Chocolate of the Day
Juan Choconat
Chocolate Oscuro 85% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 134 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Elebar Snacks, online order
Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.
Today's bar comes with a backstory, and a lot of footnotes at the end.
Spoiler alert: I ordered several Jaun Choconat bars online that were made in Colombia (via an importer) in Aug. 2025 -- when new U.S. tariffs on many imported goods became effective. Not a good time to order chocolate made outside the U.S. They arrived months later.
Today's Chocolate Oscuro (Dark Chocolate) 85% (Unroasted) Cacao (bar) was made by Juan Choconat SAS (Ibague, Tolima, Colombia) and imported by Elebar Snacks LLC (with locations in Illinois and Clearwater, FL).
Aroma and flavor notes for this 85% ("creole" hybrid Colombian) cacao bar included: surprisingly gentle, chocolate-y, dark chocolate with appealing, soft toned fruits (cherries + other red berries, stone fruit), cherry pie, faint spice and very faint vegetable (potato) and barely detectable fresh bread.
There was some bitterness in this chocolate (expected for any 85%er). But this "bitterness" was oddly and seductively enjoyable. I've only found these gentle flavors with criollo cacao-based chocolates before. It was absolutely more balanced and less bitter (or acidic) than most 85% cacao chocolates, because of the cacao; and the makers used unroasted cacao (to preserve nutrients and more delicate flavors present in heritage, criollo cacaos). There were also no harsh/burnt notes that can sometimes result from over-roasting.
Texture: Broke with a snap and had a fairly creamy melt and smooth texture.
This order was held up due to newly enacted tariffs* and associated paperwork last August, and was likely allowed to sit in a warm place -- based on the white-ish, bloomed appearance. This can happen very quickly if chocolates sit in the hot sun on a loading dock somewhere too long. Delays during the transportation process (loading/unloading/storing) can really impact product quality.
However, I was surprised and delighted that today's bar still broke with a snap and had a very nice smooth melt and mouthfeel. And the flavors were wonderful. (The packaging for each individual bar had remained sealed.)
The makers used only two ingredients (no added cocoa butter) to coax out these lovely, authentic cacao flavors.
Ingredients: Unroasted Cacao Nibs and Unrefined Cane Sugar (Panela).
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Fruit, Milk or Nuts."
*New U.S. tariffs went into effect in April and August 2025 that affected imported goods from other countries.
World cacao/chocolate prices had already increased in recent years. And, yes, tariffs didn't help, when importers and shippers were struggling to adhere to new requirements--about the time I ordered several Juan Choconat bars in August 2025 (peak transition/confusion time). The chocolate bars arrived -- months later.
Time is money, and customs/shipping delays affect product quality and customer satisfaction. (Big changes and uncertainties can affect markets/prices, farmers, companies, importers, retailers and other third parties--as well as consumers.)
Quick summary of the tariff collection process: The U.S. importers usually are the ones to pay the tariffs...to the "U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)" -- and this agency reports to U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.
Most studies have shown that tariff-related fees/price hikes typically get passed on to end consumers/customers; but we don't have long-term data on effects for these changes yet.
By fall 2025 (and likely with helpful input from large chocolate makers like Hershey's), lawmakers realized that the U.S. grows less than 0.0001% of all the world's cacao--approximately 179 acres in Hawaii and 100 acres in Puerto Rico. We import the rest from other countries so U.S. chocolatiers and chocolate makers can make chocolate; U.S. workers can keep their jobs; and customers can find their favorite chocolates on shelves or online.
The cacao tariffs were lifted a few months later, in Nov. 2025. (Although certain tariffs remained on West African cacao (where most of the world's cacao is grown.)
Throughout this period of volatility, I wondered how the 2025 changes affected cacao farmers outside the U.S. I don't know. (As of today, every Juan Choconat bar that I ordered in August 2025 was "sold out" online.)
"Sold out" can mean many things. A company is struggling to meet demand for high-quality products that are in short supply; a company is taking a break from making chocolate; a company is thinking about whether to continue to make chocolate; etc.
