Theo Chocolate - Ghost Chili dark chocolate mini bar - Dec. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate

Ghost Chili dark chocolate mini bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) / 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ unknown (gift from a friend)

Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (Thank you Toni!)

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

A spices-themed week wouldn't be complete without a little hot chili pepper (hybrid Capsicum from Asia). Today's Ghost Chili dark chocolate mini bar was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) and was adorned with an image of a floating ghost.

Years ago, I sampled Theo Chocolate's caramel-filled dark chocolate confections with a trace of ghost chili; and as I recall they packed quite a concentrated spicy punch. 

Today's 70% dark chocolate bar had a lovely, appealing, rich dark aroma with a roasted almost savory, almost nutty notes, with a faint whiff of dried tomato/chili. (This bar contained a mix of Ancho and Ghost chili powders*).

The first five seconds of the first bite was all about the smooth, but flavorful dark chocolate, and it did not disappoint. Then the Ghost chili flames kicked in. And that fire dominated the tasting experience for most of the rest of the tasting curve. However, if you savored this chocolate slowly, the chili faded and the dark chocolate returned with slightly altered chocolate notes. The finish lingered with a balanced, post-chili cacao bitterness. A fun ride.

Thank you to my ever-traveling friend, Toni, who visited Theo's Phinney Ave. flagship store housed in a lovely, historic brick building, and brought back chocolates.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, ancho chili powder, ghost chili powder.

*What a great, complementary mix of Ancho and Ghost chili powders in this dark chocolate bar. Ancho chili starts life as Poblano peppers (Capsicum annuum) that hail from Mexico. And once dried, Poblano peppers are referred to as "Ancho" chili (meaning "wide, broad and/or deep" in English). Ancho chili often anchors chili dishes and savory stews adding richness and depth. 

Ghost chili peppers (Capsicum chinense x Capsicum frutescens) are one of the rock stars of the fiery chili world. They are a hybrid variety from Asia, with a score of 1 million + Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) on the Scoville scale (used to measure chili heat).