Chami Cacao - 70% Cafe de Origen Special Coffee (bar) - May 13, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Chami Cacao
70% Cafe de Origen Special Coffee (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 20 g. serving of bar
Cost: $11.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA 

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Chami Cacao 70% Cafe de Origen Special Coffee (bar) was made in Colombia. 

Chami* Cacao is based in Mill Valley, CA in the U.S. (Their chocolate bars can be found at Farmers Markets in Marin County, California.) The company also has distribution points in other locales (U.S., France). It was great to be able to find their line of authentic Colombia-made bars. (Thank you to Juliana Grajales P., who is behind this woman-owned enterprise.)

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 70% cacao coffee bar included: satisfying balanced, bold coffee and chocolate aroma and flavors.

Texture: stone-ground, slightly crunchy texture from the particles of ground coffee beans that were incorporated into smooth dark chocolate.

I enjoyed savoring small pieces of this bar; it was enjoyable and satisfying. Some may find the rough (ground coffee) texture a little off-putting initially. (It grows on you.) 

I appreciated the short list of just three ingredients as well as a focus on sustainability (starting with a "chemical free" crop and extending to the cassava starch, biodegradable (inner) packaging).

Cacao beans, Organic raw cane sugar (panela) & ground coffee"

Allergen-related information: No allergens listed. "Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free"

*The name Chami pays tribute to the Embera Chami indigenous people in Colombia. ("It also means 'mountain range' in their language.")

 

L'Amourette Chocolatier - 100% Trinitario Cacao Colombia (bar) - May 11, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

L'Amourette Chocolatier 
100% Trinitario Cacao Colombia (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $17.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition 100% Trinitario Cacao Colombia (bar) was made by L'Amourette Chocolat LLC (San Francisco, CA). 

The cacao used to craft this bar was grown in the Huila department in southwest Colombia.

Aroma notes for this 100%er included: dark chocolate, concentrated cacao fruit (syrup), and sweet green botanical (maple, coconut, anethole (fennel), other plant and tree sugars).*

Texture: Smooth, relatively creamy with a bit of (fruit) astringency.

Flavor notes: Rich, balanced, ultra-dark chocolate with complex notes from start to finish. Ultra-dark brownie and bitters; cacao fruit; Sweet green botanical and nut (Brazil nut)...and graham cracker in the long finish. (Note: there were no nut ingredients in this bar.)

I enjoyed the relatively creamy texture, cacao fruit and "nut" notes; the rich, balanced and complex flavors; and the long lingering finish. 

And I appreciated the maker's care in highlighting and balancing all these lovely flavors in this single origin bar--using just one ingredient. (Just Colombian cacao. That's it.) As with other 100% cacao bars without added sugar, a small piece or two can be very satisfying.

Ingredients: Colombia Cacao Beans

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes Nuts."

*There is a bouquet of sweet, green botanical notes that I sometimes taste with certain dark chocolate bars. In the past I've made comparisons to green walnuts in sweet syrup, maple syrup, some coconut sugars, anethole (fennel, anise sugars), and even certain cacao fruit syrups. If you've experienced what I'm describing, I hope you also enjoy these sweet green notes. 

Anethole is a compound (C10H120) associated with fennel, anise and star anise, used to flavor sweet licorice and is also used in foods as an aroma and flavor enhancer.

 

Ywawika (Origen Cacao) - Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta 50% Coconut Milk (bar) - May 10, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Ywawika (Origen Cacao) 
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta 50% Coconut Milk (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $0 (Part of a $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack)
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

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

Today's Ywawika Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria 50% Coconut Milk (bar) from Origen Cacao (San Roque, Antioquia, Colombia) was made using organic cacao grown in Niwi UmuKin (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, "Birwa zone") in Colombia by the Arhuaco people.

According to legend, Arhuaco (Tayrona) ancestors would use cacao as a sacred beverage to connect with the Creator. Today the Arhuaco people see themselves as guardians of the land at the "heart of the world."

Aroma notes included: rich, sweet chocolate with subtle condensed cacao fruit (syrup), warm spice (and very faint pepper that dissipated after opening).

The texture was very smooth with a silken melt and mouthfeel. (Thank you coconut milk.)

Flavor notes for today's 50% chocolate included: balanced dark coconut milk chocolate, dried cacao fruit, faint warm spice and authentic, sweet coconut milk--all blending into a pleasant finish.

This dark chocolate was sweet and very low in bitterness, and was low in acidity as well.

I enjoyed the rich chocolate, the smooth texture, and the subtle cacao fruit notes. And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. 

Ingredients: "Organic cane sugar, organic cacao nibs, cocoa butter, organic coconut milk powder"

Allergen-related information: (Contains Coconut.)

Karu - Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar) - May 9, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Karu 
Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1 square of bar (1/4 bar)
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Karu Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar) was made in Bogota, Colombia and distributed in the USA and Canada by Tropicalia LLC.

The maker behind Karu is Maria Leja Villarreal, who created her company in Dubai. She specializes in Colombian cacao chocolates.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, with faint, slightly fruity/tangy chili peppers (chipotle) and bell pepper.

Texture: relatively smooth with a slight astringency, but relatively creamy melt and mouthfeel

Flavor notes included: bitter then sour then a fainter, creamier bitter + sour and slight chili pepper/savory (mole sauce) that flowed into a balanced, very long, and ultimately clean (and not that bitter) finish. 

I enjoyed the faint, slightly savory chili/bell pepper/mole notes--and could see melting a square of this chocolate into a barbeque or savory chili sauce or marinade. 

When a maker crafts a bar with 100% cacao, there is no sugar or milk or other ingredients to hide behind. So I always respect this choice that allows us to taste the pure original flavor of cacao. No two origins will taste exactly the same. 

Early on in my chocolate journey I tasted some 100% bars with some "off" flavors that might have been covered up if the bar had been 50% sugar. There were no earthy/moldy botanical or other funky notes in this chocolate.

This single-ingredient bar is not for everyone, and you won't be tempted to eat too much. (I felt happy and satisfied with one square.) But I enjoyed the ride, and kept thinking of possible dishes with this chocolate (vegetable, chili beans, chicken) as well as savory-sweet items (chipotle brownies or spiced chocolate ice cream).

I would include this in a 100%er tasting flight to compare with others single ingredient, single origin cacao bars.

Ingredients: Cacao

Allergen-related information: Produced in facilities processing milk and nuts

Chami Cacao - 70% Cardamom Colombia dark chocolate (bar) - May 8, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Chami Cacao
70% Cardamom Colombia - dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.

Today's 70% Cardamom Colombia dark chocolate (bar) was from Chami Cacao (Pereira, Risaralda, in central west Colombia, with connections in California (Mill Valley, CA) and Tampa, FL). 

Chami Cacao owner and chocolate maker Juliana Grajales P. chose the name Chami for her company as an homage to the Embera Chami indigenous people in Colombia.

Aroma and flavor notes for this 70% Colombia spice bar included: dark chocolate and aromatic, complex spice (ground cardamom).

Texture: stone-ground dark chocolate and cardamom*

I enjoyed the warm, authentic and complex cardamom (bright, warm spice, tropical fruit bubble gum, light earth) spice and relatively smooth 70% dark chocolate flavors that harmonized well together. I was fine with the slightly rough, stone-ground mouthfeel/texture as I felt I was able to enjoy more flavor nuances than if the chocolate had been more highly processed.

And I appreciated the short list of (just 3) ingredients, as well as the biodegradable cassava starch inner wrapper. (It's nice to have some relief from plastic-clad bars.)

Ingredients: Cacao beans, Organic raw cane sugar & cardamom.

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, Soy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free"

*Originally from Southern India, Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) production began to ramp up in Central America over 100 years ago. Guatemala is now the world's leading grower and exporter of cardamom--referred to as "green gold" in that country. Colombia and Costa Rica have experienced increased production in recent years.

Origen Cacao - Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar) - May 7, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

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

Today's Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). 

Most white chocolates are made with cocoa butter (the fat from the cocoa bean), but not the darker hued cocoa solids.* 

Today's white chocolate bar did contain some cocoa solids--in the form of pieces of cacao beans (nibs).*

Aroma and flavor notes for today's white chocolate with cacao nibs bar included: oats, vanilla and faint cacao. This mild white oat milk chocolate was very low in bitterness and acidity. It reminded me of a vanilla oatmeal cookie with cocoa nibs; but it wasn't that sweet. (Thank you!). The flavor was more oatmeal porridge than cookie.

Texture: relatively smooth white oat milk chocolate interspersed with small, softly crunchy cacao nibs. 

I liked the oat flavor more than I expected. I liked that I could taste the oats (in a less processed oat milk form), without any detectable oat straw/roughage. 

I enjoyed trying this balanced, well-executed white chocolate. White craft chocolate bars today are diverse and interesting, and worth trying. They're a far cry from the overly sweet white chocolates of decades ago, some of which may have contained hydrogenated vegetable oils and no cacao at all.

I also appreciated the short list of quality and organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, oat milk, vanilla, sea salt

Allergen-related information: (No information found on packaging)

*A white chocolate (or any chocolate) is only featured on Chocolate Banquet if it contains at least some cocoa solids.

Cocoa butter, the main constituent of white chocolate, has a long history of being used by indigenous peoples Central and South America for culinary, ceremonial, medicinal (e.g. skin balms) purposes. It's used in the U.S. in the manufacturing of chocolates and white chocolates and confections, as well as vegan butters, and skin care products (e.g. in lotions, creams, lip balms).

Origen Cacao 70% San Roque (bar) - May 6, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
70% San Roque dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

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

Today's 70% San Roque dark chocolate (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). 

San Roque is in Antioquia--a relatively mountainous department in northwestern Colombia. Agricultural crops (coffee, plantains, avocados, cacao) play an important economic role in the region.

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 70% dark chocolate included: chocolate, dried cacao fruit and faint warm spice. The chocolate + cacao fruit notes extended into a relatively long, pleasant finish.

This dark chocolate was low in bitterness, with medium acidity. 

Texture: well-tempered chocolate with smooth texture

I enjoyed the rich chocolate and hearty (concentrated) cacao fruit notes. And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. 

Ingredients: "Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter"

Allergen-related information: (None found on packaging)