The switch to paper wrappers for our caramels!

The switch to paper wrappers for our caramels!

An explanation for the switch from our cellophane wrappers to paper wrappers for our caramels. Same great caramel recipes, just slightly new look!
September 08, 2021 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Display of chocolate bars from Sugar Love Chocolates

Update for Sugar Love

Woah... what a year, huh? I was thankful to have July mostly off (I did cook for and go to the weekly Tuesday market), August was filled with recovery (what do I do now? How will Sugar Love survive this devastation in revenue? etc) and now September will be the month of planning for the holidays!
September 01, 2020 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Shipping boxes in front of a red brick wall

Curbside Pick-up! A COVID-19 special

At Sugar Love, we've always offered shipping across the country and into Canada. In fact, way back in 2015, we were only an online shop for some time. So during this unprecedented time of social distancing, quarantining and plain ol' home-bodyness, we're already set up to fulfill those orders.

What is new to us though, is offering curbside pick-up for the Reno Tahoe area! Read more for dates and hours available.

March 26, 2020 — Krysta Bea Jackson
The creation story behind our Strawberry Balsamic Truffle

The creation story behind our Strawberry Balsamic Truffle

At Sugar Love Chocolates, the strawberry balsamic truffle remains one of our most popular confections in the store and will always be one of my (many) favorites since it was the first chocolate puzzle I solved.
Chocolatier versus Chocolate maker

Chocolatier versus Chocolate maker

The terms "chocolatier" and "chocolate maker" seem like they might be the same profession. Sugar Love's head chocolatier, Krysta Bea Jackson, explains the differences between the two in this short article.
February 17, 2020 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Origin Story of Sugar Love

Origin Story of Sugar Love

Much like your other favorite super heroes, Sugar Love also has an origin story or two! Here we share the stories behind the three biggest questions we get asked at Sugar Love.
September 26, 2019 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Custom and Branded Gifts

Custom and Branded Gifts

We’re a popular destination for gift giving of all sorts – from little thinking-of-you gifts to annual corporate gift giving. And that leads to a lot of inquiries about creating custom gifts. And I love being able to do them!

We really shine when it comes to custom gifts as we love making sure your branding is an integral part of the gift. Clients should be reminded of you as they enjoy! The options can be quite limitless, but the most common options are to get your logo on the chocolate bonbons and getting custom packaging. Custom packaging, which can be a simple as a ribbon with your logo and our standard boxes, is likely the most cost-effective option we have. And the lead time is only three to four weeks (though we’ve been able to hit deadlines up to two weeks with rush order processing). The minimums are 24 packages and discounts begin at $600 in retail purchases (in other words, before the discount).

Getting your logo on our chocolates is the ultimate in wow factor! Let your clients see your brand and then experience a wonderfully beautiful flavor for the full effect of your brand. Is your brand bold and piquant? Maybe a flavor with peppers. Is your brand classy and for adults? Maybe cognac or some other decadent spirit. Is your brand a timeless crowd-pleaser? Then I highly suggest our French dark chocolate – you just can’t go wrong. We have roughly 50 in-house recipes to meet your need. Minimums are only 72 pieces (and become incredibly cost effective after 200+ pieces) and we need about five to six weeks to get all those ducks in a row.

And if you want to create special flavor, one that can only be found with your logo on top (perhaps you distill a spirit and would like it inside, or have a flavor profile that meets your brand beautifully that we don’t have in house already), we can do that as well! In fact, I get ridiculously excited and challenged by these requests! Minimums for these types of orders are 72 pieces of chocolate and we need about six to eight weeks to craft and deliver that precise recipe for you.

Something that we’re often asked about, and sadly cannot usually fulfill, is one-off, customized gifts. We would love to celebrate your grandmother’s ninetieth birthday but cannot spell out her name in chocolates in one box. While it would be a blast to do such orders, our production is too small and tight to meet such custom small orders. But if you wanted to get favors for everyone that attended her party, might we suggest getting custom ribbon? That’s much more affordable and we can meet that need as it arrives.

We look forward to working with you! For more information, call us at (800) 479-9830 or email at info@sugarlovechocolates.com

Lots of Sugar Love and until next time,

xo KB

August 05, 2019 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Introducing our newest product: Hot Fudge Sauce!

Introducing our newest product: Hot Fudge Sauce!

It's the time of year for backyard BBQs, watermelon and ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream! I just can't resist a good ice cream sundae with a high quality hot fudge sauce. And to scratch my own itch for such a hot chocolate sauce, I designed a decadent hot fudge sauce using honey as a base.

Using a local honey instead of the more typical corn syrup base gives this fudge sauce a richer and less saccharine sweetness. It also gives the chocolate sauce a thicker texture which means it won't immediately pool at the bottom of your bowl (unless of course, you heat it to temperatures similar to Dante's sixth level of hell).

Another reason this hot fudge sauce is so rich is that we use both cocoa powder and real chocolate. Many quick recipes call for cocoa powder only which produces a less full-flavored chocolate-y profile. Our mixture of cocoa powder and French dark chocolate five the sauce a deep, rich chocolate taste.

The last crucial quality concern for me was how the sauce would react once poured on ice cream. My biggest pet peeve with many high-end chocolate sauces is that they often turn into a hard shell on the ice cream. Our blend of honey, fresh cream and butter make sure that this sauce stays somewhat fluid and flexible once poured on the cold ice cream.

A few of our early taste-testers (you'd be surprised how many people volunteer to help out a chocolatier when it comes to tasting new products!), have found other users for this hot fudge sauce:

  • to make decadent mochas
  • as a garnishment or finishing touches on plated desserts
  • as a topping for waffles and crepes
  • to make a delicious chocolate martini
  • one person suggested eating by the spoonful straight out of the jar, but I can't recommend that in good conscious since it's not calorie free lol

Our sauce comes in a glass jar so you don't have to worry about popping it into the microwave. And it generally takes between 10 and 20 seconds to heat it up just perfectly! Keep this product refrigerated as there is fresh cream and butter. Lasts for about 30 days.

Buy it in our shop or online here.

July 15, 2019 — Krysta Bea Jackson
Valentine's Day History and the Tradition

Valentine's Day History and the Tradition

"Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?" This is a question we hear every year, especially from frazzled new lovers who were unaware their significant others placed so much importance on this day.

It’s the time to spread a little sweet affection, whether that means giving yourself some love, or sharing a tender moment with a beau. These things can be done any time of year, but there’s a something special about giving someone a box of chocolates or a sweet Valentine’s Day card (or maybe it’s just all the paper hearts pasted in every window).

Either way, for many folks, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to share something sweet with that sweet person in your life (even if that’s yourself!). The romantic holiday originally had roots in the Catholic Church, where legend says a St. Valentine married young lovers in secret after Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young soldiers. Other stories claim the saint was arrested for helping Christian prisoners from Roman prisons. It’s during this time that allegedly Valentine wrote a note to a young lady he had fallen in love with, signed as “From your Valentine,” a phrase still used today.

The tradition to share love notes and other affectionate letters in February became common as early as 1400 B.C. Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day in the fifth century, cementing the tradition.

Even if you’re not a fan of sappy Hallmark cards, Valentine’s Day is still a lovely way to show those special people in your life just how much you love them. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a box of chocolate?

 

 

Source: history.com

February 09, 2018 — Krysta Scripter
The Difference between Drinking Chocolate and Hot Chocolate

The Difference between Drinking Chocolate and Hot Chocolate

At Sugar Love these past few winters, we kept getting requests for hot chocolate mixes but what I really wanted to provide is a drinking chocolate product, sometimes called a sipping chocolate. This rich and luxurious drink is perfect for chilly mornings and a little bit goes a long way.

So what's the difference between the popular hot chocolate and the traditional drinking chocolate? Cocoa butter!

Cocoa butter is the fat that gets pressed out of the chocolate beans after roasting. The dry cake that is left is pulverized to get cocoa powder which is the main ingredient in hot chocolate mixes (or at least should be!). Drinking chocolate uses the whole chocolate product and so cocoa solids (called liquor even though there is no alcohol present) are in a balance with sugar, cocoa butter and often vanilla. This creates a thick, full taste of chocolate with each sip.

Because of how rich the drinking chocolate is, we really recommend a serving between two and four ounces. 

Fun fact! Drinking chocolate locations used to be more popular in Paris than coffee houses, at about a dozen to one. Then the French revolution began and those darn revolutionaries said that drinking chocolate was for the upper class, the lazy (which wasn't true! All classes around the world partook of drinking chocolate most mornings!). And they recommended drinking coffee as an alternative.

And so while the French gave (and continue to give) some of the best chocolate and confections in the world, they are the main reason we don't start our mornings with chocolate! C'est tant pis!  

November 11, 2017 — Krysta Bea Jackson