Theo Chocolate - Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar - Jan. 18, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.

Organic and Fair Trade Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 166 calories in 1/3 bar

Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: missing information 

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

Some people may be surprised by chocolates with licorice, fennel or anise flavoring. But, in fact, great chocolate + licorice blends exist in candies, cakes, cookies and, of course, bars.*

Today's Organic and Fair Trade Salted Black Licorice 70% Dark Chocolate bar was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Warning: if you like licorice, you may find this bar—flavored with star anise essential oil and licorice root extract—mildly addicting. 

Once again, the origin story for this chocolate is multi-faceted. The dark chocolate 70% cacao base was made with cacao sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Peru. The touch of vanilla was sourced in Indonesia; and the licorice root was sourced in the USA**.

Tasting note on the packaging read: "sweet, salty and complex."

This was a well balanced bar with an aroma and initial flavor of licorice. After the first bite, the dark chocolate flavors gently blossomed into prominence; and the touch of salt was just right.

This bar was Organic, Fair for Life, Soy Free, Kosher, Vegan and Gluten Free.

*Askinosie Chocolate and Patric Chocolate (bean-to-bar makers located in Missouri) have both produced bars with licorice in the past.
**Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt, Star Anise Essential Oil, Ground Vanilla Bean, Licorice Root Extract