Chocolate's New Food Trend

"Roasted" and "hoppy" are not exactly "dark" and "milk."

But two newly released confections have us rethinking our chocolate descriptors. Time to expand our lexicon.

Roasted: If you prefer your chocolate sweet and light, try Valrhona's Dulcey bar ($8 for a 3-ounce bar), a new category of chocolate that tastes somewhere between white and milk. A simple kitchen mishap–over-melted white chocolate–inspired this brilliant blond bar. Though produced with only 32 percent cacao, the Dulcey's nuttiness tempers the cloying sweetness characteristic of so many poorly made white chocolates. We love it for straight snacking, but pastry chefs have fallen for it too: At Blackbird in Chicago, Dana Cree pairs it with pretzel crisps and raspberries.

Hoppy: If you're hooked on chocolate-covered espresso beans, grab a handful of Moonstruck Chocolate Co.'s beer berries ($6 for a 4-ounce bag). Don't be fooled by the name: No alcohol is used. Portland chocolatier Julian Rose tumbles a local brewery's tiny German malted wheat berries in dark chocolate. The resulting sweet and soft exterior shields a crunchy center, and toasting the hoppy berries first produces a slightly bitter, coffee-like punch. Follow Rose's expert recommendation and eat them alongside a cold beer for maximum flavor amplification.