Good ++
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Missing information
In 2006, my daughter bet I couldn't eat a different chocolate each day for a year. I enjoyed that year so much that, after 18+ years, I'm still eating a different chocolate every day. Happily, even after 6,600+ chocolates, there are still many more to try. Thank you to chocolate makers everywhere, and to all who continue to be part of this global adventure.
Chocolate of the Day
Raaka Chocolate
Coconut Milk 60% Unroasted Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25.4 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 127 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ (Missing information)
Purchased from: (Missing information)
Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.
Today's while today's Coconut Milk 60% Unroasted Dark Chocolate (bar) from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY) does not come from Hawaii (cacao origin is Uganda, Semuliki Forest), it did spark some fond Hawaii memories.
I enjoyed this Coconut Milk bar by itself, and then with two different Hawaiian coconut milk-based smoothies made with fresh banana, orange, guava and passionfruit. Today's virtual travel to Hawaii via chocolate and island fruits was inspired by the onset of colder, winter weather where I live.
Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (fudge, cocoa, dark chocolate milk); authentic, aromatic and sweet coconut (milk); and very faint, diffuse fruit (ripe red berry).
The texture was smooth, silken, cream-y. (Most coconut chocolate confections are loaded with sugar-saturated coconut. You won't find dry or over-processed coconut in this bar.)
Raaka's chocolates tend to be less processed, and feature bars like this one made with unroasted cacao. Why unroasted? The flavor can be milder/smoother as a result. And less processing of high-quality cacao is often associated with preservation of certain desirable flavor characteristics and nutritional properties.
I liked that this chocolate was gluten-free, soy-free, organic, and made with a short list of quality ingredients. For dairy-free and/or vegan chocolate lovers, Raaka offers some good options.
Maker's description: "...silky smooth...with...lush notes of berries and cream."
Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic coconut, organic cacao butter
Allergen-related information: Contains coconut.
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."