Intrigue Chocolate - Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA), in collaboration with Aluel Cellars (Seattle, WA) - the supplier of Aluel's 2021 "Coat of Arms" flagship Bordeaux-style red wine.

Origin story: The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Uganda (Region: Rwenzururu - Semuliki Forest (Type: "Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado"; Year: 2024). (Batch No.: 000000091024). The tea used to flavor this chocolate was Assam black tea.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (dark ganache with ripe red fruit (authentic red raspberry, red grape); slight roast-y black tea and warm spice (fragrant allspice*, very faint red licorice).

Texture: smooth and relatively buttery.

Sweetness level: sixty-percent cacao is normally a bit sweet for me (I'm a dark fan). And the raspberry (and red wine) gave it a rich, sweet, bright red berry/fruit boost, while the black tea and cacao provided a balanced, grounded base. I enjoyed the nuances of flavor. This bar had a slight mulled wine taste to it--making it a pleasing winter warmer (and likely a good Valentines Day bar as well).

I enjoyed Intrigue's similar but a bit bolder cousin--Smoked Tea + Allspice bar (featured yesterday) a smidge better. I tend to like smoke-y, almost umami flavors, and I liked that the Jamaican allspice had a chance to shine a bit more in yesterday's bar. (I'll never enjoy plain old grocery store allspice again after tasting the allspice in that bar.) Both tea bars were very tasty.

Like other chocolates from Intrigue, I appreciated the short list of high-quality ingredients, the lack of emulsifiers or other additives, and the use of raw cane sugar. 

Makers tasting notes/description: "...Aluel's (red wine) has a deep fruity complexity, and plays well with the red berries, sweet earthy tea, and subtle spice in this chocolate bar."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, freeze-dried raspberry juice, Assam black tea, Jamaican allspice."

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. 

*Allspice (dried, unripe berries that grow on trees) is native to the Americas (West Indies [Caribbean island nations], Central America and Mexico). The earliest drinking chocolates and confections in the Americas included ground cacao beans, flowers, spices (such as allspice), peppers, honey and/or other local flavor inclusions--but not cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or ginger--spices brought to the New World by spice traders much later.

Intrigue Chocolate - Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 28, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA), in collaboration with The Pathfinder - Hemp & Root, a patented distilled non-alcoholic spirit.

Origin story: The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Ecuador (Region: Costa Esmeraldas, Muisne Canton (Type: Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids). (Batch No.: 000000111524). The smoked black tea used to flavor this chocolate was Lapsang Souchong.

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (roast-y, dark ganache with dark ripe berry/almost dark cherry); slight roast-y/smoke-y black tea and warm spice (allspice, cinnamon). (Note: there was no cinnamon, just high-quality allspice in this bar; but that allspice tasted like a whole spice blend in and of itself--thus the name, all-spice.)*

Texture: relatively smooth--with a subtle tea astringency.

The blend of all the flavors full-bodied, wonderful and especially satisfying on a winter morning. I liked many things about this bar. First, this blend was thoughtfully conceived and well executed. And the very slightly smoke-y, sweet flavors all harmonized very nicely.

If you think you've tasted allspice before (hidden in some tame, grocery store apple pie spice blend maybe?), think again. The Jamaican allspice* in today's bar took things to another level, and added a layer of natural sweetness.

Sweetness level: 60% cacao is normally a bit sweet for me, but the rich, authentic tea and spice flavors balanced the sweetness. The chocolate was sweet, but not too sweet for dark fans.

Like other chocolates from Intrigue, I appreciated the short list of high-quality ingredients, the lack of emulsifiers or other additives, and the use of raw cane sugar.

Makers tasting notes/description: "..."We used the deep aromas of Lapsang Souchong (smoked black tea), balanced by the sweet spice complexity of Jamaican allspice, and the cherry/bourbon notes of this cacao to create the perfect pairing..."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, smoked black tea, allspice."

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. 

*Allspice (dried, unripe berries that grow on trees) is native to the Americas (West Indies [Caribbean island nations], Central America and Mexico). The earliest drinking chocolates and confections in the Americas included ground cacao beans, flowers, spices (such as allspice), peppers, honey and/or other local flavor inclusions--but not cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger--spices brought by spice traders much later.

Fossa Chocolate - Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin Pekoe & Imp tea (bar) - Dec. 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate 
Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin - Pekoe & Imp Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 276.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

If you like oolong teas and dark chocolate, you will love this 62% dark bar--made using "fruity and floral" Peruvian cacao (from Puerta Pulache, Piura).

Aroma and flavor notes included: beautiful, authentic, faintly roast-y, traditional oolong tea and smooth dark chocolate. Oolong tea has elements of both green and black tea, but is in a class by itself.

The tea notes lingered into a pleasing, subtle, clean, astringent, green/floral tea finish that lasted for at least 30 seconds after the last bite of chocolate.

Texture: Very smooth (creamy, fudge-y) with a buttery melt. 

I loved the refreshing, faintly floral tea aroma, flavor and finish, and the short list of (four) ingredients. The Peruvian cacao seemed a perfect match with the oolong tea.

Maker's tasting notes: "Aroma of sweet toasty caramel and floral notes with a warming finish"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, tea leaves

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

IQBar - Almond Butter Chip bar + Matcha Chai bar...and Intrigue Chocolate Pomegranate (bar) - Dec. 26, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

IQBar 
Almond Butter Chip (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $N/A part of a $14.99 tasting pack with several flavors
Purchased from: IQBar, online order

Intrigue Chocolate 
Pomegranate 50% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Mushrooms Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate Tea, Herbs and Spices Week. 

I enjoyed two IQBar Inc. protein bars (with mushrooms) and a holiday Pomegranate 50% bar today from Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

IQBar - Almond Butter Chip

IQBar Inc. distributes a number of plant protein-based bars (with Lion's Mane), including the two flavors I enjoyed today: 1.) Almond Butter Chip and 2.) Matcha Chai. These were compressed bars with a cohesive, soft chew (think firm cookie dough). 

Both contained 12 grams of plant protein and only 1 gram of sugar. Only the Almond Butter Chip contained chocolate (chocolate chips). And the chocolate complemented the almond flavors and added some satisfying flavor depth. 

I liked that the protein and mushroom powders were fully incorporated and not too grainy.  

The green tea in the Matcha Chai bar provided the tea element in a theme week featuring blends of teas, herbs and spices.

Ingredients: "Almonds, Protein Blend (Pea Protein Crisps [Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch], Pea Protein), Natural Flavors, Prebiotic Blend (Tapioca Fiber, Vegetable Fiber), Coconut Oil, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa, Water, Cocoa Butter, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Lion's Mane, Stevia Plant Extract, Vitamin E"

Allergen-related information: Contains: Almonds, Coconut

Intrigue Chocolate Co.

Today's Pomegranate 50% Cacao bar from Intrigue Chocolate tasted relatively sweet at 50% cacao; but, a bit more sugar made sense given the bold, acidic and naturally astringent taste of pomegranate fruit and juice.

Pomegranate is a challenging fruit to tackle in chocolate. The maker here used freeze-dried pomegranate juice. Other than a brief flicker of fruit astringency, this well-executed blend was quite well-behaved and worked very nicely. It was enjoyable to try.

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, freeze-dried pomegranate juice."