Chocolate of the Day
Alter Eco
85% Cacao Almond Blackout Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 4 sections
Cost: $0.99 for 1 bar (thank you Bill)
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA
Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Seeds* Theme Week. This week includes chocolates with seeds--as well as seeds that we call beans or nuts.
This bar contained cacao (seeds we call beans), almonds (seeds we call nuts) and vanilla beans (seeds we call beans).
Today's 85% Cacao Organic Almond Blackout Organic Dark Chocolate (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA).
The company founders have long been involved in supporting fair trade ingredients and organic and regenerative agriculture. (They were also early adopters of compostable packaging for their chocolates and quinoa many years ago.)
Aroma notes included: ultra-dark chocolate (relatively intense, roasted cocoa and nuts).
This bar had a relatively thick, hearty, cocoa-buttery dark chocolate texture with crunchy pieces of almonds and tiny, slightly crunchy, sea salt crystals.
Flavor notes included: deep, dark chocolate with a well-behaved bitterness that was also balanced with cocoa butter, almonds and salt. (Salt can also help cut bitterness.)
This ultra-dark 85% chocolate wasn't entirely "blacked out". It had just the right amount of raw cane sugar (not much) and crystalline sea salt (a judicious, sprinkle that had some flavor and detectable texture). I appreciated the smooth dark flavor and short list of organic and fair trade ingredients.
When I went back to the store to buy more of these, there was nothing left but an empty box on the shelf--evidence of other ultra-dark chocolate fans in my neighborhood.
Ingredients: "*Organic cacao beans, *organic cocoa butter, *organic raw cane sugar, *organic almonds, sea salt (fleur de sel), *organic vanilla beans. (*Fair for Life Fair Trade certified. Contains 90% Fair Trade ingredients. Cacao: 85% minimum."
Allergen-related information: "Contains almonds. May contain milk, hazelnuts, coconut, and soy. Individuals who are allergic to these should not consume this product."
*Seeds come from mature flowering plants. Beans are a type of seeds--from the legume family. Cacao, coffee and vanilla are not members of the legume family; but we've come to call them "beans" over time. Confusing? Yes. Will this ever be corrected in our every day speech? Not likely. But, worth a mention, nonetheless.
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