Lagusta’s Luscious, So Delicious

Chocolate, you sweet, irresistible substance of a thing, you. Thank GOD chocolate is vegan, or else I probably would never have gone veg!

It’s funny when people ask me whether chocolate is indeed vegan. It’s like asking whether coffee is veg, alcohol is veg, or oreos are veg (well, the latter I can understand, since oreos are not what you think of when you think “vegan,” but there you go!).

Anyway, during my trip upstate to glorious New Paltz (I highly recommend taking a decompressing trip when NYC is draining your “cosmic energy” or whateverthefuck trendy vegans say now), I made sure to make a pitstop at this vegan chocolate lover’s paradise. Check out my finds below!

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0179 — Superfan TC on the premises!

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0184 — LL makes chocolates in a myriad of flavors, some which you most likely didn’t think COULD be a flavor.

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0183 — Barks, bars and truffles, oh my!

One of the many reasons why I love this brand is due to their commitment to the environment and the dedication of using locally sourced ingredients. The below excerpt is from their ABOUT page:

We are a completely vegan business using 100% post-consumer recycled paper and packing materials. We compost all kitchen scraps, use all eco-friendly cleaning products, and generate almost no waste! We make all our chocolates in our lovingly renovated chocolate shop, carefully built with the most eco-friendly materials our budget could buy. We walk the walk!

So what did I end up buying? Check out my chocolate haul, below:

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0444 — All my sweet booty on the chessboard!

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0449 — Inside the delectable truffle box. Each truffle had a specific taste, some good, most bad.

This chocolate turtle was basically a nugget of nuts encased in caramel and covered with Lagusta’s yummy dark chocolate.

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0452 — One of my favorites was this earl grey orange caramel bar. Tasted like an orange tea snickers!

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0451 — The Maple White Chocoalte was not as pretty as the rest, but probably my favorite flavor-wise. It had a subtle sweetness and creamy texture that’s hard to find — well, vegan white chocolate is hard to find in general!

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0456 — One of the girls in Commisary! recommended this Hazelnut Sugar Plum Caramel Bar to me. I didn’t like it as much as she did: it doesn’t have a balanced sweetness (too sweet) and i didn’t care for the texture of the plums (a bit dense).

kingston new paltz cottekill vegan chao trip_0446 — This milk chocolate almond bar was nothing special. Tasted like any ol’ almond x chocolate bar.

Buying ethical can get pricey, though! Check out my receipt from the haul:

Lagusta Luscious Receipt — Damn, sweet tooths be pricey!

Overall, I enjoy supporting small businesses (though the conundrum becomes: if they go big, do they lose their charm?) with my patronage and insatiable chocolate cravings. Who knows? Maybe if I eat enough chocolate, I’ll become sweeter too :)

Images by me and Juan del Rio.