Ritual Chocolate - Vanilla Chocolate Cherries - Nov. 21, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate

Vanilla Chocolate Cherries 
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 6 oz. (171 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $16.50 for 1 box
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Cherries Theme Week on Chocolate Banquet. 

Today's Vanilla Chocolate Cherries were from Ritual Chocolate (Heber City, UT).

Aroma notes included: sweet warm vanilla, chocolate (rich cocoa), and stone fruit (cherries). (The cherries were Montmorency cherries sourced from Payson Fruit Growers in Utah.)

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate coating that surrounded chewy, dried cherries.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate and concentrated, tart, dried cherries (from Utah).

The makers tasting notes read: "Vanilla, Dried Cherries, Floral." Also included was a great pairing suggestion: "Best Enjoyed On A Charcuterie Board with Soft Cheeses and Sourdough Bread" 

I liked the relatively short list of quality and organic ingredients; and the sweetness level. (They were not too sweet.) It was a satisfying blend of authentic warm vanilla and chocolate and tart cherries.

Ingredients: "Dried Cherries, Organic Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Powder, Organic Cocoa Powder"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also produces soy, tree nuts and wheat." "Vegan"

  

Jouvay Chocolate - Dark Chocolate Pistachio & Cherry 72% Cocoa Content (bar) - Nov. 20, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Jouvay Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Pistachio & Cherry 72% Cocoa Content (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 212 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from work colleague
Purchased from: N/A - gift from work colleague (Thank you Sean!)

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Pistachio & Cherry 72% Cocoa Content (bar) from Jouvay* Chocolate -- a partnership between Grenada's Diamond Chocolate Factory (Grenada, West Indies) and the Burdick family."** 

The dark chocolate used to make this bar: "100% Grenadian Cocoa."

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (smooth with very faint, fleeting earth/smokey peat); authentic, tart-sweet cherry; and and faint nut (pistachio). 

Texture: very smooth, with softly crunchy pistachio nuts and cherry cherries.

I liked the authentic, fresh-tasting flavor inclusions (cherry fruit, pistachio nuts). The 72% dark chocolate was well-executed, balanced, had a pleasing rich texture and was not too sweet.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cane sugar, pistachios, cherries

Allergen-related information: (Contains tree nuts: pistachios)

*Jouvay is "Caribbean Patois for the opening day of Carnival - From the French "jour ouvert" (opening day)"

**Sadly the U.S. distributor wound down this chocolate business in October 2025; and the website showed they were out of stock on this bar and others.

Cachet - Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar) - Nov. 19, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Cachet 
Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 260 calories in 4 squares of bar
Cost: $7.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Market, Santa Cruz, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Cachet 57% Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar) was manufactured by Kim's Chocolates (Tienen, Belgium).

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively smooth, dark chocolate (dark chocolate cake/black forest chocolate cherry cake) and sweet, slightly tart, cherry.

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate. (The cherry elements were fully incorporated into the dark chocolate.)

Sweet, flavorful and addictive if you're hungry.

Ingredients: "Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Sour Cherry, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Natural Cherry Flavor"

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Soy. May Contain: Wheat, Egg, Tree Nuts, Milk."

Rawmio - Chocolate Covered Sweet Cherries 70% Dark Raw Chocolate - Nov. 18, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Rawmio
Chocolate Covered Sweet Cherries 70% Dark Raw Chocolate  
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 package 
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package 
Purchased from: Vitacost, online order 

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Rawmio Chocolate Covered Sweet Cherries 70% Dark Raw Chocolate (pieces) were made by Windy City Organics, LLC (Northbrook, IL).

Aroma notes included: rich, lightly fermented, authentic fruit (cherry, cacao pulp) and chocolate.

Texture: whole, dried (but moist) cherries were dusted with 70% "cacao powder" 

Flavor notes included: authentic cherry texture and balanced, tart-sweet stone fruit (cherry) flavor. The 70% cacao dark chocolate was a smooth and satisfying background flavor.

I liked that these real cherries were "glaze-free"--not over-sweetened (thank you)--and were allowed to shine while the dark chocolate added flavor depth. I could really appreciate the true flavors, and that was a very good thing.

Ingredients: Raw Chocolate (Raw Cacao Nibs*, Coconut Sugar*, Raw Cacao Butter*), Cherries*, Raw Cacao Powder*.

Allergen-related information: "Crafted in a GMP facility which processes Tree Nuts and Sesame, but no peanuts, soy, or gluten." (* Organic)

Friis-Holm Chokolade - Filled Chocolate Cherry - Nov. 17, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Friis-Holm Chokolade
Filled Chocolate Cherry bonbons 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.83 oz. (80 g.) in total box
Calories: 189 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: $32.00 for 1 box
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Filled Chocolate Cherry confections were from Friis-Holm Chokolade (Roskilde, Denmark).

The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Nicaragua. Danish sour cherries, and cherry brandy from Frederiksdal*, were also featured in these filled chocolates.

Aroma notes included: very subtle chocolate, and very faint sweet fruit, nutty caramel. (These bonbons did not contain nuts.)

The glossy, outer 70% chocolate shell was perfectly executed (smooth, shiny and flawless; broke gently) to reveal a rich, flowing, sweet cherry center--a liquid cherry juice (cherry brandy syrup) that surrounded an authentic, whole, sour cherry (stvensbaer) -- dried for concentrated cherry flavor, but plump and moist in the flowing cherry creme filling).

Flavor notes included: sweet cherry juice/light syrup, cherry fruit, and very smooth chocolate. Despite containing cherry wine/brandy, there was little to no alcohol flavor.

I appreciated the use of single origin Nicaragua chocolate, the thoughtful incorporation of cherries, and Friis-Holm's skillfully executed take on a classic Danish sour cherry + Frederiksdal* cherry brandy creme-filled confections.

Ingredients: Dark chocolate, cacao beans, sugar, cacao butter, Frederiksdal cherries, kirsebaer, fondant, dried whole sour cherry, cherry juice, citric acid, 

Allergen-related information: (None found on label.)

*Frederiksdal's cherry wine is part of a fruit wine tradition that dates back to the 1700s in Denmark. During World War II, when the grape supply dwindled, fortified cherry wines became more popular. Their fortified cherry wine (brandy) used in today's chocolates was (I believe) made from sour cherries/cherry juice, using traditional wine-making techniques. In today's chocolate, it had a sweet, cherry flavor--similar to a high-end cherry liqueur (with a barely detectable level of alcohol).

Compartes - Wild Cherry Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao (bar) - Nov. 16, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
Wild Cherry Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Wild Cherry Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao (bar) was from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA).

Aroma notes included: smooth, subtle dark chocolate, clean mineral notes, and light stone fruit (cherry) and cherry soda.

Texture: smooth, creamy dark chocolate, chewy dried fresh cherries, and a much softer chew from translucent candied cherries. 

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate (fudge with faint vanilla) and two different cherry flavors: dried tart-sweet, authentic cherry flavor and candied cherry.

I enjoyed the creamy texture of the dark 73% cacao chocolate and the range of cherry flavors was fun to try.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Soy Lecithin as an Emulsifier, Vanilla), Cherries (Cherries, Sugar, Citric Acid, Red #3)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles dairy, peanuts, wheat, egg, soy, tree nuts. "Vegan, Gluten Free"

Loon Chocolate - Dried Cherry 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 15, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Loon Chocolate
Dried Cherry 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 450 calories in 1 bar (per label)
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #25 of Chocolate and Fruits Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week. We continue with fruit-themed chocolates; and finishing with a "just cherries" and chocolate week.*

Today's Loon Chocolate Dried Cherry 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by White Birch Living LLC (Manchester, NH). Loon Chocolate is a small batch, chocolate producer.**

Six whole, large, dried cherries rested on the back of this bar in a well-organized grid pattern. (On the front of the bar were loons (birds) silently and invisibly treading water on a lake, presumably in the northeast U.S.)

Each cherry had a satisfying, concentrated cherry tart-sweetness and pleasantly chewy texture. The dark chocolate was uniformly smooth and a bit somber--serving as an excellent foil for the sweeter, more flavorful cherries.

I paired this bar with a small cup of ginger tea. All three flavors harmonized very well together. A rousing trifecta for a cool, rainy fall day.

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Dried Cherries" 

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that uses Almonds and Milk." ("Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan")

*I couldn't find enough fresh cherries to eat this past season; so, after feeling deprived, I gave cherries their own week on Chocolate Banquet--a 19-year long, chocolate-tasting adventure divided into themes and theme weeks, to better organize the delicious chocolate chaos.

**Loon Chocolate is a registered trademark of White Birch Living LLC. They "import cacao beans from small farm growers."