Chocolate of the Day
Juan Choconat
Chocolate Oscuro (Dark Chocolate) 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Elebar Snacks, online order
Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.
Today's Chocolate Oscuro (Dark Chocolate) 70% Cacao (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 (Juvenal Castro) next to a scannable code with his story.
Aroma and flavor notes for this 70% cacao bar included: an aroma with smooth dark chocolate and maple/brown sugar. Flavors included: muffled green, roasted cacao/wood notes, licorice, chocolate cake, bread.
Texture: relatively smooth, despite the fact that it had a slightly blotchy-bloomed appearance (likely from temperature volatility related to tariff-related shipping delays back in August) -- and this bar contained no added cocoa butter (impressive).
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.)
I appreciated the very short list of two, quality ingredients.
Ingredients: Cacao nibs and unrefined cane sugar and the complex flavors.
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Fruit, Milk or Nuts."
*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.
