Ritual Chocolate - Limited Edition Philippines Kablon Farms 75% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 15, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate
Limited Edition Philippines Kablon Farms 75% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Ritual Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and The Philippines Week.

Today's Limited Edition Philippines Kablon Farms 75% Cacao (bar) was from Ritual Chocolate (Heber City, UT).

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate with very faint, diffuse fruit (dark red, ripe berry); forest (very faint woodsy/cedar/fir); nut (roasted peanuts with skins); and very faint (barely detectable) spice (black pepper, black licorice, star anise).

Texture: this was a relatively slim chocolate bar (all the better as it allows better, more immediate access to texture and flavors) that had a smooth chocolate bite and a creamy melt and mouthful. 

After enjoying a few weeks of chocolates with flavor inclusions, it was great to get back to a single origin bar (made with just three organic ingredients) where 100% of the focus was on this full-bodied cacao from the Philippines that had well-executed complexity.

Maker's tasting notes: "Kablon Farms...organic since the '90's and pioneers in fermentation.....Their beans topped our taste tests with rich, roasted peanut flavors..."

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of Wheat, Tree Nuts and Soy"

Kasama Chocolate - The Endless Summer (Philippines cacao) (bar) - Jan. 14, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Kasama Chocolate

"The Endless Summer" - Seasonal Release 55% Chocolate with Coconut Milk and Saba Banana (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 329 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $13.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's "The Endless Summer" - Seasonal Release 55% Dark Chocolate with Coconut Milk and Saba Banana (bar) was from Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, BC, Canada).

Tropical flavor inclusions and island origins are great for cold winter days. It was chilly outside today where I live; but this "Endless Summer" bar offered a welcome, virtual trip to the Philippines.

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (dark ganache); sweet green (banana); and subtle, authentic coconut milk. 

There was also a faint and balanced fruit tanginess to this bar also; but it was hard to pin down whether it was coming from the cacao, the coconut milk, the banana or a combination of all the ingredients. In any case, it added a tiny bit of oomph to the overall taste. Not too tart or sour, but enough to add some interest--like a squirt of lime or lemon on a fruit salad.

Texture: The base chocolate had a creamy, almost silken, texture -- thanks to the combination of coconut milk and cocoa butter. 

The Saba* banana chips (pieces on the back of the bar) added subtle banana/plantain chip texture and flavor. The chips (a generous sprinkle of small, thin, crunchy pieces) were just right for my taste; and it was great to see a variety of banana that originated in the Philippines.

As with other Kasama Chocolate offerings, I appreciated the short list of quality ingredients. And I liked that the 55% cacao dark coconut milk bar had a richer, darker flavor (more like a 65%+ cacao dark chocolate) than some other dark milk chocolates.

Ingredients: "Cacao Beans*, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Coconut Milk Powder*, Saba Banana Chips, Sea Salt" (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

*The Saba banana is a triploid hybrid cultivar, that originated in the Philippines. It's used in cooking and eating fresh.