Preston's Candy by Javier - "5X Very Berry" Dark Chocolate 63% cacao (bar) - Aug. 9, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Preston's Candy by Javier
"5X Very Berry" Dark Chocolate 63% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Filoli store, Woodside, CA

Dandelion Chocolate
Halva Bonbons
Good ++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (54.9 g.) / 6.8 oz. (192.7 g.) in total box of 7 pieces
Calories: 310 calories (estimate) in 2 bonbons
Cost: N/A - gift from family member - Thank you Megan!
Purchased from: N/A - gift from family member

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

5X Very Berry Dark Chocolate bar

Today's 5X Very Berry All Natural Dark Chocolate 63% cacao (bar) was from Preston's Candy By Javier (Burlingame, CA).

Aroma and flavor notes for this 5-fruit studded dark chocolate bar included: rich, bittersweet chocolate;  hearty, balanced fruitiness with bursts of tart-sweet goji, raisin, cherry, and other berries; and very faint nut. (Note: there were no nut ingredients.)

I enjoyed the hearty blend of smooth dark chocolate and the dried (but still relatively plump and moist) berries and fruits. It was indeed a 5x Very Berry chocolate.

Note: This was very similar to a bar I tasted in 2023. So, I also enjoyed this bar with some Halva Bonbons from Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA). No berries on the bonbons, but they were berry, berry good.

Ingredients: "63% Bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, pure cane sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, vanilla beans), Dried Goji, raisins, raspberry, blueberry and cherries."

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that also makes products containing milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat."

Halva Bonbons

These Halva Bonbons were a collaboration between Seed + Mill (New York) and Dandelion Chocolate (a bean-to-bar chocolate maker in San Francisco, CA). 

Dandelion has been reliably turning out great chocolate bars for many years; and in recent years, has been producing an increasing number of tasty chocolate confections (typically made with one of their single origin chocolates).

I really enjoyed these luxe, halva-filled chocolate confections--covered with creamy (Tumaco) Colombia cacao-based dark chocolate. 

I paired these generously-sized bonbons with the above berry chocolate bar + fresh cherries and vanilla cherry ice cream. It was a very decadent, sweet summer day and evening.

Aroma and flavor notes for these creamy bonbons included: authentic sesame tahini aroma and flavor; rich, dark, single origin chocolate; and very faint sweet spice (cardamom).

Sweet, complex, layered flavors and rich textures: very slightly crispy-crunchy sesame halva on top of flavorful chocolate ganache, then enrobed in creamy, high-quality chocolate. Delicious.

Ingredients: Dandelion 70% House Blend chocolate (cocoa beans, organic cane sugar), halva (sesame paste, sugar, glucose, saponaria extract), Dandelion 70% chocolate (cocoa beans from Tumaco, Colombia, organic cane sugar), cocoa butter, heavy whipping cream, glucose syrup, cardamom, sea salt, edible gold leaf).

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk, Sesame Seeds. "Crafted in a facility that also processes wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts (hazelnuts, coconuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds)."