Chocolate of The Day
Wild West Chocolate
Bear Claws - Almond & Sea Salt 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters
Weight: 1.35 oz. (38.25 g.) / 2.7 oz. (76.5 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $8.99 for 1 package of 6 pieces
Purchased from: Wild West Chocolate, online order
Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate & Bears Week.
Today's Bear Claws - Almond & Sea Salt 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters were from Wild West Chocolate, LLC (Missoula, MT)--and featured an image three brown bears crossing a stream (or looking for fish perhaps) with a pine forest and snow-capped mountains in the background.
Aroma and flavor notes for these individually-wrapped bear claws included: smooth dark (chocolate-y) chocolate; faint roasted nut (almond); vanilla; and very faint salt.
Texture: The base chocolate had a relatively smooth texture. Almond bits added an attractive, soft crunch.
A very subtle and authentic fruit blend (date, mulberry, peach and mango powders)--was used to sweeten this chocolate instead of sugar. And that sweetness felt balanced and authentic.
Bears' favorite foods include berries and nuts; so I'm sure they'd approve of this offering.*
The individually-wrapped "claws"/paws made them practical for sharing chocolate with others.
An additional plus with Wild West Chocolate offerings: they're made with Organic and Regenerative Organic Certified ingredients.
Ingredients: Organic Oatmilk Chocolate (Organic Fruit Blend [Powdered Date++, Powdered Mulberry+, Powdered Peach+, Powdered Mango+], Organic Cocoa Liquor++, Organic Cocoa Butter++, Vanilla Extract+), Roasted Almonds+, Sea Salt. (+ = Organic; ++ = Regenerative Organic Certified; Cocoa Liquor and Cocoa Butter: Fair Trade Certified 39% of Product.)
Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds. "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat and soy."
*Maybe. We (humans) can process small amounts of slightly bitter alkaloids--defensive compounds that plants produce to deter animals/insects from eating them. These alkaloids include caffeine in coffee and theobromine in cacao. Bears (dogs, cats and other animals) have a more limited capacity to process theobromine; and they can get very sick after eating too much dark chocolate.
Animals that enjoy the pulpy cacao fruit (that surrounds cacao seeds (aka beans) inside cacao pods) include monkeys, birds...and, yes, bears. Spectacled Bears (aka Andean Bears) in South America may eat as many as 300 different plants in the wild, including many different fruits, and nuts. They have been known to visit/raid cacao plantations/farms for the pulpy fruit inside cacao pods. They spit out the bitter cacao seeds (beans), helping disperse seeds in the wild.
