I had the good fortune to sample Xan Confections vegan chocolates recently. While not all of their chocolates are vegan, two of their assortments are: Saintly Sins and Jewels. I received both collections to sample, a 3-piece of Saintly Sins, and a 7-piece of Jewels. These are filled dark chocolates, and not only are they exquisitely beautiful, they taste divine.
The Saintly Sins are fruit-filled dark chocolates. I am the first to say that I've never been a fan of fruit-filled types of chocolates. Why? Well, they are usually sickly sugary sweet with an oddly gooey filling that barely resembles any real fruit flavor. Not so with Saintly Sins. There are pure fruits mixed with agave nectar in the centres. I think the raspberry chocolate was my favorite with an intense, not-too sweet, full raspberry flavor oozing out of that dark-chocolate casing. And, as you can see, these chocolates are simply gorgeous to look at.
Next, the 7-piece box of Jewels. First, these were almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. Yes, I found the strength to bite through these edible pieces of art. It was a tough job, but I was up for the hard work! As many of you know, I'm a chocolate lover, but you may not know that I love caramel equally as much, and when the two are in combination it is a blissful experience for me! 
Here they were, jewels of chocolate covered caramels, each caramel owning and individual flavor profile. You can see the flavor options here, and I think my favorite was the Coconut Pecan Caramel (pictured sliced)... but there were close runner-ups in that race! The only flavor I didn't care for was the Ancho Chili Caramel. I realize that hitting chocolate with fiery spice is desirable for some, but not for me, and the chili was worked through the caramel filling so it was just too hot on my tongue to enjoy or to even eat. But, others might love that kind of intense heat in their chocolate. Apart from that one caramel, I savored each and every other delicious jewel in the box!
If you are shopping for Xan Chocolates, be sure to note that only their "Lifestyle Chocolates" (the Jewels and Saintly Sins) are vegan. They are also gluten-free and have a low-glycemic index (using agave nectar, not artificial sweeteners).
My only complaint with these chocolates is that I wanted more! (greedy mama, huh?) And, that I'm not able to buy them locally. Xan Chocolates are certainly more expensive than other vegan chocolates, but they are chocolate art - worth splurging on if you want to indulge in some chocolate luxury yourself, or perhaps buy exceptional chocolates for someone you love. We all deserve that kind of chocolate loving once in a while. ;)
