Endorfin Chocolate - Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar) + Coracao Confections Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 13, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Endorfin Chocolate
Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA

Coracao Confections
Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate Shell (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: Free sample bar
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Week, featuring two different chocolates each day this week--from chocolate makers whose bars have appeared on Chocolate Banquet for many years.

Today's chocolate duo: 1.) Endorfin Foods Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar) manufactured by Coracao Confections (Richmond, CA), and 2.) Dubai Chocolate, a pistachio and quinoa dark chocolate coated confection of a bar, created and manufactured by Coracao Confections.

Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar)

Aroma and flavor notes included sweet dark chocolate, with very faint coconut sugar, and crunchy bits of (gluten free) sourdough bread. 

Texture: I really enjoyed the sourdough and olive oil crumbs.

I appreciated the short list of quality and organic ingredients and the choice of caramelized coconut butter. I was also grateful both of today's bars were gluten-free and made with allergies in mind. (It's rare to find other chocolates with bread and pastry ingredients that are also gluten free.)

Ingredients: Cacao*+, Coconut Sugar*, Cacao Butter*+, Caramelized Coconut Butter*, Extra Virgin Olive Oil* and Gluten Free Sourdough Breadcrumbs {(Sourdough starter [water, organic brown rice flour]), organic sorghum flour, organic millet flour, organic tapioca flour, organic psyllium husk, organic olive oil, organic flax meal, sea salt, organic apple cider vinegar} (*Organic ingredient; +Fair Trade Certified)

Allergen-related information: "No Dairy, No Soy, No Refined Sugar"

Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate Shell

Aroma and flavor notes included: ultra-dark chocolate; sweet nutty aroma and flavor; buttery caramelized coconut; and authentic pistachio nuts (the number one ingredient).

The coconut ingredients (toasted coconut, coconut sugar and coconut milk) with caramel/caramelized notes complemented the nutty pistachios, added flavor depth and balanced the slightly bitter 81% dark chocolate and quinoa.

Texture: Relatively hearty, very satisfying chocolate, nutty and crunchy textures.

I enjoyed the texture and flavor blend and the opportunity to try a gluten-free Dubai chocolate.

Ingredients: Pistachios*, Coconut Sugar*, Crisped Quinoa*, Cacao*+, Cacao Butter*+, Toasted Coconut*, Coconut Milk Powder* (Coconut Milk*, Tapioca Maltodextrin*), Himalayan Salt, Vanilla Bean* (*Organic, +Fair Trade Certified(TM))

Allergen-related information: Contains Pistachio. Made in a facility processing other tree nuts. May contain shell fragments.

TCHO - Dark Duo & Holy Fudge (bars) - Sept. 12, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

TCHO
Dark Duo - filled bar; 75% Cacao Shell (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 100 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

TCHO
Holy Fudge 75% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 110 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Banquet's 20th Year Anniversary Theme Week, celebrating a different chocolate every day since September 11, 2006. 

This week features several chocolate makers who are still in business decades after I first met them--including many with connections to the San Francisco Bay Area where Chocolate Banquet got its start. 

The first TCHO chocolate I tasted was a "Nutty" Peru 65% dark chocolate in 2006.

I first visited TCHO in 2006 when the company was in start-up mode on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Years later, in 2014, after successful operations (and great factory tours), the company moved across the Bay to Berkeley, CA. (Thank you to the team for a great factory tour in Berkeley in 2023, when the factory moved to a 100% plant-based line of bars.)* 

Initially, TCHO chocolate "names" were focused on flavor descriptions (fruity, fudgey, nutty, citrus-y, etc.)--flavors inherent in cacao rather than cacao percentage and country of origin. It helped educate people about flavor nuances. 

(TCHO added country of origin to flavor information And, happily, as the craft chocolate movement led to more educated buyers, more chocolate makers soon began including more detailed country of origin and sourcing information in the 2000s.)

Dark Duo

The Dark Duo (filled) bars were made using single origin cacaos from Peru and Ghana. The 75% Cacao shell melted seamlessly with the "center."

Aroma and flavor notes for this truffle bar included: complex, dark chocolate fudge with bright fruit (tropical fruits, red berry); very faint mixed nut butter (almond, cashew, hazelnut); vanilla; and very faint (balanced) earth. (Note: there were no nut ingredients listed.)

The chocolate texture was soft and friendly with a pleasant melt and mouthfeel, and with a slightly softer  center.

Maker's Tasting Notes/Description: "Lush & Fruity Cacao Truffle Filled Fudgy Dark Chocolate" "A Distinguished Cacao Experience"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*+, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*+, Coconut Oil*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Vanilla Beans* (*Organic; +Fair Trade Certified; Over 69% Fair Trade Certified (tm) (Ingredients))

Allergen-related information: May contain tree nuts. 

Holy Fudge 

Aroma and flavor notes for this 75% Cacao (Single Origin Ghana) Organic & Fair Trade bar included: dark chocolate (rich, dark fudge brownie); vanilla; and very faint, balanced citrus with a pleasant fudge-y finish.

Texture: smooth texture and melt 

I appreciated this enjoyable chocolate by itself; and the fact that it pairs well with other items. It would be great in a dessert or a recipe for fudge sauce/cake/pudding/ice cream dish...and of course fudge brownies. The possibilities are endless. 

Pretty sure this chocolate is used in the company's Lemon Twist dark chocolate bar with olive oil--a real crowd-pleaser this year--that I hope will become part of the company's permanent flavor line-up.

Maker's Tasting Notes/Description: "Notes of Crisp Brownie Edges From Ghana's World-Renowned Cacao Farms"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*+, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*+, Sunflower Lecithin*, Vanilla Beans* (*Organic; +Fair Trade Certified; Over 75% Fair Trade Certified (tm) Ingredients)

Allergen-related information: May contain tree nuts.

*The TCHO brand was sold to Ezaki Glico (maker of Pocky chocolates) in 2018.