Eigen Chocolate - Peppermint Chocolate Seasonal Swirl Bar - Feb. 19, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Eigen Chocolate
Peppermint Chocolate Seasonal Swirl Bar
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.74 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate & Mint Theme Week.

Today's Peppermint Chocolate Seasonal Swirl Bar was from Eigen Chocolate (High Point, NC).

Aroma notes for this attractive bar included: sweet and aromatic mint (think of your favorite dark chocolate peppermint cups/candies) with subtle dark chocolate.

Texture: smooth, almost buttery, with a thick melt and mouthfeel in a cool room.

Flavor notes included: pleasantly minty, smooth chocolate. This bar was not labeled "dark" chocolate, but it had a nice, mild dark flavor.

I was impressed with this well-executed chocolate.  The oats were smoothly incorporated (no oat grit/odd texture), helped balance the mint and chocolate, and created a lovely swirl pattern with the dark chocolate on the back side of the bar. (The front side was molded to create a hexagonal shaped (honeycomb) pattern.)

The touch of vanilla seemed just right: it added a bit of warmth, but wasn't too much.

I appreciated the makers' short list of organic and higher-quality ingredients.

Maker's tasting notes: "Cocoa, Mint, Cream"

Ingredients: Cacao, cocoa butter*, cane sugar*, gluten free oats*, Madagascar vanilla, peppermint oil (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles nuts, dairy & soy."

Sibo - Costa Rica Extra Dark 82% Cacao (bar) + Jean-Marie Auboine Caramelized Almond 65% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 18, 2026

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Sibo Chocolate
Costa Rica Extra Dark 82% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Missing information 

Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier
Caramelized Almond 65% Dark Chocolate Gourmet (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) / 3.18 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 246 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, featuring a Sibo Chocolate Costa Rica Extra Dark 82% Cacao bar made by Chocoindustria Cinco, S.A. (in Costa Rica)--and a second "bonus" dark chocolate bar from Las Vegas (a gift from a friend).

Sibo Chocolate Costa Rica Extra Dark 82% Cacao (bar)

Aroma notes included: naturally sweet dark chocolate (cocoa, drinking chocolate, dark ganache); with light (and multiple shades of) vanilla--including vanilla marshmallow and barely detectable vanilla tobacco--even though there was no added vanilla listed in the ingredients; and sweet green. 

Texture: This relatively thin bar broke with a hard snap in a cold room, and had a smooth, buttery, slow satisfying melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: pleasing, rich and smooth hot cocoa with flavor notes similar to the aroma notes (mentioned above), along with faint nut (cashew, almond, nut/seed). This well-balanced chocolate was relatively low in bitterness for an 82%er.

As noted above, I was very surprised this did not contain added vanilla, given the lovely warm spice, and light floral and botanical range of notes I'd associate with vanilla.

Note: This Costa Rica chocolate was similar to Single Estate Guacimo Limon Costa Rica 82% bar that I had 8 years ago in 2018 from the same maker. So, I enjoyed a second new chocolate (below) to avoid a possible duplication. 

Ingredients: chocolate (cacao, organic sugar, cacao butter, sunflower lecithin).

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk, almonds and cashew.

Jean-Marie Auboine - Caramelized Almond 65% Dark Chocolate (bar)

This elegantly packaged dark chocolate bar--a gift from a friend--was from Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier (Las Vegas, NV). 

Aroma notes included: fresh/lightly roasted nuts (almonds) and chocolate.

Texture: the base chocolate had a smooth, almost creamy texture with a pleasing melt interspersed with crunchy whole, lightly caramelized almonds. 

Flavor notes included: smooth, sweet dark chocolate (chocolate-y, fudge, dark ganache) and nutty: lightly roasted and caramelized almonds.

I enjoyed this well-executed, balanced (approachable and sophisticated) chocolate and almond bar that was sweet enough to be somewhat addicting, but not overly sugar-y sweet.

Ingredients: "Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Almonds, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Tree Nuts, Soy. May Contain Traces of Milk"