Rawmio - Sprouted Almond & Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao - Feb. 9, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Rawmio
Sprouted Almond and Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Almonds Theme Week.

Today's Rawmio Sprouted Almond and Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao (bar-shaped "bark") was made by Windy City Organics, LLC  (Northbrook, IL).

Made with Organic 70% Peruvian cacao the maker describes this chocolate as follows: "Stone Ground Raw Chocolate and topped with crunchy sprouted almonds, a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt, and lightly sweetened cacao nibs..."

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar(k) included: smooth, balanced, unroasted cacao and chocolate; faint warm spice; nut (almond); faint, sweet herbal green/botanical; very faint coconut; and barely there sweet wood.

Crunchy almonds and cocoa nibs made a great foil for the smooth dark chocolate base. As is often the case for higher quality unroasted cacao, the chocolate was quite low in bitterness and acidity. The field of whole almonds further neutralized acidity, balanced sweetness and mellowed the flavors. 

Judiciously seasoned, this Organic chocolate was low in sweetness. (It was lightly sweetened with coconut sugar and yacon.) I preferred this over a sugar buzz; and my teeth felt grateful afterwards. It was also low in salt. (I could barely taste the sea salt.) Since I like savory chocolates, I would have been OK with a bit more; although I enjoyed being able to really taste the raw chocolate and cacao nibs.

The end result: an almond studded, vegan and fairly traded, chocolate with pleasant, mellow and authentic flavors that reminded me what roasting cacao does. Roasting can give you more robust flavors (think espresso), and it can cover up off flavors; but with roasting you can also lose gentle, authentic flavors when you roast/process high-quality cacao.

Ingredients: Organic, raw cacao nibs; organic coconut sugar; organic raw sprouted almonds; organic raw cacao butter; organic yacon sweetened cacao nibs; sea salt

Allergen-related information: Contained almonds. "Produced in a raw, vegan, and certified organic facility which processes tree nuts and seeds, but no aflatoxin peanuts, soy, gluten or dairy."