Chocolate of the Day
Chocolate Naive
(Mulate UAB)
Citrus Licorice Crunch Specialty Dark Chocolate 67% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Citrus/Lemon Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate European Holiday Theme Week--as we virtually tour the EU, via chocolates from makers and chocolatiers in several European countries.
Today's Citrus Licorice Crunch Specialty Dark Chocolate 67% (bar) from Chocolate Naive, produced by Mulate UAB (Vilnius, Lithuania). Chocolate maker and chocolatier Domantas Uzpalis is doing a great job representing artisan chocolates from Lithuania.
The aroma notes for this bar included: slightly earthy herby and citrus notes. The texture was smooth, almost creamy, interspersed with tiny, hard crunchy bits.
Flavor notes included: chocolate (rich, dark milk chocolate and caramel) with authentic, bittersweet licorice spice and mixed citrus (bright fruit and peel. (Note: there was no milk in this chocolate.)
The citrus included a blend of less sweet Lisbon and Eureka lemons*, sweeter (more mandarin orange-like) Meyer lemons, and oranges.
The results: an integrated, creative, kaleidoscope of three relatively strong flavors--each one capable of capturing (or competing for) the limelight. Happily the ringmaster (chocolate maker) skillfully managed and balanced all three authentic, high-quality flavor elements.
Chocolate Naive tasting notes: "This bar is not for everyone but it leaves no one indifferent. The deep and complex flavors of crunchy licorice combine with multilayered taste of chocolate, while fresh and bright citruses act like a bridge and connects all tempermental aromas into one. Just give it a minute and you will find out for yourself."
Beverage pairing suggestions: "... gin..." (Also)..."It's characteristic notes contrast well with the complex smoky, firewood and fruity elements of...mescal.")
Ingredients: Specialty cacao*, cane sugar*, pure cacao butter*, licorice extract* (5%), dried lemon* (1%), dried orange* (1%), sea salt. (* wild or all-natural farming)
Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of treenuts, peanuts, wheat or milk."
*Lemons originated in Asia, but by 200 A.D. were already being cultivated in Mediterranean regions. Today there are dozens of varieties of lemon (Citrus limon, citrus x limon), ranging from bitter to sweet, from sour and acidic to mild and floral, from puckery to lightly tangy. Lemons, like cacao, are versatile and can be found in savory and sweet dishes (as well as beverages and sauces) around the globe.
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