than y our av erage dark chocolate. It also leav es a faint aftertaste of nuts, sugar and cocoa in the m outh. Tip: Goy as dark chocolates can be m elted to create a quick and cheap alternativ e chocolate fondue dip at hom e.

4. Ricoa Curly Tops Price: around P1 7 for 1 5 pieces

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The bite-sized chocolate cups get its nam e from the swirly chocolate top on each chocolate nugget. Sadly , the "curly tops" now look a bit deform ed. Soft, with faint traces of powder and a tendency to m elt fast if left in the heat for long periods of tim e, the sm all size of each chocolate piece m akes for addictiv e snacking---one can easily finish a box of Curly Tops in less than 1 5 m inutes. Curly Tops hav e a m ore sweet m ilk taste rather than a rich bitter chocolate flav or, perfect for those who lov e cream y m ilk chocolate. Pinoy s who grew up with Curly Tops m ay rem em ber the quality being better in term s of the "curly tops" being really swirly and the chocolate taste, richer. Despite the changes, Curly Tops still rem ains a fav orite am ong kids and adults.

3. Ricoa Flat Tops Price: around P3 4 for a pack of 3 0 pieces

Flat Tops, the sm all circular chocolates with "Ricoa" em bossed on top and wrapped indiv idually in the fam iliar silv er and orange wrapper, are a fam iliar Pinoy chocolate. Av ailable in m ost groceries and conv enience stores in packs of 3 0 or m ore, the bite-sized chocolates can be nibbled on or eaten as a whole. Soft when bitten into, chewed or left to m elt inside ones m outh, Flat Tops are cream y with a faint m ilk chocolate flav or. Its sweetness borders on the less saccharine side of the spectrum , a probable reason why it takes little effort to finish off a pack.

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2. Chocnut Price: around P3 0 for a pack of 2 4

Strictly speaking, Chocnut doesnt really fall under the chocolate category . The popular Pinoy treat which com es in sm all bite-size crum bly rectangular bars indiv idually wrapped in foil, howev er, deserv e a spot in this list because of its enduring popularity and distinct taste. Blending the tastes of chocolate and peanut nicely with just the right am ount of nutty flav ors without being cloy ing, the Chocnuts texture is powdery and m elts in the m outh when eaten. Som e like refrigerating the whole pack so it doesnt easily crum ble when eaten. A Pinoy classic, OFWs and balikbay ans often look for Chocnut to bring as pasalubong to kababayans hankering for a taste of hom e. The Chocnut has also prov ed its v ersatility through the y ears with its v aried incarnations: as a flav or for hot chocolate drinks, an ice-cream flav or (prev iously serv ed at the defunct Uv a Restaurant and now av ailable at Trilogy Boutique and Canteen in Legaspi Village), and ev en lending sweetness to cocktail drinks for the adv enturous (There are chocnut-flav ored cocktails at Tulipan at The Establishm ent and at No. 3 8 Sports Lounge and Grill).

1. Theo Philo Art isan Chocolat es (Milk chocolat e) Price: P9 5/ bar

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By far the priciest and has the nicest packaging in the bunch, the unassum ing Theo Philo Artisan chocolates m ade in Dav ao look like gourm et chocolates and m ay be bought at the EchoStore. Both the m ilk chocolate and the dark chocolate v arieties com e in an artful box that rem inds one of the packaging of colored pencils. The m ilk chocolate v ariant, is m edium -brown in color, sm ooth with no rectangle ridges found in m ost chocolate bars. Soft when bitten into, the Theo Philo bar is not at all cloy ingly sweet. Instead, bitter notes and a rich cocoa taste greets the tongue. This bar is not for sugar junkies but for those who lov e the rich and robust taste of cacao. * Retail prices of the chocolates may vary.

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