Raaka - Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 3, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka 
Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka, online order

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

Today's organic Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar) was from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY). 

This bar was made with unroasted, organic, cacao beans from the Semuliki Forest, Uganda. 

Aroma notes included: sweet, smooth chocolate, subtle coconut (milk), and faint citrus (bergamot orange--that flavors Earl Grey tea).

The texture was smooth, creamy, almost silky (from coconut milk + cocoa butter).

Flavor notes included: rich, sweet and creamy dark chocolate; subtle coconut milk; and lovely, floral, citrus (bergamot orange). Unlike some vanilla and floral aromas in bars that recede when you taste the chocolate, both the cacao and bergamot in this Winter Citrus bar blossomed very nicely (and harmoniously) with the first bite.

I felt like I was sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea out on the veranda in spring...an escape from the gray, rainy, cold weather today outside (and the fact I don't have a veranda).

I enjoyed the short list of organic, quality ingredients, the rich yet smooth chocolate, the uplifting citrus (bergamot orange), and the creaminess of the coconut milk. Yes, it was sweet; but it felt appropriately so, i.e. consistent with a cup of sweet tea/hot chocolate.

Note: this Winter Citrus blend is a Limited Batch flavor. So, it may not be available by the time you read this post. (Although I'd argue this would be a lovely chocolate for spring and summer too.)

Maker's tasting notes/description: "Cheery, Creamy, Citrusy. Our take on the holiday orange..." "We make our chocolate with unroasted cacao beans so you can taste the natural, fruity flavor of the cacao."

Ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic coconut milk powder, organic cacao butter, organic vanilla bean, organic bergamot oil"

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. "Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free" "Certified Organic and Kosher"