Firsts: Godiva Rewards (read: FREE CHOCOLATE EVERY MONTH!)

Self-disclosure: I don't like chocolate.  I used to say that I hated chocolate due to a bad experience as a child; my parents didn't know they had to pick me up from an after school program which resulted in me staying at school until 7:00 PM.  Back then cell phones were still only used by adults, I didn't have money for the payphone, and my parents firm statement of, "Don't talk to strangers!" prevented me from asking other teachers to use their in-class phones.  Long story short, the only thing I had to keep me company was a bag of Easter candy.  So during my 4-hour wait, I devoured plastic eggs filled with m&ms, bite sized Twix and Milky Ways, and who knows what else.  I like chocolate cake, chocolate milk, and chocolate ice cream, but anything that was in a candy bar-esque form was immediately rejected by me.

15 or so years later, I am now able to ingest dark chocolate on occasion.  I especially crave it (as does any other young female) when I'm about to start that oh-so-wonderful time-of-the-month.  Enter in Godiva Rewards Program.  I actually read about the program through a Buzzfeed article called, "13 Free Things You Can Get For Free Right Now."  Number one on the list said, "A free Godiva truffle once a month."  Whaaaaat?  As much as I hate chocolate, if it's Godiva then I'll tolerate it.  And for free!?  I needed to investigate further.

According to Godiva's Reward Program's site, you receive the following as a member:

1. 1 free piece of chocolate every month
2. Spend $20 and receive a free gift the following month
3. Free standard shipping for one online order
4. Exclusive offers every month

Also, according to the chocolatier at the Godiva boutique in Washington Square Mall, on your birthday you receive $10 to use and buy whatever your chocolate-loving-self desires!

Wanting to get my free piece for the month of January, I went to Godiva today and asked the chocolatier which pieces were eligible for the free month gift.  She was extremely polite and helpful and another chocolatier offered me a Dark Chocolate Caramel Pear piece.  I don't like the combination of chocolate and caramel since it reminds me of my horrible experience stuffing my face with Twix bars for hours, but since it was dark chocolate I accepted.  I appreciated that this piece wasn't part of my Rewards Program piece, and it was actually the WHOLE chocolate, not just a small sample of it.

After contemplating for some time, I decided on the Strawberry Creme Tarte truffle.  I gave the chocolatier my phone number so she could look up my Rewards Program information and I was happily on my way with adorable (read: FREE) truffle in hand.

My truffle all wrapped up in wax paper - a bit excessive for such a tiny truffle, but it was nicely twirled.

Tada!  Here's the Strawberry Creme Tarte Truffle!  Like I said, it was a lot of wax paper for such a tiny little thing.  I like strawberries and I like tarts, so I was hoping that this wouldn't be overly sweet...

After the first bite!  It was just the right amount of sweetness and tartness!  Godiva's website describes this truffle as "strawberry puree and vanilla mousse inside a white chocolate shell" which to me makes it sound like the puree and mousse would've been blended more together.  I had to mix the two substances in my mouth to get it to taste perfectly but nevertheless it was delicious!

I highly recommend joining the Godiva Rewards program for anyone because well, who can say no to free chocolate?