Raaka - Raspberry Waffle Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 7, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka
Raspberry Waffle Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's Raspberry Waffle Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao (bar) was made from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, dark red raspberry, and very faint vanilla.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate and tiny crunchy bits. (The berry flavor was fully integrated, so there were no berry bits or seeds.)

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with balanced bitterness, and subtle dark berry. 

I enjoyed that this bar wasn't too sweet. This single origin (Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania) dark chocolate was relatively smooth in flavor, and tasted "darker" than its 59% cacao content might indicate. I also appreciated that the waffle pieces were gluten-free and were not too sweet. The berry (raspberry) and vanilla were authentic-tasting, background flavors.

Ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic gluten-free waffle cone (coconut oil*, cane sugar*, rice flour*, brown rice flour*, tapioca flour*, millet flour*, apple sauce*, flax seed*, cacao powder*, arrowroot powder*, baking powder, inulin*, ascorbic acid, xanthan gum), organic raspberry juice powder, organic vanilla" (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Certified Organic and Kosher; Vegan, Gluten Free; Soy Free"

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Chocolate Banana Split; Ecuador, 59% Cacao (bar) - Feb. 2, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Chocolate Banana Split; Ecuador, 59% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 320 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 (current price) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Unique Chocolates Week.

Today's Chocolate Banana Split; Bean Origin: Ecuador, 59% Cacao (bar) was from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA). 

I loved that the makers took advantage of a cacao with slightly fruity (red fruit/berry) notes and leveraged that in creating today's banana split (ice cream sundae-inspired) chocolate. The vanilla and banana flavors (added to the cacao and berry notes) were subtle; and the final blend was creamy and delicious.

Warning: addictive, especially if you're hungry.

Thank you to the makers at Goodnow Farms for their thoughtful process and creations, short list of quality ingredients, and for using organic ingredients.

Ingredients: "Single Origin Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter, Organic Whole Milk Powder, Organic Bananas, Salt, Single Origin Vanilla Beans"

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Soy Free, Gluten Free"

Intrigue Chocolate - Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) - Jan. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 388 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. 

Today's Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) was created by Intrigue Chocolate, a small batch maker and specialty chocolatier (in Seattle, WA). Their chocolate maker also is a chef, and the 100s of bars and truffles (different flavor-infused chocolates) he's created have been inspiring and enjoyable to taste.

The word "tea" includes many infusions of leaves, herbs and spices--even plants like hops (or hop flowers), that are known for their distinctive bitter flavors they add to modern beers. (Their use in Germany can be traced back almost 1,300 years ago. And the Vikings used hops as well.)

Closer to home in the U.S....Wild hops growing in the Americas were used by indigenous peoples "to flavor drinks, and as a remedy for nausea, indigestion and inflammation"* -- before the arrival of Europeans.

Does that qualify hops as an ingredient in an herbal or medicinal "tea"? Close enough for me. 

(Disclosure: I'm a regular consumer of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Hop Splash (water), Hoplark's HopTea and other hop waters (that use hops and carbonated water--that's it, no alcohol). And I enjoy different varieties of hops; so I was pre-disposed to like this bar already.)

Today's Hops and Clover Honey (bar) from Intrigue Chocolate was also the first chocolate I recall tasting with authentic and prominent hops flavor. Great way to start the New Year with something new.

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cocoa, ganache, very faint vanilla and warm spice); hops (faint citrus (citra hops), faint bitter and menthol (evergreen/pine/Doug fir tips); and faint honey (warm, floral, sweet).

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate (hops and honey flavors were fully incorporated into the chocolate).

Flavor notes included: sweet, dark chocolate with a quick uptick in bitter hops that gradually receded back into honey-ed chocolate. For some who are most sensitive to bitter flavors, one bite may be enough to satisfy one's curiosity. 

Others (like me) who enjoy hops--and well-orchestrated ebbs and flows of nuanced and unabashed bitter and sweet--in a well-executed chocolate like this will appreciate the flavor teeter-totter ride to the end and will happily wait between bites as the hops finish gradually fades away. 

I loved the opportunity to try hops, honey (and a tiny bit of vanilla) + chocolate together in one bar, and the bold, yet balanced and authentic hop flavors. 

As with any well-made chocolate, eat this slowly so you can really appreciate it.

Intrigue Tasting Notes: "The lingering citrus and pine notes of the hops are softened by a familiar dark sweetness." 

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), honey, hops

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*Source: Philadelphia Orchard Project

 

Kessho - Salted Plum Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao Semuliki Forest Uganda (bar) - Aug. 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Kessho Craft Chocolate 
Salted Plum Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao Semuliki Forest, Uganda (bar) 
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar*
Calories: 163 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Salted Plum Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao Semuliki Forest Uganda (bar) was from Kessho, LLC (Austin, TX). 

The company was founded in 2019 by Mark Huetsch (who spent 14 years in China) and Liang Wang (who was raised in Beijing and studied pastry in Japan).  The name Kessho (a Japanese word meaning crystal) "pays tribute to the crystalline structure of chocolate."

Kessho offers a variety of chocolate items--many of which, like today's Salted Plum chocolate, reflect Asian-inspired flavor inclusions and pairings. The name Kessho (a Japanese word meaning crystal) "pays tribute to the crystalline structure of chocolate."

Aroma and notes for this Salted Plum Dark Chocolate 59% Cacao bar--made with cacao (hybrid of Trinitario and Forastero) grown in the Semuliki Forest area of Uganda--included: dark chocolate with faint tart citrus-green (oxalis) and tangy stone fruit (plum).

Texture: smooth, thick, creamy, fudge-y texture with a luxe melt.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (fudge, ganache); faint loamy earth and very faint sour yogurt (there was no milk in this chocolate); and citrus leaves**. 

The salt level seemed very low in the first bite; happily there was a bit more salt and sweet tangy plum fruit in subsequent bites. (Salted plums (umeboshi) are known for tangy, sour, salty and citric flavor(s).)

I liked trying this flavor combination and how the flavors fluxed just a bit through the tasting experience. This bar would be great in a chocolate and salt themed tasting flight. Even just a little salt really helped ground and balance the tangy/sour and citrus flavors.

Maker's flavor profile notes: "Cinnamon, fig, oolong" (tea leaves)

Ingredients: Whole cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter, plum powder, salt 

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

*If calories aren't listed on a bar, I will sometimes weigh chocolates to help estimate the number of calories (kcals). When I weighed this unwrapped bar on my scale, it was 69 grams (vs. 60 grams on the label). Definitely not a problem to have more chocolate than advertised. I'll also check my scale.  

**I associated the citrus leaf-like flavor in this salted plum chocolate with the fresh infusion teas (tisanes) I make from Meyer Lemon leaves and other citrus leaves from my yard.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Ginger and Lemongrass 59% bar - Apr. 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Ginger and Lemongrass 59% Cacao (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 124.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week.

Today's Ginger and Lemongrass 59% Cacao (bar) was made by Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

The authentic aroma of lemongrass in this raw, organic and vegan bar was heady and wonderful without being overwhelming. It smelled like a favorite Thai soup.

Although the brain started thinking savory, the flavor  of this bar (lightly sweetened with coconut palm sugar) brought our awareness back to chocolate. Ginger and lemongrass gave this chocolate a bright flavor lift, without the harsher processed sugar buzz.

This bar was labeled raw, organic and vegan.

Dagoba Chocolate - Orange 59% Dark Bar - Jan. 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Dagoba Chocolate
Orange 59% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 148? calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

Today's Orange 59% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar was from Dagoba Chocolate  (Ashland, OR).*

As the name implied it was full of natural tasting orange flavor (supplied by a blend of orange essence, orange zest, orange oil) that harmonized well with the smooth dark chocolate flavor and texture.

*Dagoba Chocolate was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, and has been owned by The Hershey Company since 2006.

Dagoba - Lavender Blueberry, Roseberry 59% bars - Aug. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Dagoba Organic Chocolate

Lavender Blueberry 59% dark bar
Good - Good+
Weight: .707 oz. (20 g.) / 2.83 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 95 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Roseberry 59% dark bar
Good
Weight: .66 oz. (18.6 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 90 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Flowers Week and Day #3 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Lavender Blueberry and Roseberry dark bars were from Dagoba Organic Chocolate* (Ashland, OR). Both bars contained floral and berry flavors (and also contained some milk).

The Lavender Blueberry 59% cacao dark chocolate bar contained lavender essence and wild blueberries. Lavender lovers will appreciate the lovely, natural lavender aroma of this bar.

The Roseberry 59% cacao dark chocolate bar contained "raspberries and rosehips" resulting in a pleasing bright red fruit/raspberry flavor (with tiny raspberry pieces with real seeds) and a gentle hint of tart floral flavor from the rose hips**.

*Dagoba Organic Chocolate was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, and became part of The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA) in 2006. 

In 2012, the company dropped fair trade certification but their cacao beans began bearing the logo of the Rainforest Alliance Certified program. The company buys their cacao beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that have adopted sustainable farming practices.

** Rose hips are the roundish, slightly swollen seed pods of the rose plant located directly below the rose flower. These tiny apple-shaped pods are easiest to see after the rose petals have dropped off; they may be a slightly reddish color. (Roses are related to apples and some call rose hips rose apples.)