Ayurvedic Chocolate is a Thing Now

Elements Truffles Ayurvedic Chocolate bars bring two buzzwords together– chocolate and yoga– in a synergistic effort to produce a chocolate that is both delicious and satisfying but also nourishing, guided by the wisdom and flavor pairings of Ayurvedic medicine.

Alak Vasa was a trader on Wall Street when she conceived of the idea in late 2015– her Ayurvedic-Inspired Artisanal Chocolate would be Raw, Organic, Dairy-Soy-Gluten-and Cane Sugar-free, and made without preservatives or emulsifiers.

“One thing I wanted to incorporate from the beginning was Ayurveda, because Ayurveda was such a part of me growing up,” says Vasa. “When its so integrated into your culture and family life, you take it for granted.

It was only after [my partner and I] started learning about quality ingredients and meditation that I started realizing that we were adopting a lot of these principles again in our lifestyle.”

Vasa’s chocolate is sweetened with honey– not sugar– which not only enhances the flavor, but ensured consumers that what they are eating is actually a antioxidant-packed product capable of spoiling over time (a sign, no doubt, that it is fresh and free of preservatives).

While Ayurveda is often associated with the word “medicine”, the discipline is more of a food science, one that reveals the secrets of how to balance the five elements– earth, water, fire, air and ether– in the body.

Channeling this philosophy into the comfort of chocolate, Vasa designs each bar around a superfood employed in Ayurvedic cosmology (turmeric, cardamom, and rose, to name just a few) and pairs them with fruits, salt, and other spices that enhance the healing properties of each (her Rose bar with cardamom infusion is a GC favorite, and also a classic Ayurvedic pairing that Vasa remembered from childhood).

The chocolates are handmade in micro-batches with Vedic chants playing in the background to infuse a subtle positive energy into the food, and the bespoke packaging– which features a sewn label– gives each package an artistic, artisanal feel.

Better still, 25% of the profits go towards supporting wholesome education for under-privileged children in tribal regions of India– a philosophy of giving that defines the brand at its core.

The proof, Vasa says, is evident in chocolate’s inherent capacity to bring people together. “Every time you set up a table and say, ‘Do you want to try some chocolate?'”, she notes, “Nobody ever says ‘no’.”

For more information or to purchase Elements Truffles’ chocolate, visit the company’s website. (Garden Collage subscribers can use the code “GARDENCOLLAGE10” for a 10% off discount at this link.)

Can’t get enough good-for-you chocolate? Check out our list of Favorite Botanical Chocolate Brands.