The Chocolate Conspiracy - Raspberry 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar sweetened with honey - May 17, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Chocolate Conspiracy
Raspberry 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar sweetened with honey
Good ++
Weight: .625 oz. (17.50 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Conspiracy, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's Raspberry 75% Cacao Chocolate Bar from The Chocolate Conspiracy (Salt Lake City, UT) was made from bean-to-bar using cacao from Peru (Ucayali region) and sweetened with raw, unfiltered wildflower honey.

Aroma notes included: chocolate and sweet, fruit honey cake.

Texture: smooth, soft, silken texture, melt and mouthfeel. (The raspberries were fully incorporated. No seed grit. Thank you!)

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes only with a deeper dark chocolate flavor. This 75% cacao dark chocolate was relatively dark, but also quite smooth. The honey, coconut palm sugar, berry and faint vanilla were authentic, balanced and contributed a gently complex sweetness.

Maker's description: "...crafted from organic, unroasted, single-origin cacao beans from the Ucayali region of Peru and sweetened with raw, unfiltered wildflower honey. This results in a silky texture and unique flavor."

Ingredients: "Raw Organic Cacao Beans, Raw Unfiltered Honey, Raw Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Raspberry, Organic Raw Vanilla Bean, Organic Coconut Palm Sugar."

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, coconut, and pistachios." ("Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free...No Refined Sugar, Fair-Trade Cacao")

 

Chocolat Madagascar - Mokarana Honey Fine Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (bar) - May 16, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolat Madagascar
Mokarana Honey Fine Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 222 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar 

Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's Mokarana Honey Fine Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (bar)--made with Cacao Grand Cru de Sambirano--was from Chocolat Madagascar (United Kingdom). 

The company is based in the UK, but the chocolate was crafted (tree-to-bar/"in country") by Chocolaterie Robert (Antananarivo, Madagascar).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, faint spice and very faint banana bread and sweet green seed/nut.

Texture: relatively soft, velvety dark chocolate

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate fudge brownie with honey.

I enjoyed the gently complex aroma and flavor elements: fudge brownie, honey, spice, fruit (banana), and that the chocolate wasn't too sweet--or too bitter for an ultra-dark 85% cacao bar. 

Ingredients: Madagascar cocoa beans, Mokarana Honey. (Madagascar Origin)."

Allergen-related information: "May contain milk, soya & cashew nuts."

Honeymoon Chocolates - Coffee Milk Chocolate (bar) - May 15, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
Coffee Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from family member ($12.00)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family member (Thank you Katy!)

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's Coffee Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO). This chocolate was sweetened with raw, unfiltered honey. 

Aroma notes included: pleasing, aromatic, fresh ground coffee, chocolate, coffee latte and very faint honey.

Texture: relatively smooth with a very slightly waxy but pleasing melt (in a cold room). 

Flavor notes included smooth-flavored dark milk chocolate with coffee and honey.

I enjoyed the aroma, flavors and the short list of quality, organic ingredients. I also appreciated that a portion of the proceeds from the company's chocolate bars are "automatically donated to support honeybee research--and that cacao transaction pricing (farm gate ($2.16 per kilogram) and beyond) information was included in the interest of transparency.*

Ingredients: Organic Raw Honey, Organic Cacao, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Nonfat Dairy, Organic Coffee

Allergen-related information: Contains Dairy. Manufactured in a Facility That Prepares Dairy & Gluten Products. Also, the following advisory notice read: "This Product Contains Raw Honey and Should Not Be Given to Infants Under the Age of One.")

*It's very rare for this information to be easily accessible to the end consumer.

Qantu - Erable et Sel (Maple & fleur de sel) (bar) - May 14, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Qantu
Erable et Sel (Maple & fleur de sel) bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 156 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's Erable et Sel (Maple & fleur de sel) bar was from Qantu Cacao et Chocolat Inc. (Montreal, QC, Canada). 

Aroma notes included: sweet brown/maple sugar, faint caramel chocolate cookie.

Texture: smooth, fully incorporated maple sugar and salt.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with sweet, slightly acidic (banana tannins) maple sugar and faint sea salt.

The flavor notes in this blend of cacao and maple sugar had an interesting complexity. The sea salt provided a very light accent flavor.

Maker's tasting notes: "Nose: sweet spices, caramel; Mouth: banana cinnamon; Finish: pecans and other nuts"

Ingredients: "organic cocoa beans, organic pure maple sugar, organic cocoa butter, Maras fleur de sel"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk and nuts"

Ranger Chocolate - Doug-fir Peppermint Pattie (5 pack) - May 13, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Ranger Chocolate Co.
Doug-fir Peppermint Pattie (5 pack)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 1.23 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 5 patties
Calories: 145 calories (estim.) in 2 patties
Cost: $12.00 for 1 package of 5 patties
Purchased from: Ranger Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's Doug-fir Peppermint Pattie(s) were from Ranger Chocolate Co. (Portland, OR).

Aroma and flavor notes included authentic, refreshing peppermint and faint, aromatic and sweet pine (Douglas fir tips).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a fondant cream-style mint filling

I enjoyed these peppermint and fir tree flavored patties; they were refreshing and highly addictive.

Ingredients: "confectioners sugar (sugar and tapioca starch), chocolate (organic cacao, cacao butter, organic sugar), tapioca syrup, tapioca starch, extract (vanilla, water, alcohol, fir needle oil), sea salt, peppermint oil"

Allergen-related ingredients: "Manufactured in a facility that uses gluten, egg, milk, sesame, and tree nut ingredients"

 

The Organic House - Chocolate Easter Egg - Vegan Cookies & Cream - May 12, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House
Chocolate Easter Egg - Vegan Cookies & Cream
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total Egg
Calories: 300 calories in 1/2 Egg

Cost: $13.50 (approximately) for 1 Egg (Paid $26.99 for 2 Eggs)
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Week -- including several chocolates with honey, maple and other tree-related flavors (besides cacao).

Today's Chocolate Easter Egg - Vegan Cookies & Cream was from The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada). 

The company offers a variety of gluten free and dairy free chocolates--including some sweetened with Canadian maple sugar. This Easter egg was a version of the company's Cookies & Cream maple oat milk chocolate (Philippines cacao) bar -- with maple flavored white/oat milk chocolate and cacao nibs. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, maple sugar, green, sweet nut and grain and faint floral cacao (nibs).

Texture: smooth (dark and white chocolate melded together, with crunchy (authentic cacao) nibs.

I wasn't sure I could detect a "cookie" flavor; but it became more evident when I tasted the chocolate from start to finish. Today's egg was sweet and satisfying. The nibs helped sell the cookie crunch. And the subtle cashew and oat/oat milk ingredients also helped round out a faint, "cookie-like" taste.

I liked the flavor and texture blend: use of organic and gluten-free ingredients, the rich, sweet (less processed) maple and coconut sugars that added some pleasing, subtle, flavor warmth (think very faint brown sugar, caramel) and depth.

Ingredients: "Organic cacao butter, Organic cacao beans, Ontario maple sugar, Organic cashews, Organic coconut flower nectar, Gf organic oats."

Allergen-related information: "Contains Cashews, Oats. May contain: Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios."

Wildwood Chocolate - Ginger Pistachio 70% Cacao (bar) - May 11, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Wildwood Chocolate
Ginger Pistachio 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.58 oz. (45 g.) / 3.17 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.99 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Warm Spices and Day #4 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week--that includes chocolates with honey, maple and other tree flavors or references.

Today's Ginger Pistachio 70% Cacao (bar) was from Wildwood Chocolate (Portland, OR). The company name was likely inspired by the local Wildwood Trail in Forest Park in Portland.)

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth, bittersweet dark chocolate; and authentic, balanced and "fresh" (just the right texture) flavor inclusions: candied ginger and salted roasted pistachio.

I loved the great balance of smooth dark chocolate, sweet and spicy and salty nutty flavors--as well as the well-executed smooth and chewy textures in this bar.

Ingredients: "Bittersweet Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), Roasted Pistachios (pistachio, salt), Candied Ginger (ginger, sugar), Sea Salt."

Allergen-related information: "Contains Soy and Tree Nuts (Pistachio). May contain traces of the following if not listed above due to shared equipment: milk, peanuts, wheat or eggs."