Spring & Mulberry - Bergamot Date Sweetened Chocolate - 72% Cacao (bar) - June 13, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Spring & Mulberry 
Bergamot Date-Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.75 for 1 bar (includes discount for buying 6 or more bars)

Purchased from: Spring & Mulberry, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Citrus Theme Week.

Today's Bergamot Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) was created and distributed by Spring & Mulberry (Raleigh, NC).

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate with diffuse floral and aromatic citrus.

Texture: relatively smooth with a very fine granularity. (The dates were completely incorporated into the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: similar to the aroma notes above, only with a deeper, fudgier chocolate taste. The cacao and date blend gave the chocolate a dense, relatively hearty and balanced flavor, while still being fairly low in bitterness and acidity.

I enjoyed the authentic, aromatic floral (faint lavender) and tea-associated citrus (bergamot orange) notes; the satisfying dark chocolate (and the fact the chocolate wasn't overly sweet). 

I also appreciated the short list of high-quality organic ingredients and essential oils. This chocolate would likely pair well with Earl Grey lavender tea (or an unflavored, fine oolong tea).

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Dates*, Cacao Butter*, Bergamot Essential Oil*, Lavender Essential Oil* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Made in a Facility That Also Handles Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Milk, Soy, and Wheat

 

Spring & Mulberry - Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) - June 12, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Spring & Mulberry 
Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.75 for 1 bar (includes discount for buying 6 or more bars)

Purchased from: Spring & Mulberry, online order

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

Today's Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) was created and distributed by Spring & Mulberry (Raleigh, NC).

Aroma notes included: chocolate cookie, sweet dried fruit (date), faint tangy citrus, and even fainter fruit floral (orange blossom) and sweet green herbal.

Texture: relatively smooth with a very fine granularity. (The dates were completely incorporated into the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: similar to the aroma notes above, only with a deeper, fudgier chocolate experience with citrus (orange peel, fruit and very faint orange blossom).

I liked the hearty, balanced chocolate and date flavors coupled with the more delicate, authentic-tasting orange. And I appreciated the short list of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Dates*, Cacao Butter*, Orange Essential Oil* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Made in a Facility That Also Handles Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Milk, Soy, and Wheat

Elements Truffles - Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 11, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Elements Truffles
Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar (part of a 4-pk. order)
Purchased from: Amazon, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Citrus Theme Week.

Today's Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar) was from Elements Truffles (Union City, NJ).

The cacao used to make this chocolate was "Fair trade cacao ethically sourced from Ecuador."

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate, subtle sweet citrus and slightly savory spice (turmeric) -- e.g. the very faint aroma of pickled peppers/beets and barely detectable earthy, spiced lentils. The chocolate was balanced and smooth in flavor.

Texture: this chocolate was smooth with a creamy (cocoa butter and honey) melt and mouthfeel with occasional softly crunchy/crispy quinoa pieces.

I enjoyed the relatively short list of quality and organic ingredients; the subtlety of the flavors; and the honey (smooth texture and subtle sweetness). Those with a sweet tooth may miss the customary refined sugar; but I was fine without the sugar buzz. 

And I appreciated the addition of turmeric, in the Ayurvedic tradition (for health).* This ground spice imparted a distinct flavor, but wasn't too overwhelming.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Puffed Quinoa, Organic Turmeric Powder, Orange Essential Oil

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that processes nuts

*Turmeric contains curcumin which is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. (Curcumin can interfere with certain cellular signaling pathways associated with inflammation, and may inhibit certain inflammatory enzymes.)

Dick Taylor Chocolate - Lemon & Bergamot 65% Belize (bar) - June 10, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor Chocolate
Lemon & Bergamot 65% Belize (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Citrus Week, featuring a series of chocolates with citrus flavor inclusions.

Today's Dick Taylor Lemon & Bergamot 65% Belize (bar) was made by Dick Taylor Chocolate (Eureka, CA)--a company founded by serial creatives and skilled chocolate makers Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor.

The cacao used to make this bar was sourced from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize, a region steeped in cacao cultivation history.

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet citrus (lemon); smooth, very slightly fruity dark chocolate; and faint fruity-floral tea (bergamot) notes.

This chocolate bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and was quite smooth in texture, melt and mouthfeel. Sprinkled across the back of the bar: tiny sparkles of crystallized, lemon-flavored sugar.   

This bright citrus star of a bar would make an excellent dessert bar after a meal, or a high-end snack. It was sweet (without being overly so) and relatively addictive. 

Maker's tasting notes/description: "Tart crystallized lemon and a hint of bergamot oil are mixed into our silky 65% Belize dark chocolate. The blend of bergamot and lemon creates a perfect balance of citrus brightness and floral undertones." 

Ingredients: Cacao*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Crystallized Lemon (Citric Acid, Lemon Oil, Lemon Juice), Bergamot Oil (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: Processed on Equipment with milk, tree nuts, wheat and peanuts. 

Argencove Fine Chocolate - Cardamom & Orange 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nicaragua (bar) - June 9, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Argencove Fine Chocolate
Cardamom & Orange 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nicaragua (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 273 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Citrus Week.

Today's Cardamom & Orange 70% Dark Chocolate Nicaragua (bar) was from Argencove Fine Chocolate (Granada, Nicaragua).*

Aroma notes for today's spice and citrus bar included: fragrant cardamom, slightly savory spice, orange and subtle, almost buttery dark chocolate.

Texture: relatively soft, creamy, and smooth. The cardamom and orange were completely incorporated into the chocolate.

Flavor notes were enjoyably complex and balanced and included: smooth dark chocolate infused with balanced sweet-tart citrus (orange), spice (cardamom), and very faint slightly earthy floral-herbal (think saffron, cardamom and turmeric vegetable stew with rice).

I loved the blend of unique, complex and complementary spice, citrus and cacao notes, and the

short list of quality and local (Nicaragua-grown) ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao, sugar, cocoa butter, cardamom, orange.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts and/or tree nuts due to shared equipment.

*Manufactured by C y B Productos Agricolas S.A. (Granada, Nicaragua).

The Organic House - Chocolate Covered Maple Candied Orange Slices - June 8, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House 
Chocolate Covered Maple Candied Orange Slices
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total package 
Calories: 70 calories (estimate) in 1 piece/slice 
Cost: $22.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Citrus Week.

Today's Chocolate Covered Maple Candied Orange Slices were from The Organic House (Burlington, Ontario, Canada). 

The company is a bean-to-bar chocolate maker that specializes in vegan, gluten- and dairy-free, and organic chocolate bars and confections made with ethically-sourced cacao.

Aroma notes for today's chocolate and maple sugar covered, dehydrated orange slices included: citrus (orange, orange peel), maple sugar cake and dark chocolate.

Texture: chewy, authentic orange slices; lightly textured, authentic maple sugar and coconut flower nectar; partly covered by a smooth dark chocolate. 

Flavor notes included: high-quality, authentic maple sugar and dried orange slices flavor, and smooth dark chocolate. The maple and coconut flower nectar added a rich flavor of their own as well.

I appreciated the short list of quality, local (Ontario maple sugar) ingredients.  

Ingredients: "Oranges, Ontario maple sugar, cacao beans, coconut flower nectar, cacao butter"

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that uses tree nuts. "Vegan, Non-GMO, Gluten Free"

Mirzam - 62% Dark Chocolate with Candied Oranges & Orange Infused Toffee (bar) - June 7, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
62% Dark Chocolate with Candied Oranges & Orange Infused Toffee (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 73 calories in 1/2 bar (per label - 208 kcals per 100 g.)
Cost: $18.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate & Citrus Week, featuring bars and confections with a citrus flavor inclusion.

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Candied Oranges & Orange Infused Toffee (bar) from Mirzam Chocolate Makers was "made from bean bar in Dubai, United Arab Emirates" -- "crafted in collaboration with: @zandzdc."

Aroma notes included: lovely aromatic orange (ripe orange fruit, candied orange peel) and dark chocolate.

Texture: lots of crunchy orange toffee bits and creamy smooth dark chocolate.

Flavor notes included: orange-infused toffee bits encased in a smooth dark chocolate bar. 

Citrus lovers will really appreciate this high-end exotic citrus bar. This was a well-executed and balanced orange-zilla dark chocolate confection. The orange had some authentic zing but was not bitter or acidic. The dark chocolate balanced and complemented the sweet citrus elements, and played more of a supporting role. 

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, unrefined cane sugar, cocoa butter, butter, orange sweet oil, orange peel, glucose.

Allergen-related information: Contains dairy (butter). May contain traces of nuts and gluten.