Hello, FilterForGoodians. Any good blogger writes attention-grabbing, eye-catching post titles like the one for this post. Do I have a story for you today. It’s a story of chocolate, guilt-free indulgence and, yes, saving the planet. Feast your eyes on, Le Whif.**

If the name didn’t give it away, this creation hails from France, and those people know chocolate. I’m sure to some, Le Whif is confectionery blasphemy, but for us, it’s an interesting story of curious consumerism meeting the green movement. I’ve blogged about ideas like this before. I think the thinking green is easiest when it involves an every day activity like (in this case) eating chocolate.

Think of the Le Whif invention as sort of a chocolate cigarette. By sucking on the cylinder, you inhale the vaporized chocolate. Admittedly, I haven’t been lucky enough to try this breathable chocolate, but the premise seems plausible. I’m dubious, however, when it comes to the experience of enjoying chocolate.

We all know that sexy little fact of chocolate’s melting point being the same as the average human body temperature, and that whole melting-on-your-tongue thing is a big part of why I love eating chocolate. I can savor it. It lasts. That’s what’s got me scratching my head on this one. How can breathable chocolate compete with the real thing?

Real Chocolate vs. Le Whif Showdown

Round 1: Nutrition

Well, one way is the calorie thing, or the lack of calories thing. Each Le Whif “hit” contains less than a calorie. It’s apparently minuscule, not even worth calculating. In other words, if scientists and dietitians can’t find the fat, neither will your belly or  your bottom.

Round 2: Flavors

Another way it competes is on flavor and flavor combinations. Currently, Le Whif comes in three flavors: Pure Chocolate (rich, deep, organic), Raspberry Chocolate (tart and sweet) and Mint Chocolate (icey and sweet). I’m most interested to try the Mint Chocolate (one of my favorite flavor combos), but I would settle for any sample Le Whif would send me.

Round 3: Green!

The little Le Whif cylinders are made of biodegradable poly-lactic acid (PLA). They use particle engineering to form natural food substances, like chocolate, in particle sizes that are small enough to become airborne, but too large to enter the lungs. I did a little checking on PLA, and Wikipedia confirmed it’s greeness with the following excerpt:

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world). Although PLA has been known for more than a century, it has only been of commercial interest in recent years, in light of its biodegradability.

So, there you have it, a guilt-free chocolate story that also just so happens to be green. Are there any Filterforgoodigans out there that have tried Le Whif? Is it awesome? Is it nothing like chocolate? Know of any other green chocolate producers? Comment and start a conversation!

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