Saturday, April 8, 2023

Hu Chocolate - Salty Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao (bar) - Apr. 8, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hu Chocolate
Salty - Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Sea Salt. 

Today's Hu Salty Dark Chocolate Organic 70% Cacao, Vegan, Paleo bar was made in Italy and distributed by Hu Products, LLC (Austin, TX).

The company has earned a reputation for thoughtful ingredients. It has long eschewed refined/cane sugar, sugar alcohols, erythritol--choosing coconut palm sugar* instead. Also missing/avoided are potential allergens and ingredients like dairy, soy, palm oil, and lecithins (emulsifiers). And the founders were early adopters of organic and fair trade cacao and cocoa butter for their line of chocolate bars and confections.

Aroma notes for this bar included: chocolate (rich cocoa, dark drinking chocolate), faint molasses and/or coconut sugar, and very faint salt (fleeting, salted potato chip).

This Organic, Fairtrade sweet and salty chocolate had a smooth, stoneground texture and taste, and a satisfying mouthfeel (cocoa butter).

Flavor notes included chocolate (dark chocolate ganache, faint fleeting earth), faint molasses cookie, and salt. The sweetness (coconut palm sugar) was uniform; and this less refined sugar felt less "buzzy" than cane sugar.*

There was one slightly more salty bite in the bar than the others that justified the "Salty" moniker. (Often the case with salted chocolates.) Otherwise the flavors were balanced and the bar was more sweet than salty.

Ingredients: Organic, Fairtrade cacao; Organic unrefined coconut sugar; Organic, Fairtrade cocoa butter, sea salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. May contain almond, cashews, hazelnut, pistachio, and dairy. Allergen cleans made prior to production, but beware that product is produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, dairy (and) wheat.

*Coconut palm sugar is made from coconut flower blossom sap--often hand harvested--from high up in palm tree canopies, growing in tropical locales. 

Notably, this sugar has a lower score on the Glycemic Index (than glucose or cane sugar). This is a good thing for those with insulin resistance or blood sugar management challenges. Although it must be noted there are many factors that go into blood sugar levels. E.g., a piece of fruit has high sugar levels, but may be accompanied by fiber and other nutrients.

Bottom line: with coconut palm sugar or brown sugars, you may experience a lower, or less rapid/pronounced, spike in blood sugar than you would with more processed "white" cane sugar used in most chocolates. 

My experience: coconut palm sugar feels (subjectively) like a lower blood sugar spike (up to 30-40% less) for me. And I enjoy less of a sugar buzz. Your mileage may vary.

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