Chocolate of the Day
Juan Choconat
Chocolate Sin Azucar 100% Cacao Gran Reserva (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Elebar Snacks, online order
Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.
Today's Chocolate Sin Azucar (Chocolate Without Sugar) 100% Cacao Gran Reserva (bar) was made by Juan Choconat SAS (Ibague, Tolima, Colombia) and imported by Elebar Snacks LLC (with locations in Illinois and Clearwater, FL).
The packaging featured an illustration of Colombian cacao farmer (Elver Aguiar) next to a scannable code with his story.
This shipment also came with its own backstory. I ordered several Juan Choconat bars online via an importer in Aug. 2025 -- when new U.S. tariffs on many imported goods became effective. The bars did arrive eventually, but it was months later.
I was grateful each bar came in a sealed pouch that helped prevent aroma and flavor note degradation/disappearance. That said, do try to eat this chocolate quickly after you open it. (If you wait a few days, you'll miss out on some of the lighter, more volatile notes. It will not taste the same.)
Aroma and flavor notes for this 100% cacao bar included: dark chocolate, faint toasted bread, muffled acidic fruit (citrus, mango, stone fruit - plum/prune); slightly bitter green; and wood (gentle charcoal, smoke and peat).
The chocolate had a muffled intensity. I might pair this chocolate with whiskey and/or a cigar. (I don't smoke, but I'm only guessing the cigar pairing might work.)
Texture: I was delighted this bar still broke with a snap and I enjoyed the very appealing, thick, creamy melt and smooth texture -- despite no added cocoa butter, and the fact that it had a slightly blotchy-bloomed appearance (likely from temperature volatility related to tariff-related shipping delays back in August).
I appreciated the hearty, complex flavors, and the fact the makers coaxed out these authentic, intense yet very balanced, heritage cacao flavors -- with only one ingredient.
This bar was creamy, balanced and intense. It was a bit more robust and acidic than yesterday's 100% unroasted cacao sibling. I appreciated the hearty, complex flavors, and the fact the makers coaxed out these authentic, intense yet very balanced, heritage cacao flavors -- with only one ingredient.
Ingredients: Cacao nibs.
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Fruit, Milk or Nuts."
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