It was love at first bite. On a whim, I picked up a Nelly’s Organics bar at the Brooklyn Wegmans late last year. The caramel nougat blew my mind… and then it was gone. I couldn’t find them anywhere! The best vegan chocolate bar I had ever had, no where to be found. I decided I’d use my vegan blogger credentials and request some samples directly from Nelly’s. It couldn’t hurt.

Life went on. The soft pull of their caramel, the clean crack of the perfect coat of quality chocolate, details diminished. Several months later, I was contacted by Nelly’s. Turns out my message had been filtered into spam… but upon receipt they were indeed down with sending me some bars to try. Now I must disclaim that these bars were sent to me without a charge. But that would not stop me from keeping it real.

Each bar was the consummate chocolate bar–a smooth coat of the perfect thickness and texture. It was not clunky, not aggressively pushing aside the bar’s innards. It was just enough to complement, not overshadow, the goodness within. This balance is important to note because this is real-deal chocolate. Not waxy, cheap stuff. The chocolate is heavenly. On it’s own it’d be all you need. But it’s not on its own. Inside, a selection of high quality goodies, reminiscent of all those classic chocolate bars you know, but made with whole foods, real stuff, no garbage. And not just overcompensating with sweetness, like so many treats can do. Each ingredient is pronounced and dreamy, taste and texture. These are the evolution of vegan chocolate bars.

The absolute dreamiest: The Caramel Nougat

Nuts how good these taste. I loved how thick this bar was, packing a big peanut butter bite.

Thinner because it’s rich. For chocolate lovers.

This is like the Mounds I guess I can say. Really good, but I’d like a bit more moisture in the coconut filling. I would say that Ocho beats this out.