Chocolate and Summertime

If you don't want your chocolate to look like this - (this is chocolate liquor (lick-koor) - what can you do?

The answer is: don't keep chocolate in the sunshine. You can refrigerate it or keep it in air-conditioning.

Chocolate melts at skin temperature, 98.6°. That's why it melts all over your fingers when you eat it.

If you're going to travel with chocolate, here's a tip. Freeze a refrigerant gel pack, then place it in an insulated lunch type container. That will keep your chocolates cool and delightful!

If you mail-order chocolate in the summer, the company will be sending along a refrigerant pack or two. Smith Organic Chocolates usually packs two in our summer orders.

You should also pay for either USPS Priority Mail or UPS 2-Day Air. The extra cost is worth it - so that your chocolates end up looking like the photo at left, instead of chocolate liquor.

Smith Organic Chocolates is dedicated to bringing you the best information available in nutrition, product news, and general health information about chocolate.

Organic Chocolate Market Share is Growing

This is why we're here - to bring you organic chocolate. Earlier in our blog posts, we talked a little about why organic is better for you.

Face it, we're in business to make a profit. And since we're into the health benefits of chocolate (as well as the fun & sweet parts), today's post is educational in a different sort of way.

In an article posted on Creators Syndicate's website, it says that organic chocolate sales are growing, in spite of the recession.

"Despite the recession, overall chocolate sales rose 4 percent in 2008, to a whopping $17 billion. Organic chocolates are a bon-bon in the industry's 100-lb. box. But this is the nation's fastest growing snack - U.S. sales lept 450 percent between 1999 and 2007, jumping to $94 million. While figures are not yet available for 2008, vendors already forecast a rosy '09."

Even though we are a new company, only in our third year, Smith Organic Chocolates is growing in sales every year so far. We expect our holiday season to be quite busy and quite profitable. Our Internet website has already paid for itself in orders (and then some) for the year.

So...don't be afraid to treat yourself to some nice organic chocolates! Next time: a little bit about our new Organic Vanilla Creme Truffle!

Smith Organic Chocolates is dedicated to bringing you nutritional information available and to encourage you to buy organic!

Chocolate and ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease

Smith Organic Chocolates recently received business from what we would classify as an unusual customer.

I searched the Internet, I Googled. But I could not find a connection between Chocolate and...

ALS - or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Our new customer suffers from ALS, a disease that "affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.

"The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed." (copied from the ALS website.)

Yet, our new customer says she feels better when she eats chocolate. She eats it every day. She was referred to us by her chiropractor, who was helping her find healthier chocolate to eat.

So - here's my disclaimer! I am not a scientist, I am not a health practitioner...but

Here's my opinion: (and my gut feeling)

We've been discussing the different effects of caffiene vs. theobromine in the body. We showed that caffiene gives you that "up" feeling, but you'll eventually come "down" from it, and it doesn't last very long, before you need more.

Whereas theobromine, the active stimulant in chocolate that is a close cousin to caffiene, gives you energy, and stimulates you over a period of time. You may get a feeling of "well being" from eating chocolate - a lot of people report that.

So...it's my guess that the theobromine in chocolate is helping to gently stimulate our ALS friend and helps her get through the day.

Remember, I said it was only a guess! If there are scientific studies on it - I didn't find them. What do you think? Post a comment and let us know.

Smith Organic Chocolates is dedicated to bringing you up-to-date information regarding chocolate and it's nutritional value, as well as the value of eating organic.

Chocolate and Caffiene - Part III - not for DOGS!

It's a good thing yogurt was in this bowl, instead of chocolate, or we might have killed our dog Maggie a long time ago - before she died of "old age."


We've been discussing the misconception that chocolate contains caffiene. It does NOT contain caffiene. It contains theobromine, a sort of a stimulant that is similar to caffiene in chemical structure, but not in effects.


We talked about caffiene being like a sprint, and theobromine being like a marathon, releasing it's "stimulating" qualities over a period of time, rather than the quick burst of energy that caffiene provides.


In an article published on About.com, entitled "Chemistry of Theobromine" it says, "Cocoa and chocolate products may be toxis or leethal to dogs and other domestic animals such as horses because there animals metabolize theobromine more slowly than humans. The heart, central nervous system, and kidneys are affected. Early signs of thoebromine poisoning in dogs include nausea and vomiting, reltlessness, diarrhea, muscle tremors, and increase urination or incontenence. The treatment at this stage is to induce vomiting. Cardiac arrythmias and seizures are symptoms of more advanced poisoning."


Chocolate is a very complex food - kind of like wine is. It's important to know about the nutritional benefits of chocolates - as well as understand why our pets can't share in our delictable delight!


Next time: Chocolate and Lou Gehrig's disease

Chocolate and Caffiene - Part II

Last time we started our discussion about chocolate and caffiene, after a couple of friends told me they'd heard that chocolate had caffiene.

In my scholarly way, I told them that chocolate's theobromine is more like a precursor to caffiene, but that's not actually accurate either.

I also said that the differences between caffiene and theobromine is like two different kinds of races - one a sprint, one a marathon.

This time, we'll get into a little bit more detail. So...let's get technical.

In an article entitled "Chemistry of Theobromine: Chocolate's Caffiene Relative" published on About.com, they state "Theobromine belongs to a class of alkaloid molecules knowns as methylxantines. Methylxanthines naturally occur in as many as 60 different plant species and include caffeine (the primary methylxanthine in coffee) and theophylline (the primary methylxanthine in tea)."

Let's look at some caffeine levels in some popular drinks. Information gathered is from a table put together by Clark Goble Categories.

Coming at #1 is 8 oz. of drip coffee with 145 mg or 18.13 mg/oz.

#2 - 8 oz. of brewed coffee at 107.5 mg or 13.44 mg/oz.

Others include: 8 oz. of brewed tea at 47 mg or 5.88 mg/oz.; Coca Cola Classic - 12 oz. serving at 34.5 mg or 2.83 mg/oz.

I could list more but, you can access this information online.

Next time: why your dog should NEVER eat chocolate!

Chocolate and Caffiene - Part I

Recently, I had a couple of friends say they wouldn't eat chocolate in the evening because of the caffiene in it.

I snickered and said, "But there's no caffiene in chocolate!"

"There isn't?" My friend replied. A couple more friends joined in the conversation.

"I'd always heard there was!" "Yeah, I heard that too!" They said.

I said, "Theobromine is like a precursor to caffiene, but it is not caffiene!"

If you look at the chemical make-up of a caffiene molecule and a theobromine molecule, they are very similar, and they are both classified as alkaloids which have a somewhat 'stimulating' effect on the body, but the way they do that is different.

Think of the two like a race. One, caffiene, is a sprint...it's quick, and it's over. Theobromine's effect is more like a marathon - what you need over a longer period of time.

In an article posted on About.com Chemistry, "Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine. In general, theobromine levels are higher in dark chocolate (approximately 10 g/kg) than in milk chocolates (1-5 g/kg). Higher quality chocolate tends to contain more theobromine than lower quality chocolate."

Next time...more particulars...but just remember - there is no caffiene in chocolate! So don't worry about it!

Chocolate for the Baby!!

Expectant mothers - you can know that eating chocolate while pregnant is GOOD for BABY!!

In a study completed in Finland last fall, over 300 women were given varying amounts of chocolate while expecting children. The study then followed these women after the babies were born for six months.

In an article entitled "Chocolate for a Happy Baby" published online at http://www.westender.com/, the study found that expectant mothers who ate chocolate to soothe stress were more likely to have happier babies.

Isn't that a riot!?

The article states "The babies born to women who had been eating chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active and 'positively reactive' - a measure that encompasses traits such as smiling and laughter. The babies of stressed women who had regularly consumed chocolate showed less fear of new situations than babies of stressed women who abstained."

Scientists wishing to downplay the results said "while they could not rule out other factors, they speculated that the results could be linked to chocolate consumption...chemicals in chocolate could be passed from mothers to babies in the womb."

So...expectant mothers who love chocolate - don't be afraid to nibble on some while you're expecting! Your baby could be happier, which will bring you even more happiness!

What do you think? Is this hogwash? Post a comment and let me know.

Smith Organic Chocolates is dedicated to bringing you the latest in chocolate news, products, and nutritional information.