Chocolate of the Day
Juan Choconat
Chocolate Oscuro 76% Cacao Sin Tostar (Unroasted) (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 138 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Elebar Snacks, online order
Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.
Today's Chocolate Oscuro (Dark Chocolate) 76% Cacao Sin Tostar (Unroasted) (bar) was made by Juan Choconat SAS (Ibague, Tolima, Colombia) and imported by Elebar Snacks LLC (with locations in Illinois and Clearwater, FL).
The bar came with an illustration of the cacao farmer (Alirio Restrepo) complete with a scannable code about his story. (Each bar in this shipment provided similar information for different cacao farmers in Colombia.)
Today's bar (and others in this order from the same company) also came with an additional backstory, and footnotes at the end.
Spoiler alert: I ordered several Jaun Choconat bars online that were made in Colombia (via an importer) in Aug. 2025 -- when new U.S. tariffs on many imported goods became effective. Not a good time to order chocolate made outside the U.S. They arrived months later.
Aroma and flavor notes for this 76% ("creole" hybrid Colombian) cacao bar included: surprisingly gentle, chocolate-y, dark chocolate with appealing, soft, diffuse fruit (stone fruits, pear and barely detectable banana) and some fainter notes (maybe light lemon or citrus, faint green bean, faint wood) that I could barely taste.
The gentle flavors with criollo cacao-based chocolates. It was absolutely more balanced and less bitter (or acidic) because of the cacao; and the makers used unroasted cacao (to preserve nutrients and more delicate flavors present in heritage, criollo cacaos). There were also no harsh/burnt notes that can sometimes result from over-roasting.
Texture: Broke with a snap and had a fairly creamy melt and smooth texture.
This order was held up due to newly enacted tariffs* and associated paperwork last August, and was likely allowed to sit in a warm place -- based on the mottled, bloomed appearance. This can happen very quickly if chocolates sit in the hot sun on a loading dock somewhere too long. Delays during the transportation process (loading/unloading/storing) can really impact product quality.
However, I was surprised and delighted that today's bar still broke with a snap and had a very nice smooth melt and mouthfeel. And the flavors were wonderful. (The packaging for each individual bar had remained sealed.)
The makers used only two ingredients (no added cocoa butter) to coax out these lovely, authentic cacao flavors.
Ingredients: Unroasted cacao nibs and unrefined cane sugar (panela).
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Fruit, Milk or Nuts."
*New U.S. tariffs went into effect in April and August 2025 that affected imported goods from other countries.
Importers and shippers were struggling to adhere to new requirements--about the time I ordered several Juan Choconat bars in August 2025 (peak transition/confusion time). The chocolate bars arrived -- months later.
Fortunately, lawmakers realized that the U.S. grows less than 0.0001% of all the world's cacao-approximately 179 acres in Hawaii and 100 acres in Puerto Rico. We import most of our cacao from other countries so U.S. chocolatiers and chocolate makers can make chocolate; U.S. workers can keep their jobs; and customers can find their favorite chocolates on shelves or online.
The cacao tariffs were lifted a few months later, in Nov. 2025. (Although certain tariffs remained on West African cacao (where most of the world's cacao is grown.)
Throughout this period of volatility, I wondered how the 2025 changes affected cacao farmers outside the U.S. I don't know. (As of today, every Juan Choconat bar that I ordered in August 2025 was "sold out" online.)
"Sold out" can mean many things. A company is struggling to meet demand for high-quality products that are in short supply; a company is taking a break from making chocolate; a company is thinking about whether to continue to make chocolate; etc. Fingers crossed.
