Chocolate of the Day
Harbor Sweets
Dark Chocolate Lobster
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 3.32 oz. (94 g.) in 1 lobster
Calories: 480 calories (estimate) in 1 lobster
Cost: $13.95 (+ shipping) for 1 lobster
Purchased from: Harbor Sweets, online order
Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week, including craft chocolate bars and a few novelty sea-themed chocolates.
Today's Dark Chocolate Lobster was from Harbor Sweets (Salem, MA). The company offers a variety of sea-themed chocolate confections.
Aroma and flavor notes for this generously-sized, dark chocolate replica of a salt water crustacean included: deep, dark, fudge-y chocolate (dark chocolate candy, dark chocolate syrup), very slightly smoke-y vanilla, and very faint caramel and nut notes.
The dark chocolate had a uniform texture and flavor, and was interspersed with soft and slightly crunchy elements. Embedded in the solid chocolate center there were pieces of caramel with pecan, toasted almonds, and "almond buttercrunch toffee."
This lobster was sweet, but not ultra-sweet (thank you). The dark chocolate had a little roasted oomph and vanilla to it, and wasn't too bitter. (The cocoa used was alkalized, to control acidity and bitterness. This relatively common process is used to tame dark chocolates and mellow hot cocoa mixes, especially if some of the cacao is not of the highest quality.)*
I enjoyed the realistic lobster shape, posing this on a plate with garnishes, and the fact that I didn't have to drop a real live lobster in a pot (a traumatic childhood experience for me) to imagine this wondrous creature roaming around the sea bottom.
I was less fond of the additives and emulsifiers in the ingredient list. (But the touch of honey was nice.)
Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor processed with Alkali, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Butterfat (Milk), Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Sugar, Butter (Cream (Milk), Salt), Pecans, Almonds, Cream (Light Cream and Disodium Phosphate), Tapioca Syrup (Tapioca Starch), Evaporated Milk (Milk, 0.5% or less of: Dipotassium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Vitamin D3), Light Brown Sugar, Wildflower Honey, Vanilla, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Baking Soda.
Allergen-related information: Contains Milk, Almonds, Pecans and Soy. This product is prepared in a facility that handles soy, milk, peanuts, wheat, tree nuts and sesame.
*People often ask me why they should spend $13 on a bar of chocolate. In today's case, you're paying for the novelty shape, and 94 grams (a lot) of chocolate.
Taste a few single origin dark bars (made with just two ingredients) side-by-side with dark chocolate blends that have been more highly processed, and contain emulsifiers, additives and preservatives, and let me know if you can tell the difference.
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