NeoCocoa

I'm sure that milk chocolate has its fans, but as far as I'm concerned, dark chocolate is king. We received an assortment of dark chocolates for Christmas from my brother last year. Included in the assortment were several flavors of NeoCacao Brittles amongst the cache. The Black Sesame Toffee Brittle blew me away. Somewhat reminiscent of Almond Roca but way better! The Warm Ginger Root Brittle was also outstanding. I don't remember what the other flavors might have been since there were also products from other chocolatiers. The prices are not for the faint of heart. But I am a believer in that you get what you pay for. The question should never be, "it the chocolate worth the price?". The question should be "am I worth the price?". I'd rather have a fantastic piece of chocolate once a week than an inferior piece every day. We live in the east bay and today we were in the peninsula. Remembering that NeoCocoa was in Belmont, I trekked over to pick up some of their delectables. It was easy enough to find them since their address is listed on yelp. We were surprised to find that they don't have a sign with their name, just the letter of the suite that they occupy. We knocked on the door only to be told that orders had to be placed in advance online and pick-up dates and times could then be arranged. There was nothing ready to be sold. We are so disappointed. I guess that's one way of keeping your product as fresh as possible; to only produce as much as you're distributing or has been pre-ordered. Shame on me for missing that bit. In looking at their website after I arrived home, I found that picking up at their office is a convenient way to get your shipping fees refunded but by arrangement only. They don't run a retail operation there. They missed out on what could have been a $312 sale, and I missed on some dynamite brittle!

This is my favorite local chocolate! If anyone asked me what my last dessert on Earth would be, it would be the Milk Tea Toffee Brittle and Black Sesame Toffee Brittle. I only buy the small 3 oz. packages, because I know I will scarf down the 16 oz. box too quickly. The chocolates can be shipped, but if you are local, you can also stop by the kitchen in Belmont and save the shipping fee. Christine and her staff is usually working there Monday-Thursday afternoons, and happy to put aside a local pick-up order for you.Thank goodness we have been commissioned by the COVID pandemic to support local businesses...don't mind if I do. ;)

We have been purchasing the Black Sesame Toffee through Dandelion when we got to SF and were super excited to see that we could purchase in Belmont! We are huge fans of of the Black Sesame and tried out the sampler only to find that some of the other flavors like Milk tea and Ginger are amazing as well! We can't wait to try some of the honeycomb flavors!

Yelpers came through when I was looking for Xmas stocking stuffers. They're known for the black sesame brittle, and boyyyyy is this stuff good. While I gave it out, I was strategic in who got it, making sure to pick people I knew who'd share with me. Let's be real, that was a great decision. Also got the toffee brittle and one of their 6 pack of chocolates. Both were all really good. I ended up ordering online, but since I'm a 10 minute drive from their headquarters, I emailed asking if I can just pick them up, and they refunded me the shipping charges and coordinated on a date to swing by. Super friendly and accommodating. Great chocolate. Great gifts. A must try!

The Black Sesame Brittle is hands down the best chocolate treat I have eaten in all of 2018! But then, Christine went and topped it by collaberating with Salt & Straw and made it into a faint worthy ice cream! Short lived yes ... I bought the last pint they had ....but just wOw now i know what perfection can be! I hope she continues to delight and surprise with more swoon worthy treats!

BLACK SESAME BRITTLE.(My mouth is actually watering having just typed the words.)

The best! Christine is the owner and artisan of this fine chocolate shop. Everything is still fresh even during Covid and she has continued to create new flavors with her delicious brittle. They offer overnight delivery for a small fee and are such a unique delicacy while we are sheltering at home and craving those special delights that make us feel Comforted. Just delicious and worth the splurge~

These are the kinds of chocolates you tell your friends about they are so good! Hearts of truffles so the whole piece is the best part- genius! They also make excellent gifts and come in cute boxes. My favorites are salted caramel, smoked sea salt and s'more. That was until I tried the seasonal pumpkin, which is just the perfect amount of pumpkin and spice. Hands down 5 stars check out Neo Cocoa.

Pastry Chef and Neo Cocoa Founder/Owner Christine Doerr creates handcrafted truffles that are the creamy "Hearts of Chocolate Truffles," without the outside chocolate shell. The six artisan "disrobed" truffle flavors include:Almond Butter with Smoked Sea Salt Roasted almond butter, applewood smoked sea salt, bittersweet chocolate ganache, cocoa powderCrushed Bittersweet NibGuittard's roasted cocoa nibs, bittersweet chocolate ganache, cocoa powderZested Lime Fresh organic lime zest, organic lime oil, bittersweet ganache, cocoa powder Mocha Cinnamon Italian espresso infused cream, bittersweet chocolate ganache, cinnamon laced cocoa powderToasted CoconutLightly toasted macaroon coconut, organic coconut milk, bittersweet chocolate ganache, cocoa powderWarm Ginger Root Fresh ginger infused cream, bittersweet chocolate ganache, cocoa powderThe soft truffles are dusted with cocoa powder and all taste very fresh. While they are unique, I actually miss the hard chocolate shell that similar candies usually have. It's kind of like diving right into the middle of a story, without any introduction or denouement.I like the freshness, that it's a small San Francisco business, and that Doerr uses fine local, organic, and fair-trade ingredients. One can buy Neo Cocoa at Draeger's or online. 3.5 stars and rounding up.

Received a small box on Valentine's day along with several other boxes from various chocolateers.Here is what I received..Tasters' 5 Piece Box...This assortment comes with 5 of their classic truffles; Almond Butter & Smoked Sea Salt; Zested Lime; Toasted Coconut; Mocha Cinnamon; and Crushed Cacao Nib. ...(See Jennifer L's review for descriptions of flavors) Neo was the best..Poco Dolci a close 2nd. Wish the Neo box had been bigger! Next year?