Missionary Chocolates — Restaurant in Portland

Received 2 custom boxes as a gift.

Overall, the truffles are “ok”.

Speaking as a someone outside Oregon, having no prior exposure to this company:

Compared to other vegan truffles, I don’t think these are noteworthy. They’re the type I might try at a good farmers market out of curiosity and then never get again once my curiosity is sated.

Compared to other truffles (including non-vegan), the flavor, appearance, initial texture/mouthfeel of the truffles are underwhelming.

Company-wise, the presentation and name was confusing and off-putting.

(1) Flavors: I’ve tried 7 flavors so far and the only ones I was remotely sure about was one with chili spice in it and one peppermint (maybe?) in foil. That said, the label inside my 2 boxes has “spicy cinnamon chipotle” as the only spicy flavor; but it’s all chipotle, no cinnamon. It was a good flavor though, I like when “spicy” things are actually hot/spicy. As for the peppermint, I guessed by taste-test, because I couldn’t figure out what the green foil wrapped truffle was after a brief look on the website.

(2) Which brings me to appearance. The truffles are all identical triangle shapes/colors with relatively few of the truffles being visually distinctive, like having a raisin topper, foil, or drizzle lines. Dark chocolate or not, they all look the same. My first goal was to try “pumpkin pie spice”. The only way for me to know which truffle it might be was to look at the website and see that it is topped with a brownish powder. The problem is that I have ~ 4 different truffle pairs topped with a brownish powder, including the one that was super spicy (which gave me a surprise while looking for “PPS”.) Coming back to flavors again, I have no idea if I found the pumpkin pie spice truffle. And I’m not sure what the other flavors I tried were; maybe one was whiskey?— It’d be better if the truffles had more distinctive appearances or an insert with adequate descriptions of the truffles’ unique identifiers. That would’ve been beyond appreciated.

(3) Truffles’ textures all seem identical: typical thin chocolate shell + a firm, smooth filling. Similar to any average truffle you could find anywhere. I feel like I could go to any store, grab a random box of truffles and the chocolate fillings would likely have the exact same texture; the only difference being they’d likely be non-vegan. The textural similarity may actually be a good point for these truffles since they’re vegan, and be an appreciable quality for strict vegans. For those who only “supplement” their diet with vegan options, it isn’t a perk. Regarding mouthfeel, the coating is first to dissolve away leaving the truffles’ filling to melt in a more protracted and pleasant way that allows the flavor and aroma of chocolate to build as you eat it, leaving an aftertaste of the truffle when it’s finished. This aspect by itself is pretty nice, however it is tempered by how the flavors are not very balanced. You can’t miss the “spicy” lingering as an after taste; you might catch a hint of the some of the other flavors lingering too, but for most of these what remained was a lingering feeling of a mouth coated in sugar with a hint of chocolate flavor, and that sensation is followed by the feeling of a mouth coated in fat with a slightly bitter cocoa aftertaste.

Company-wise: Thanks to the “sender’s” name, I wondered if it was a joke, lame marketing ploy, or just pretentious when I saw “Rx” (surgeons in the family, so I thought it might be a holiday gag). Then I thought it might be a religious proselytization effort due to “Missionary” and wanted to trash it, but didn’t in case it was a gag gift. There was no note/order description so I had NO idea what I should receive nor who sent it, because anyone who knows me knows my favorite chocolates DO come from a different Oregon based company.

In the end, after familiarizing myself with the company through the website, I’m left curious about the sourcing of the chocolate and how donating chocolate to animal shelters actually helps the...

Having previously patronized Missionary Chocolates in person, and entirely falling in love with their glorious truffles, I jumped at the chance to stock up when they had a 50% off sale at the start of COVID craziness. This was near ridiculous, as their generously sized chocolates are already a great deal at around $3.50-$4 each. I ordered one of every flavor in stock, plus chocolate covered potato chips, chocolate covered sandwich cookies, and a sugar free lemon bar as a keto gift (sweetened with monk fruit). They have other offerings like chocolate covered marshmallows and cinnamon bears (I wanted these, but sadly they were out), and gift-y stuff like a locally made skincare set.

MC's truffles are vegan, though you would never know it. I am not vegan, and like them just as well (often more!) than similar ones made elsewhere. Flavors are not bashful. They are bold and proud of it! I find this particularly noticeable for those containing alcohol. I think it may be more apparent to me as I generally do not imbibe, but just be aware that they ain't messing around! With that said, I cannot resist the citrusy, sparkling champagne Mimosa flavor. There are some standards always on offer, along with seasonal varieties. A few of my other favorites are:

Peppermint - Attractively wrapped in bright emerald foil, refreshing and cool, but not overpowering. A paragon of mint chocolate perfection.

Earl Grey - The bergamot is a DREAM.

Cookies N Cream - So crunchy and exactly how you would hope it would taste.

Missionary does fruity flavors beautifully. I particularly adore balsamic fig, elderberry, raspberry, pomegranate, and strawberry.

CBD truffles have a different filling than the standard square ones: a bit more melty, with a rich and luxurious mouth feel. I would absolutely order these again, as, if you are going to eat chocolate, you may as well get the benefits of CBD, too!

Because I got a little out of control, I froze about half of my chocolates. They held up well, and while the filling might not be quite as luscious, I do not feel that they have altered much. Lastly, there was a small error with my order, but when I let the owner, Melissa, know, she remedied it post haste.

If I lived in Portland, I would appear here monthly. As it is, I will satisfy myself with the occasional online order. Take advantage of such close proximity to a wonderful chocolate shop if you are lucky enough to reside in that glorious city, otherwise follow my suit and treat yourself to a shipment of these...

Ok, this one is pretty easy... wow.

Local, handmade thoughtfully designed and formed chocolates. VEGAN chocolates at that. This is one of the Portland wins where they don't need to advertise they're vegan, it's just good chocolate. Period.

We came at the end of the day so it was a very personal experience. This would be an amazing addition to any date or outing for say a park picnic day. They can show you the system in the back of how they make it, sample any flavor currently on the menu and if you're lucky maybe one they're experimenting with. The lovely lady behind the counter was so very sweet and thoughtful with us. Even though it was closing time soon she was patient and happy to help and tell us everything we wanted to know about the chocolates themselves, the process, the flavor combos and ingredients! She was amazing.

The chocolates are spendy but remember who and what you're supporting. Jennifer the owner is very generous with her product and employees. If she takes care of them as much as her customers then I'm certain this place would be magical to work at.

They won my heart through my sweet tooth. Thank you Missionary for reminding me why I live in Portland. There's a Portland chocolate festival every September! Find it and put it on your calendar. These folks will be there...