Chocolate(s) of the Day
Lydgate Farms Kaui Chocolate
1.) 70% Dark Hawaiian Sea Salt (bar) (2024 release)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lydgate Farms, online order
2.) 70% Dark (bar) (2024 release)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lydgate Farms, online order
3.) Dulcey Coins 35% White
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .18 oz. (5 g.) / 3 oz. (84.9 g.) in total package
Calories: 28 calories (estimate) in 1 piece/coin
Cost: $8.00 + shipping for 1 package
Purchased from: Lydgate Farms, online order
Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week, featuring three chocolates from Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate (Kapa'a, HI).
The cacao grown on the family estate in Kauai has a history that stretches back to the 1860s, when cacao arrived from the Americas (as a gift to the Royal Family of Kamehameha) and was planted in Hawaii.
Today's three chocolates include: 1.) 70% Dark Hawaiian Sea Salt (bar) (2024 release), 2.) 70% Dark (bar) (2024 release), and 3.) Dulcey Coins 35% White Chocolate. The two bars were manufactured for Lydgate by Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, HI); and the white chocolate coins were a product of France.
70% Dark Hawaiian Sea Salt (bar)
Aroma and notes for this Hawaiian sea salt bar included: dark chocolate; light, sweet green (molasses, green fig, sweet green walnuts in syrup); faint coffee/latte; and faint (very fleeting) warm spice and botanical seasoning (sweet celery salt).
Texture: smooth with a creamy/buttery mouthfeel.
I enjoyed the rich, dark chocolate with multi-layered sweet green notes. It made me feel like I was I a green, tropical jungle/paradise. I would have liked to have tasted a little more salt in this sea salt bar; but others who don't care for salty chocolate may think the amount is just right.
Ingredients: Hawaiian grown cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, Hawaiian sea salt
Allergen-related information: (None listed/found on label.)
70% Dark (bar)
Aroma and flavor notes for this Hawaiian chocolate included: dark chocolate; sweet green (banana, molasses, green fig, sweet green walnuts in syrup, maple syrup); and very faint citrus (fresh lemon, honey) and spice (vanilla, tobacco) and wood (cedar).
Texture: smooth, relatively creamy mouthfeel, luxe, lingering melt.
I loved the hearty, balanced, botanical complexity of the rich, dark chocolate with multi-layered sweet green notes. It was similar to the sea salt version but with more banana, some very faint wood/cedar; and I found it to be more vibrant. Both bars were recently created (2024 releases).
Both bars tasted similar to releases I'd tried a few years ago. (I remember the lovely sweet green notes.) But, since I no longer have the previous versions, I can't say how they differed. This was one of those rare times when I did "re-taste" a bar; however, if I'm sure it's a different/new harvest/release I will sometimes make an exception. (It's like drinking a wine that may differ slightly with the year/harvest.)
Ingredients: Hawaiian grown cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter
Allergen-related information: (None listed/found on label.)
Dulcey Coins 35% White Chocolate (Dulcey Les Feves)
Aroma and notes for these white chocolate confections included: strong, sweet and rich caramel; white chocolate; and vanilla.
Texture: smooth with a creamy mouthfeel.
I enjoyed the rich caramel tones in the aroma and taste. These were a bit sweet for me; but you're a white chocolate fan, these are worth trying.
Ingredients: White chocolate (35% cocoa minimum, pure cocoa butter), cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder, dried skimmed milk, whey, butter, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), natural vanilla extract, milk.
Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. May contain nuts, soya. Product of France. (Note: Lydgate Farms repackages some offerings (that could result in) traces of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs & milk protein, gluten and soy."
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