Cachet - Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar) - Nov. 19, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Cachet 
Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 260 calories in 4 squares of bar
Cost: $7.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Market, Santa Cruz, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Cachet 57% Dark Chocolate Cherry (bar) was manufactured by Kim's Chocolates (Tienen, Belgium).

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively smooth, dark chocolate (dark chocolate cake/black forest chocolate cherry cake) and sweet, slightly tart, cherry.

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate. (The cherry elements were fully incorporated into the dark chocolate.)

Sweet, flavorful and addictive if you're hungry.

Ingredients: "Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Sour Cherry, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Natural Cherry Flavor"

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Soy. May Contain: Wheat, Egg, Tree Nuts, Milk."

Kessho Craft Chocolate - Raspberry Dark Chocolate 57% Cacao Semuliki Forest Uganda (bar) - Aug. 13, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Kessho Craft Chocolate
Raspberry Dark Chocolate 57% Cacao Semuliki Forest Uganda (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kessho, online order 

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Raspberry Dark Chocolate 57% Cacao Semuliki Forest Uganda (bar) was handcrafted by Kessho Craft Chocolate and distributed by Kessho, LLC in Austin, TX.

Aroma notes included: Red berries (red raspberry) and smooth dark chocolate.

Texture: uniformly smooth, fudge-like texture with a relatively rapid, creamy melt. The raspberry powder was fully incorporated into the chocolate.

Flavor notes for this single origin cacao chocolate included: relatively smooth, tart-sweet, red raspberry, dark chocolate and very faint warm spice. 

The red raspberry flavor was authentically vibrant and was the star of the show--to the point where it eclipsed possible underlying nuances of the Uganda (hybrid Trinitario and Forastero) cacao. There were no obvious bitter or off notes in the slightly fudge-y, 57% dark chocolate; but any fruit or floral notes in the cacao were topped by raspberries/lower percentage of cacao.

I appreciated the use of single origin cacao and the short list of only four ingredients.

Maker's tasting notes: "Red berries, rose petals and chocolate fudge"

Ingredients: "Whole cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, raspberry powder"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that also processes milk, tree nuts, wheat, sesame and eggs."

 

Kasama Chocolate - 57% Earl Grey Tea, Philippines (bar) - Jan. 11, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Kasama Chocolate
57% Earl Grey Tea, Philippines (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories in 1/2 bar (314 cals. in 1 bar)
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama, online order

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 57% Earl Grey Tea, Philippines (bar) was created by Kasama Chocolate (Vancouver, BC, Canada). The company offers a variety of bars made using cacao from the Philippines*-- and you'll see at least four of these bars featured this week.

Aroma and flavor notes include fragrant bergamot (floral, citrus); dark milk chocolate (cocoa, ganache); and smooth, satisfying and sweet tea latte.

Texture: smooth, with a very slight (authentic) black tea astringency in the finish. Extra points for providing a full Earl Grey tea experience. 

I really enjoyed "sipping" (savoring small bites of) this tea-inspired chocolate. This bar would be a great gift for (or to share with) chocolate and Earl Grey tea fans.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, "Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter*, Whole Milk Powder, Earl Grey Tea" (* = organic) 

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

*One of the founders has roots, and family, in the Philippines. 

Lake Champlain Chocolates - Filled Maple Caramel 57% Cocoa - Dark (bar) - Feb. 23, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Filled Maple Caramel 57% Cocoa - Dark (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 3 squares of bar
Cost: $6.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Nugget Markets, Tiburon, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Golden Sugars Theme Week.

Today's Organic Filled Maple Caramel 57% Cocoa Dark bar was from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT).

Aroma notes for this chocolate included faint caramel and bold, dark chocolate.

The 57% cacao dark chocolate tasted significantly darker than this...more like a 75% Forastero-like (deep, dense) dark with faint green-lemon herb (oxalis) and fleeting (loamy) earth notes. 

Inside the dark chocolate was a soft, flavorful, sweet caramel filling with faint maple sugar notes. The darkness of the cacao/chocolate helped balance the sweetness of the caramel.

Ingredients: Organic dark chocolate (organic sugar, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder [processed with alkali], and organic vanilla powder, organic heavy cream, organic Vermont maple syrup, organic rice syrup, water, organic invert sugar, sea salt and organic soybean lecithin.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk and soybean. May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat.

Culinary Tours - Cherry Belgian Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Culinary Tours Foods
(Product of Belgium, distributed by Topco Associates)
Cherry Belgian Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 280 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Red Fruits Theme Week.

Happy July and summer to you all. Remember the aroma, flavor and creamy texture of cherry  chocolate chip ice cream?

Today's 57% cocoa Culinary Tours Cherry Belgian Dark Chocolate bar (made in Belgium and distributed by Topco Associates LLC in Elk Grove, IL) captured this summer frozen treat experience with its cherry ice cream aroma and flavor and a smooth, creamy* dark chocolate melt and mouthfeel.

The combination of dried sour cherries and cherry flavoring (cherry with a hint of almond extract) seemed to be the same combination that perfumed chilled cherry desserts from childhood. This bit of nostalgia and virtual time travel thrown in for free was a welcome thing, as health concerns related to the Corona virus (Covid-19) have made "real" chocolate and culinary travels difficult this 4th of July holiday weekend.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, butterfat,* dried sour cherry pieces, soy lecithin, natural flavor.

Chocolate Naive - Kefir Probiotic Milk Chocolate (bar) - Mar. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Naive
Kefir Probiotic Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #1 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Kefir Probiotic Milk Chocolate (bar) was crafted by Chocolate Naive (Vilnius, Lithuania).

This creative, well-executed, rich dark 57 percent milk chocolate (bar) was made using two fermented foods: cacao and kefir. The dark milk chocolate had a smooth creamy melt and texture, and a balanced, fruity tart chocolate flavor.

High-quality, small-batch, dark milk chocolates are pricier than bulk, sugary milk chocolates containing 32 percent cocoa or less. And when you find one like today's, it's well worth the quest.

Whole Foods Market - Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds - Oct. 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Whole Foods Market
Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds 57% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 235 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate Almonds 57% Cacao bar was purchased at a local Whole Foods Market (based in Austin, TX*).

A smooth, but somewhat flat**, Forastero-like**, organic dark chocolate base surrounded pieces of organic, dry roasted almonds and a touch of organic ground vanilla bean(s).

The bar was made with 90% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients and lacked emulsifiers and/or less desirable ingredients (thank you).

*Whole Foods Market is now part of Amazon.com.
** Forastero is a popular, robust variety of cacao with bold, dense dark flavor. The largest source of Forastero cacao beans is West Africa; but it is also grown in most other cacao-producing countries (Ecuador, Brazil and elsewhere). The dark flavor is a bit like gazing into a dense, dark, still jungle, full but flattened somehow—the jungle being so thick that no light (or in this case fruit or other flavor notes) are either present or able to shine through. 

Baiani Chocolates - Trinitarios Dark Milk 57% chocolate bar - Aug. 28, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Baiani Chocolates
Trinitarios Dark Milk 57% (Milk 7%) bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.02 oz. (29 g.) / 2.04 oz. (58 g.) in total bar
Calories: 145 calories in 2 1/2 squares (1/2 bar)
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's Trinitarios Dark Milk 57% bar was made tree-to-bar by Brazilian craft chocolate makers at Baiani Chocolates (Brazil).

This flavorful dark milk chocolate Brasileiro bar had a smooth, fairly creamy melt, and true chocolate and milk notes. (The chocolate contained: 57% (cacao) and 7% milk.)

In the past decade, Brazil has been making a cacao comeback. In the 1980s and 1990s, a fungus decimated cacao trees in Brazil. The country had been one of the top cacao producers; and the state of Bahia (in NE Brazil, bordering the Atlantic Ocean) was at the center of production.

The owners of Baiani came from a line of cacao farmers and producers. Juliana Pinheiro Aquino remembers what happened. Cacao had become a very important fruit crop. "My father was depressed. He was very sad," she said.

Fortunately, in the last decade yields are up again in Bahia; and it is easier to find Brazilian chocolate.

Like many of the best chocolate makers, Juliana and Tuta Aquino continue to improve their craft.  (E.g., they consulted "cacao whisperer" Dan O'Doherty of Cacao Services to improve their growing and processing methods, including transforming their traditional drying area into a solar drying tunnel.)

Lake Champlain Chocolates - It's hot honey bar - July 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates

It's hot honey bar

Good 

Weight: .65 oz. (18.4 g.) / 3.25 oz. (92 g.) in total bar

Calories: 99 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar (2 squares)

Cost: $1.50 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Honey Theme Week.

Today's "It's hot honey" bar from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT) was a filled, dark chocolate bar with a slight spicy sizzle. Perfect amount for a 4th of July chocolate.

This 57% cocoa, organic and kosher bar was filled with rich caramel infused with Vermont honey and habanero chili pepper.

The 2017 sofi Bronze Award Finalist bar was Fair for Life Certified, and made with 67% Fair Trade ingredients.

Lake Champlain Chocolates - Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar - April 26, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar

Good+

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 212.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Raspberries Theme Week.

Today's Organic Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was from Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington, VT).

Slightly earthy dark chocolate was well balanced with bright tart-sweet, authentic red raspberry flavor. (Expect a few raspberry seeds.) The flavor profile of this dark chocolate initially gave the impression of a much higher cacao percentage bar, until the surprisingly sweet finish kicked in.

This Raspberries and Dark Chocolate 57% Cocoa bar was Certified Organic, Fair for Life, Kosher Dairy.