Chocolate of the Day
Godavari Chocolate
Bon-fiction - The Cranberry Chilli Chase 64% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order
Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.
Today's "tree to bar" chocolate from India--The Cranberry Chilli Chase 64% (bar)--was manufactured by GACS Foods, India and Imported and Distributed by Godavari Chocolate Inc. (Folsom, CA).
The company has a production facility in Andhra Pradesh, in the Godavari province, in (southeast) India. Cacao is grown on their plantation and the company also works with other farmers in Godavari.
Aroma notes included: rich dark chocolate, fruit (sweet red berry, cranberry) with a rich, decadent sweetness (brown sugar, dates).
Texture: a hearty blend of dark chocolate and a generous helping of plump, relatively moist, dried cranberries.
Flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate; high-quality and authentic cranberry textures and flavors; just the right amount of chili warmth and sea salt. For some reason I was reminded of a delicious (dark chocolate) version of pemmican* likely because of the hearty, appealing and satisfying flavors.
The cranberries weren't overly sweetened or too tough and chewy (thank you). The choices and amounts of chili and light dose of sea salt were perfect. The overall flavors harmonized very well. This bar exceeded my expectations. I appreciated the choice of 64% cacao chocolate -- a percentage that often tastes too sweet for me (a dark chocolate fan). It seemed just right in this bar.
Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cranberries, Chilli, Sea Salt
Allergen-related information: Manufactured in a facility that also processes: Milk, Peanuts, Almond, Cashew, Walnut, Coconut, Hazelnut, Pistachio.
*Pemmican is/was a staple food item in North America--made with ground jerky (typically dried bison jerky and occasionally dried/smoked salmon), rendered fat, berries (chokecherry, Saskatoon berry, cranberry) and occasionally honey and nuts. It was originally created by indigenous people. Fur traders and colonists consumed versions of this traditional protein/energy bar as well. (You can even find a few modern versions of pemmican with chocolate.)
