National Chocolate Mint Day // Essential Oil vs. Flavor Extracts

At Windy City Organics we truly pride ourselves in our unique formulas which are pure, simple, and additive-free. This is something that sets us apart from many food manufacturers, even within the organic industry. If you're reading this blog or are already a user and love of our products you're likely very keen on ingredients - which to look for an which to avoid.

Artificial flavors are used in processed conventional foods because they're cheap to produce, and do a great job of masking off-flavors or adding flavor to a product that would otherwise be quite tasteless. "Natural" flavors are often not much better, as the term "natural" isn't regulated, and there are plenty of "natural" things on this planet that we don't want to be ingesting.

When we want to add a splash of refreshing peppermint (for instance) we go for real, organic peppermint essential oil extracted without solvent directly from fresh, organic peppermint leaves. This is the concentrated essence of the plant, with nothing else diluting it. While there is nothing wrong with organic flavor extracts (such as vanilla extract or even peppermint extract), we find that using the pure essential oils gives a much truer flavor, not to mention a much more potent healing, medicinal punch. For instance, pure peppermint essential oil is anti-viral and anti-bacterial, helps cool the system, and can help soothe the tummy and enhance digestion. Get the benefits of pure essential oils in our soon to launch Rawmio Essentials Bars, or through our Rawmio Chocolate Hearts and Sunbiotics Chocolate Bars in Ginger Spice and Pure Peppermint.