To say that River Road’s Specialty Chocolates will cause euphoria is an understatement if their honey mead truffle is any indication. I love a sinful delight now and then, but for the best piece of chocolate to cause my knees to buckle and have tears well up in joy would entail certain details with fantasy lovers too x-rated to say in this blog. At least, in my sampling of the various products this chocolatier offered as James and I wandered the Victoria Public Market one day, I was sold.

Don Moloney is the primary operator of this new label of, dare I say, candy. He can easily put Roger’s Chocolates to shame because of the simplicity he offers. Basically, this confectioner knows what is key to a good sweet, and that’s to find the perfect blend of natural ingredients without using any preservatives. It should be warmed to a specific temperature and then gently allowed to cool. When we asked about the bigger names like Nestle or Lindt, he balks at them. In order for the bigger companies to process large amounts of candy bars for the masses, unnamable ingredients are used, preservatives are added, and all that material ruins the natural taste of the cocoa bean where chocolate is derived from.

I agree with him, and to hear his passion at every step of the process certainly affirmed what I like when eating products au naturale. There are many food items that can be eaten straight so the flavours can be enjoyed for what it is. The flavour of the land and the atmosphere can be tasted in the items cultivated from there. I could have pried and asked Don where he got his product from, and if he told me, I might be making a one-way trip to destinations unknown… or simply visit Guam to enjoy a simpler life.

His products are top-notch, and his instructions in how to make a perfect cup of hot chocolate is very helpful — I bought his company’s staple product: a bag of River Road Dark Hot Chocolate. A tablespoon is all you need when it’s portioned with the right amount of water. While some drinkers like to use milk, that’s apparently a no-no. In an article published by the Sooke News, he revealed that the Aztecs never used milk or sugar in their chocolate beverages. I’m inclined to believe him. Western civilization has been tempered with many ideas influenced by the wrong group of independent thinkers. And to learn how to make a perfect cup of hot chocolate was a lesson I will take to heart, especially when I realize now I was moreorless on the right path with just simply using water — even though I was using a different, usually sweeter product.

But to enjoy the truffles he made does require a certain science in how to consume. It can be bitten in half so all the textures can be felt. It can be nibbled at from one tight nub and then sucked in. The tongue should roll around the inner layer so each lick of the lather will melt in your mouth. Well, when most of the centre is smooth and gentle as silk, that’s how the honey mead ball I had should be enjoyed. The nuttier varieties will require experimentation.

When I go back to buy a variety pack, I’ll let readers know how that will go. Right now, the mead balls are all that I’m willing to cozy up to.