Intrigue Chocolate
Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order
Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.
Today's Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).
Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, clean green herb/green tea, subtle citrus (lemon) and faint, diffuse herb/warm spice.
Texture: The bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a smooth, pleasing texture and melt with barely detectable, almost fully incorporated, very fine, tiny herb (bay leaf)/tea particles that were almost crunchy (not gritty). All these elements worked well together from both a textural interest and flavor perspective.
I enjoyed the choice of 67% cacao dark chocolate. It was smooth and not overly sweet--letting the flavor inclusions shine.
The jasmine green tea, bay leaf and citrus flavors were well-balanced, complementary and subtle--causing me to lean in with interest to catch the nuanced notes. It was an intriguing chocolate. Not too woodsy or herb-y or lemon-y, just right.
The choice of Turkish Bay Leaf meant it was a subtler, gentler bay note. (I live in California and our bay laurel trees (a different species) are potent and give some people headaches.*)
The floral (jasmine) notes were hard to pick out, but the "light" refreshing notes that I associate with floral green tea (and bay) were still somehow felt in the mix. (It's the difference between a walk in the woods in May vs. October in the Western U.S.)
Makers tasting notes/description: "...Floral and cool wood aromatics, lightly tannic and mineral, with a bright finish."
Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), jasmine green tea, bay leaf, lemon powder"
Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"
*California Bay Laurel trees (and leaves) have a stronger menthol note to them (think Eucalyptus) than milder, more tea-like, Laurel trees from European/Mediterranean regions. I found this description of the two online:
"Turkish bay leaves are shorter and fatter, more oval-shaped, and may or may not have a point. California bay leaves are longer and slender with a point, like a spearhead."
Yes, and like a spear, a single California bay leaf goes a long way. Some people like its "nutmeg and camphor notes." I like the flavor punch it gives some items, like vanilla ice cream and certain slow-cooked soups and stews--if used sparingly.)
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