Charles Chocolates - Hella NorCal Bar 2.0 65% Bittersweet Chocolate - Oct. 30, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Charles Chocolates
Hella NorCal Bar 2.0 65% Bittersweet Chocolate
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $8.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Hella NorCal Bar 2.0 65% Bittersweet Chocolate was from Charles Chocolates (San Francisco, CA).

Note: This chocolate was, I believe, a special collaboration with Whole Foods in California. (It's not currently on the Charles Chocolates website.)

Aroma notes included: sweet, dark chocolate; coconut nectar/vanilla, sesame candy, and faint fruit (berry).

Texture: thick and smooth dark chocolate, crispy-crunchy sesame seed candy, and small, chewy dried berries.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y (fudge brownie, cocoa), faint vanilla, sweet sesame brittle, and chewy goji berries.

I really enjoyed this hearty, chocolate-y blend of authentic flavors and textures. It was a geographic tribute to Northern California (where Charles Chocolates and Chocolate Banquet are based). We do like our dark chocolate, fruit and seeds in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ingredients: Bittersweet Chocolate (Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla Beans), Cane Sugar, Sesame Seeds, Organic Goji Berries, Salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains sesame. "Manufactured in a facility that processes products containing peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, and soy."

Compartes Chocolatier - Peaches & Cream 44% Cacao (bar) - Oct. 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
Peaches & Cream 44% Cacao (bar)

Good + 

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Crow's Nest Beach Market, Santa Cruz, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate & Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Peaches & Cream 44% Cacao (bar) was from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA). The company has produced an amazing assortment of bars and confections with different flavor inclusions over the years. 

I love fresh peaches and nectarines when they're in season. The season ended last month; but this chocolate was a chance to enjoy a belated taste of summer peaches.

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet, creamy milk chocolate and peaches.

Texture: smooth, creamy 44% milk chocolate with a very slightly gummy melt; and crunchy pieces of freeze-dried peaches.

I liked the light and crunchy, freeze-dried peaches and the fact this bar was gluten free. Those with a sweet tooth may love the candy-level sweetness in this rich bar. It was a little too sweet for me.

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk, Soy Lecithin as an Emulsifier, Vanilla), White Chocolate (Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Whole Milk, Soy Lecithin as an Emulsifier, Vanilla), Peaches, Cream.

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk, Soy. 

Rhyme and Reason Chocolate - Maracuya Passion White and Dark Ecuador Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 28, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Rhyme and Reason Chocolate
Maracuya Passion Fruit White and Dark Ecuador Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .845 oz. (24 g.) / 1.69 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Maracuya Passion Fruit White and Dark Ecuador Chocolate (bar) was from Rhyme and Reason Chocolate Company LLC (Greensboro, NC).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, tart-sweet fruit (passion fruit, citrus)

Texture: well-tempered, broke with a snap; two layers that were both smooth in texture, and had a very slight difference in the way they melted. Nicely executed; a unique and pleasing experience.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, dark fudge brownie, very light and balanced earth and floral) and a white chocolate layer full of bright, sweet and delicious passion fruit. Together, they created a very tasty chocolate bar.

I enjoyed this attractive, layered bar where both dark and white strata contributed high-quality, balanced and authentic flavors. That passion fruit infused white chocolate layer really was like eating real passion fruit; and the dark chocolate tasted like single origin chocolate. And it was (Ecuador cacao).

Thank you to the makers for this deliciously fun tasting experience.

Ingredients: "Cocoa Butter, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Beans, Organic Passion fruit Powder"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility which also handles peanuts and tree nuts"

Crow & Moss Chocolatery - Cardamom Baked Banana 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Crow & Moss Chocolatery
Cardamom Baked Banana 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.4 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate & Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Cardamom Baked Banana 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was thoughtfully created and executed by Crow & Moss Chocolatery (Petoskey, MI).

The company's attractive bar, packaging* and origin stories were transporting.

The cacao used to make this bar was from the Anamalai Estate in India, "organically grown by producers Harish Manoj and Karthi Palaniswamy."**

Aroma notes for this aromatic and flavorful bar included: subtle roasted banana, dark chocolate and very faint warm spice.

Texture: relatively smooth with a faint fruit (banana) astringency

Flavor notes included: rich and flavorful roasted banana, hearty (bold) dark chocolate with medium-high (fruit) acidity; and very faint warm, earthy spice. 

I enjoyed the blend of bold, balanced flavors. This was a far cry from the milk chocolate banana candy one might find in most places in the U.S. I found it very satisfying. 

It was hard to pick out any lighter, bubble gum notes I often associate with (green) cardamom. The spice (likely black cardamom) stayed mostly in the shadows, just out of reach, but still contributed a faint almost smokey/earthy spice accent flavor.

This might also be an excellent dark chocolate for cooking/baking (for desserts (ice creams, custards, Bananas Foster, high-end parfaits, dessert flights); batter breads (banana nut) breads; and maybe even savory rice and meat dishes).

Ingredients: "Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Banana, Organic Cardamom."

Allergen-related information: ("Dairy Free, Gluten Free")

*Who says recycled packaging can't look grand?

**The makers included this poetic description of the Anamalai estate in India: "The trees are intercropped with coconut palms and nutmeg trees in the foothills of India's Western Ghats, where (native) desi cows meander and elephants enjoy the coconuts by night."

SOMA chocolatemaker - Green Raisins tumbled in dark Milk chocolate - Oct. 26, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

SOMA chocolatemaker
Green Raisins tumbled in dark Milk chocolate
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories in 1/3 package (390 calories in 1 pkg.)
Cost: $14.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate & Fruits Week on Chocolate Banquet.

Today's "Green Raisins tumbled in dark Milk chocolate" was created by SOMA chocolatemaker--a talented chocolate maker and chocolatier based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

There's something special about a simple dish or chocolate that's been elevated to next level goodness. This SOMA offering exceeded my expectations for chocolate covered raisins. They used shade-dried Kashmiri raisins (vs. golden raisins/sultanas we normally see in the U.S.) and a blend of dark and milk single origin cacaos.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark milk chocolate, raisin (softly tart-sweet, gently fruity, moist, golden raisin), and faint authentic vanilla. 

Texture: soft, dark milk chocolate coated (Kashmiri) gold-green oblong, softly chewy raisins.

I loved that the raisins weren't too tough, tart or sweet; but they were delightful and flavorful. Gently sweet, almost buttery, complex and sophisticated, I appreciated being able to taste these little green grape gems coated with just the right amount of high-quality, dark milk chocolate. Warning: slightly addictive.

Ingredients: "Raisins, Cocoa Butter, Cacao Nibs, Organic Cane Sugar, Milk Powder, Natural Vanilla"

Allergen-related information: "May contain trace amounts of peanuts, and tree nuts." 

Froken Frankenstein Chocolatier - Choklad Havtorn Kakaohalt 46% (bar) - Oct. 25, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Froken Frankenstein Chocolatier
Choklad Havtorn Kakaohalt 46% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift 
Purchased from: N/A - gift from Toni 

God morgon (good morning) and welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Fruits Theme Week.

Today's Choklad Havtorn Kakaohalt 46% (bar) from Froken (Miss) Frankenstein Chocolatier was from Oland, Sweden. 

This chocolate contained havtorn (sea buckthorn)--a plant with small, tart orange fruits (berries).*

Aroma and flavor notes included: creamy milk chocolate with very faint, gently tart-sweet fruit (light persimmon, orange berry, kumquat, sweetened sour orange).

Texture: rich, creamy milk chocolate with a satisfying melt layer of berry-infused sugar on one side. The tiny, crunchy, berry sugar crystals added a bit of texture and very subtle flavor. I also enjoyed the leaf motif on the bar. The "leaves" were gently highlighted with cocoa butter "paint." 

I appreciated the authentically extra-creamy milk chocolate texture; the subtle cocoa; the sugar with the berry juice; and the lovely botanical illustration by a local Swedish artist.** 

I felt very grateful to taste sea buckthorn in a new way, thanks to my friend who brought this bar back with her--all the way from the island of Oland in Sweden. (Thank you Toni!) This was a lovely virtual travel experience.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, sugar, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), vanilla extract, sea buckthorn juice (from a sea buckthorn garden in Oland).

Allergen-related information: May contain nuts and soy.

*Sea buckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides) has been used by humans for thousands of years as a food and for medicinal uses. The berries, leaves and seeds are edible. (Not to be confused with other"buckthorn(e)" berries that are often in a different family and may or may not be edible/enjoyable to sample.)

**Emma Tinnert is a biologist, artist and illustrator that lives in Orland, Sweden.

Philippe Beaulieu - 70% Dark Chocolate Raspberry - Oct. 24, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Philippe Beaulieu
70% Dark Chocolate - Raspberry (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - from Touring Chocolatier
Purchased from: N/A - from Touring Chocolatier 

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and France Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate & Fruits Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate - Raspberry (bar) was from Philippe Beaulieu USA LLC (Miami, FL). The company is inspired by French/European chocolate making traditions and uses cacao from Colombia (Tolima region). 

Thank you to Kay at Touring Chocolatier (Flower Mound, TX)* for sending this bar.

Complex aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (with very faint roasted cacao/dark chocolate and berry licorice); and tart-sweet red raspberries/raspberry jam.

Texture: Smooth chocolate with a slight granularity, with a vibrant, colorful field of freeze-dried red raspberries on one side.

I appreciated the attractive, sophisticated packaging (black and gold, with a clear window view of the bright raspberry within) and the authentic freeze-dried raspberry fruit (with enough berry seeds to be authentic, and not so many that it was hard to eat). 

Ingredients: Organic Cocoa Mass, Organic Unrefined Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Freeze dried raspberries. 

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of tree nuts. ("No Lecithin, Gluten Free, Chemical Free, Egg Free, Artificial Flavor Free, Soy Free, No Refined Sugar")

*Touring Chocolatier offers chocolates, classes/tastings and parties at their site in Flower Mound, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.