Olive and Sinclair - Candied Lemon Chocolate 75% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 5, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Olive and Sinclair
Candied Lemon Chocolate 75% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 410 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate & Citrus Theme Week.

Today's Candied Lemon Chocolate 75% Cacao (bar) (Batch No. 012327) was from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. (Nashville, TN).

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate, faint malt (malty cracker) and lemon cookie/biscuit.

Texture: relatively smooth, stone-ground dark chocolate with bits of candied lemon and occasional tiny sparkles of sea salt. 

Flavor notes included: smooth 75% dark chocolate (Ecuador), faint malt, and multi-dimensional sweetness (brown sugar, candied lemon). I enjoyed the perfect balance of dark chocolate, lemon and sea salt in this bar. This was bittersweet at its very, balanced, best.

Each of the elements harmonized well with each other in this blend of smooth, 75% stoneground cacao, upbeat citrus, subtle brown sugar and (Maldon) sea salt, to create a sophisticated and delicious bar. Not too sweet. Not too dark. Not too bitter. Just right. This bar landed squarely in the Goldilocks* zone for me.

Maker's tasting notes: "Chewy candied lemon brings out the brightness of our 75%...chocolate" 

Ingredients: "Cacao Beans, Brown Sugar, Candied Lemon, Sea Salt"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts"

*The Goldilocks reference is to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," a story based on a European/American folktale/fairy tale. In most recent versions of this story, a young girl (Goldilocks) visits the home of three bears (who are out on a walk) and tries their bowls of porridge, chairs and beds belonging to each of the three bears. Goldilocks selects items that were neither too hot nor too cold, and were not too hard or soft. She selects the porridge, chair and bed that were "just right" for her. 

Eventually, the bears come home to find Goldilocks asleep on the baby bear's bed. The girl wakes, and runs out before anything happens to her. One assumes the bears were left scratching their heads, and were not entirely happy about the intruder.

Some astronomers have also used the expression "the Goldilocks zone" to describe planets that may possess the right characteristics (not too cold, not too hot, etc.) to support life.