Pili Hunters - Wild Harvested Nuts with Raw Cacao - Aug. 25, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Pili Hunters
Wild Harvested Nuts with Raw Cacao 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 220 calories in 1 serving (1/4 package)
Cost: $13.99 for 1 package

Purchased from: Pili Hunters website, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate & The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Wild Harvested Nuts with Raw Cacao were a product of The Philippines and distributed by Pili Hunters LLC (Bend, OR).

These cocoa dusted pili nuts looked very much like whole almonds. However, bite into one and you'll experience a pleasant crunch immediately followed by a very satisfying buttery melt. These were much smoother and less fibrous than almonds and many other nuts. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: gentle nut, cacao, and faint sourdough bread/toast. 

It was great to taste pili nuts on their own for the first time--not heavily coated/blended with a lot of chocolate. Their more delicate flavor and unique, smooth texture might have been lost in the mix.

To test this theory, I re-tasted a 65% dark chocolate (from Theo & Philo in the Philippines) with black sesame seeds, cashews and pili nut pieces. Very nice chocolate bar; but, as I thought, it was hard to make out the individual pili nuts with a multi-ingredient blend.

I really appreciated the chance to try these whole nuts (dusted with cacao and a small amount of coconut sugar). Just three ingredients. I was able to fully enjoy their extraordinary buttery and softly crunchy texture as well as their (mild and unexpected) tasty buttered toast notes. 

Tomorrow, I'll feature a 70% Cacao Pili Nut Dark Chocolate from this vendor (Pili Hunters).

Ingredients: Sprouted Pili Nuts, Raw Cacao, Coconut Sugar

Allergen-related information: Contains Pili Nuts

Fossa Chocolate 70% Dark Rehoboth Estate Philippines (bar) - Aug. 24, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Fossa Chocolate 

70% Dark Rehoboth Estate Philippines (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 137.25 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Rehoboth Estate Philippines (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate with balanced dried/fermented red fruits: fermented grapes (port/red wine) and plum/prune. Subtle, high-quality, well-executed flavors with depth, that closed  with a clean finish.

Texture: This bar was well-tempered with a smooth texture, melt and mouthfeel. 

I enjoyed the sophisticated fruit and the single origin (Philippines) dark chocolate complexity; the balanced boldness and dark fudge-y rich qualities that stopped just short of bitterness; and last, but not least, the impressive flavors coaxed from just two high-quality ingredients.

Make sure to slow down and smell, taste and enjoy all that this chocolate has to offer.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Tawny port, Prunes, Red dates"

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar"

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."