Chocolate of the Day
Honoka'a Chocolate
70% Cacao Barrel Aged Bourbon Bar
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 (estimate) (1 of 3 bar trio for $48.00)
Purchased from: Honoka'a Chocolate, online order
Welcome to Day #20 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.
Today's 70% Barrel Aged Bourbon Bar (bar) was from Honoka'a Chocolate (Honoka'a, HI). Honoka'a is a small town on the scenic (and green) Hamakua coast on the northeast side of the Big Island of Hawaii.
Aroma notes included: subtle dark chocolate; faint sweet green (tree/maple syrup, very faint banana, citrus (orange), and barely detectable (possibly imagined) Mediterranean green walnuts in sweet green syrup/honey); faint, fleeting herbal (sweet, not quite licorice/fennel--but close); and barely detectable warm spice (vanilla).
Texture: very smooth, with a well-executed melt and mouthfeel.
Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (very tasty dark chocolate ganache with faint caramel/brown sugar, bourbon, and subtle, smooth wood (oak)), and citrus (orange).
I really liked the luxurious, silken texture and the subtle and intriguing complexity. The aging/soaking of cacao nibs in spirits and/or oak barrels (that have held spirits) can result in some truly beautiful, rich flavors. And each spirit (in this case bourbon) has its own unique flavor to impart. This bar--and yesterday's Kuleana Barrel Aged Rum Bar from the same maker--were both great examples of what's possible using these techniques.
I also really appreciated the very short list of (two) high-quality ingredients, and the use of Hawai'i grown cacao in all the Honoka'a bars I've tried this week.
Ingredients: "100% Hawai'i island cacao, organic turbinado cane sugar. Cacao nibs and bourbon are aged in oak barrels for 4-5 months before processing into chocolate."
Allergen-related information: ("Gluten Free, Fair Trade, Non GMO, Vegan, Dairy Free")
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