Sunday, January 2, 2022

Jasper + Myrtle - Macadamia and Lemon Myrtle Milk Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 1, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Jasper + Myrtle
Macadamia and Lemon Myrtle Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: "441 kj" in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $9.75 + summer shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

G'day. Happy New Year. And welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Lemon/Citrus Theme Week. 

Today's Macadamia and Lemon Myrtle Milk Chocolate (bar) was created by Jasper + Myrtle (Fyshwick, Canberra, Australia). 

The two co-owners (Li Peng and Peter) of this family business source their cacao beans from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Bars with added flavors (inclusions like today's) feature items that are grown/found in Australia.

The aroma notes for this bar included: lemon herb (a combination of lemon, lemongrass and lemon-lime), and sweet, nutty milk chocolate.

Flavor notes in this smooth, dark, milk chocolate included, most notably, the lemon myrtle, which was similar to lemon-forward herbs/plants* such as lemon balm (a member of the mint family), and lemongrass. This mild, aromatic lemon flavor was pleasantly present, but without being too overwhelming. 

The macadamia was very subtle, and well integrated, adding a mild, nutty quality to the milk chocolate. (Two tiny nut pieces confirmed the presence of these nuts. I'm assuming the nuts were finely ground, possibly into a nut butter, or were mechanically incorporated into warm, pre-tempered chocolate--further reducing particle size and melding the two flavors.)

While all these very complementary flavors were well balanced and blended, it was difficult to pick out the nuances of the PNG cacao. (Happily, Jasper + Myrtle also offer PNG single origin chocolates/bars without flavor inclusions. I look forward to trying those too in the future.)

Maker's tasting notes: "An indulgent combination of classic Australian flavours; subtle, silky and fragrant"

Ingredients: "Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, milk powder, lemon myrtle leaves, macadamia, sugar"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of sesame. Allergen advice: contains milk and macadamia nuts."

*Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a shrub/tree found in coastal, subtropical rainforests in Australia (Queensland, NSW). Indigenous people first used lemon myrtle as a food and a medicinal plant. The leaves have lemon, lemongrass, lemon-lime notes, and are used to flavor savory dishes as well as sweet desserts.

What made the lemon myrtle seem immediately familiar was: Citral, a naturally-occurring compound in lemon myrtle, lemongrass, lemon balm, as well as lemon and orange peels. Citral gives these plants a similar lemony-citrus (almost floral) green herb flavor.



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