Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Calamondin 65% Cacao - Oct. 3, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Calamondin 65% Cacao 
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.33 for 1 bar (3 for $25.00)
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Calamondin 65% Cacao was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma." (There was no cacao percentage listed.)

Calamondin (Citrofortunella microcarpa) "is a small citrus fruit with a delicate, soft, aromatic skin." The makers used the skin of this citrus fruit in this bar. And this fruit tasted every bit like a cross between a kumquat (sweet rind) + a mandarin orange/tangerine.

Aroma and flavor notes for this chocolate included: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate with gently aromatic and slightly floral citrus (that had a very pleasant, almost undulating, nuanced tart-sweet taste), and brown sugar notes.

Texture: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate--with only one tiny, tiny dark particle (seed or cacao nib bit?). 

I enjoyed the opportunity to try yet another unique and special bar made with a blend of tropical fruit and cacao supporting a bio-reserve in Ecuador. It had an intriguing, gently complex flavor.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter, calamondin"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.) 

Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Covered Bananas - Oct. 2, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Covered Bananas (package)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Covered Bananas were made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma."

The "seda" (translation: silk) bananas*--that were covered in Ecuadorean chocolate in today's offering--were an heirloom variety preserved by small producers.

Aroma and flavor notes for this chocolate included: dark chocolate; aromatic, softly sweet, banana and subtle brown sugar (panela).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate; the dehydrated banana pieces (slices) were just right with an authentic texture that seemed to preserve the best of the banana. (The fruit was just right: not too mushy, not too tough; i.e., it did not have a hard chew.)

I enjoyed the sweet, mellow flavor and texture of the banana, and the fact that it tasted slightly less acidic than Cavendish bananas we find in stores here in the U.S.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; the well-executed and balanced flavors; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Dehydrated banana, cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.) 

*Bananas originated in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. They arrived in the Americas centuries ago. Commercial banana growers in the Americas were impacted by disease(s); and some cultivars like the popular Gros Michel cultivar survived in smaller pockets after suffering from fungal disease(s), and being declared "commercially extinct" in 1965. Following that period, the more disease-resistant (at that time) cultivar, the Cavendish, became the banana we know and love today in the U.S. But, concerns about fungal diseases continue--with bananas and cacao.

Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Cacao Pulp 65% Cacao - Oct. 1, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Cacao Pulp 65% Cacao
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Cacao Pulp 65% Cacao (bar) was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma."  

This bar was part of the company's line of bars produced with "Ecuadorean Nacional Cacao, tropical fruits, spices and raw sugar cane coming from 100% agroecological farms."

Aroma and flavor notes for this fruit-filled 65% cacao dark bar included: slightly boozy, sweet fruity chocolate (smooth, sophisticated cocoa note) with pockets of intense (concentrated) cacao fruit flavors: thick, jammy cacao fruit pulp centers -- with a mouthfeel somewhere between a dark, rich apple "butter" and slightly fermented (or trace of high-end fruit vinegar) fruit gel).

The cacao pulp's bright, complex tropical fruit butter flavors--cacao fruit pulp, mangosteen, dried sweet melon, citrus (sweet tangerine), tamarind and dried cherry--stole the show. 

Texture: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate with a smooth, jammy/fruit (thick fruit butter-like) silky-gel paste-like filling.

I loved this sweet-tart, flavorful celebration of cacao fruit and chocolate -- in this form: a dark chocolate bar with segmented squares filled with tasty and authentic cacao fruit paste). Most people never get to taste real cacao fruit pulp-- that lends so much flavor to the cacao fermentation process, while tasting nothing like dark chocolate.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter, cacao pulp"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.)  

Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Lupine Milk (bar) - Sept. 30, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Lupine Milk
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Lupine Milk was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma." (There was no cacao percentage listed.)

Many lupine varieties may have originated in the Mediterranean; but lupine also has a long history in the Andes of South America. The Lupinus mutabilis (aka Andean Lupin(e) or Tarwi) in this bar has been cultivated and processed to be edible--with the end product being a flour and/or milky beverage. Domestication by pre-Incan inhabitants has been traced back 2,600 years. 

Domesticated and/or Sweet lupine milk contains, as the name implies, fewer bitter (and potentially toxic) plant alkaloids.* A cream-colored lupine "milk" is made by crushing/blending lupine plants' seeds (that look like small, flattened circular light beige beans)--that often have been soaked in salty water to reduce bitterness as part of the process.

Aroma and flavor notes for this chocolate included: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate with very subtle diffuse fruit, slightly floral and brown sugar notes -- softened by a light, plant "milk" taste similar to a very slightly floral (and less granular) rice milk.

Texture: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate with only one very tiny, dark lupine/lupine seed particle (that could have been a cacao nib).

I enjoyed the opportunity to try this unique and special bar. It had an intriguing, gently complex flavor.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, pulverized lupine, raw sugar cane, cacao butter"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.) 

*Personal note: Stick with commercially produced "sweet" lupine flour and seeds ("beans"). Please do not try to eat wild/any foraged lupine flower seeds--that may be higher in bitter and potentially toxic alkaloids. Also, lupines are legumes; and there may be a chance of a sensitivity if you have an allergy to other legumes (like peanuts). As with trying any new food if you have allergies, research product ingredients and safe sources, then try a small quantity first and wait before eating more.

Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Turmeric 65% Cacao - Sept. 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Turmeric 65% Cacao
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Turmeric 65% Cacao (bar) was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma." 

Aroma and flavor notes for this chocolate included: dark chocolate; very subtle diffuse fruit; faint, very slightly bitter spice (turmeric); a barely detectable (not unpleasant) flicker of herbs (eucalyptus, bay leaf + dusty ginger); and gentle brown sugar/caramel (panela).

Texture: pleasantly smooth dark chocolate with barely discernible herb/botanical particles (no harsh spice grit).

I liked the complex, natural and balanced flavors in this chocolate (and that it had an interesting addictive quality and harmonious complexity). The relatively sweet (65% vs. 70%+ cacao) and relatively smooth/mild chocolate helped balance the unique, relatively bold taste that turmeric can have.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter, turmeric"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.) 

Masphi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Cacao Nibs 70% Cacao - Sept. 28, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Cacao Nibs 70% Cacao
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Cacao Nibs 70% Cacao (bar) was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma." 

Aroma and flavor notes for this 70% cacao chocolate included: rich, dark, smooth (chocolate-y) chocolate and complex and balanced cacao nibs with sweet, clean and green botanical (faint fruit and floral); slight earth, wood and nut; and subtle brown sugar notes.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a festive field of light, crunchy cacao nibs (pieces of toasted cacao beans). Clean finish.

I liked everything about this bar. I loved this blend of pleasing and balanced dark chocolate: from the aroma to the gently roasted cacao nibs that were unusually light and almost crispy and had well-rounded, mellow, wood/nut notes. 

Relatively low in bitterness and acidity, but not in flavor, this dark chocolate was full of gentle complexity. I kept leaning in to re-taste the chocolate and nibs until, sadly, it was completely gone.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and quality ingredients; as well as the company's commitment to sourcing cacao from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter, cacao nibs"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.)

Mashpi Chocolate - Chocolate Bar with Brunei Cherry 65% Cacao - Sept. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Mashpi Chocolate 
Chocolate Bar with Brunei Cherry 65% Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Choiba Agroforestry Products, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Chocolate Bar with Brunei Cherry 65% Cacao (bar) was made by Mashpi Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador); and imported and distributed by Andean Ecocrafts, LLC (Reno, NV).

The cacao variety used to make this bar was "Cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma."

This bar contained Brunei cherries (Garcinia forbesii in this bar). These grow on tropical evergreen trees in South America. They have a cherry-like flavor and frequently go through a light fermentation process.*

Aroma and flavor notes for this 65% cacao chocolate included: rich, slightly fermented fruit (cherry, light cherry wine) and dark, smooth (chocolate-y) chocolate.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a festive field of softly chewy, tiny rosy-colored bits of brunei cherries on the back side of this bar.

I enjoyed the blend of smooth, relatively sweet 65% dark chocolate and the authentic bits of tart cherry-like fruit that livened the entire bar.

I appreciated: the short list of authentic and powerful ingredients; as well as the company's focus on regenerative agriculture.

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, raw sugar cane, cacao butter, brunei cherry"

Allergen-related information: (None listed on the package that I could see.)

*Brunei cherries are related to mangosteen fruits originally from Southeast Asia--that are now cultivated in Central America; although there are members of the Garcinia genus that are native to the Americas.)