Ocelot Chocolate - Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ocelot Chocolate
Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend 
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (Thank you Eric)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

Today's Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) was from Ocelot Craft Chocolate Limited (Dundee, UK).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: smooth dark chocolate, authentic orange and very faint vanilla.

Texture: notably creamy/cacao buttery, smooth texture, mouthfeel and melt.

I really enjoyed the texture; the sweetness level seemed well-chosen; and the blood orange oil and subtle vanilla flavors harmonized nicely with the dark chocolate. 

Ingredients: "cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*, blood orange oil (<1%), vanilla extract*. Cacao solids: 70% minimum.

Allergen-related information: "May contain almonds, hazelnuts and milk. 

   

To'ak - Galapagos Orange & Salt 65% heirloom cacao - Oct. 12, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

To'ak Chocolate
Alchemy - Galapagos Orange & Salt 65% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package 
Calories: 336 calories in 1 package (4 smaller bars)
Cost: $16.00 for 1 package of 4 smaller bars
Purchased from: To'ak Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

Today's Galapagos Orange and Salt 65% heirloom cacao bar(s) were created by To'ak (Tierra & Arbol S.A.S.) / To'ak International Inc. (Quito, Ecuador).

The heirloom cacao used to make this bar was "sourced from small agroforestry farms in coastal Ecuador" where cacao was "harvested from heirloom cacao trees that are cultivars and hybrids of Ecuador's...Nacional variety."

The attractively illustrated package was divided into four, smaller, square bars--each individually swaddled in gold foil.

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and buttery citrus (orange).

Texture: creamy with tiny, crunchy particles. I enjoyed the well-executed, well-balanced interplay between the buttery smooth and the crunchy textures.

I liked the flavors, and the sweetness level (not too much, thank you), the salt, and the authentic tasting orange. The peels were finely and evenly chopped, and expertly handled.

I also appreciated the care taken to make this a true, single origin Ecuador dark chocolate, with the orange peels and the salt hailing from the Galapagos off-shore.

Ingredients: "Dark chocolate (65% heirloom cacao, 35% cane sugar), candied Galapagos orange (orange peel, cane sugar), Galapagos sea salt crystals, cacao butter" 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, soy, or nuts."