Chocolate of the Day
Hijita, LLC
Toasty Horchata - 70% Soconusco, Chiapas Filled with Toasted Rice Almond Butter (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 310 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from, Hijita, online order
Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate & Rice Theme Week. Happy Christmas Eve, to those who celebrate.
Today's "Toasty Horchata - 70% Soconusco, Chiapas Filled with Toasted Rice Almond Butter" (bar) from Hijita, LLC (Austin, TX).
Aroma and flavor notes for this stylishly geometric, disc-shaped, filled dark bar included: ebony-hued dark chocolate (roast-y/toasted cacao beans, green, nut, spice, vanilla bean).
In appearance, it looked like it could be a beautifully designed (modern, yet timeless) holiday ornament--perfect for Christmas Eve day.
Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a smooth, stone-ground almond butter filling. (The toasted rice, vanilla bean and cinnamon were almost fully incorporated, so the overall texture was fairly .)
After a few weeks that included many heavily flavored (and sugared and salted) milk and dark chocolates, it was lovely to taste this authentic Mexican dark chocolate, with subtle, traditional flavor inclusions, sweetened with piloncillo.*
I loved that this elegant and satisfying filled bar wasn't too sweet (thank you!)--and that all the flavor inclusions were compatible with each other and spoke with a come-hither whisper. I felt myself leaning in to try to taste more cinnamon, vanilla and rice (horchata). The very slightly smoke-y, roasted notes took me back to watching, smelling (and ultimately tasting) chocolate being made in a Central American forest, many years ago.
Ingredients: "Mexican Cacao, Almond, Cacao Butter*, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Toasted Rice*, Mexican Cinnamon, Mexican Vanilla Bean, Mexican Sea Salt"
Allergen-related information: "Contains Almond. Made in a Facility That Processes Peanuts and Tree Nuts"
*Piloncillo is a traditional, unrefined Mexican sugar, typically made from boiled sugar cane juice. The resulting caramel-colored cone shapes contain traces of molasses and minerals (similar to other unrefined brown sugars), and contribute subtle flavor depth to baked goods, drinking chocolate/chocolates and savory dishes.
