Fossa Chocolate - 64% Dark Milk Black Truffle (bar) - Sept. 4, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Fossa Chocolate
64% Dark Milk Black Truffle (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Savory Chocolates Theme Week.  

Today's 64% Dark Milk Black Truffle (bar) was made by Fossa Chocolate (Singapore). Fungi like mushrooms and truffles are rich in umami (glutamate) flavors--that overlap with savory flavors.

Aroma and flavor notes for this black truffle bar included: aromatic, slightly earthy black truffle, and soft dark chocolate (cocoa).  

Texture: soft, velvety dark chocolate with a crunchy feuilletine bits (like finely ground, fresh and light vanilla wafer crumbs).

I found this bar addicting. The textures and flavors were very well balanced and executed. The black truffle was authentic (and perhaps the boldest flavor in this bar). I also appreciated the short list of quality ingredients and single origin cacao. 

Maker's Tasting Notes: "...reminiscent of damp undergrowth, earth, humus and mushrooms...Infused into floral Ecuadorian Costa Esmeraldas dark milk chocolate and mixed with crispy feuilletine..." 

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, milk powder, truffle oil (sunflower oil, black truffle), feuilletine (wheat flour, sugar, butter, salt), sea salt

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

Cacao Hunters - 64% Campesino Dark Chocolate Bars - May 18, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Hunters
64% Campesino Dark Chocolate Bars
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) total box of 2 bars
Calories: 160 calories in 1 of 2 bars
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week, and Day #6 of Chocolate & Coffee Theme Week. Colombia is well known for specialty cacao and coffee, thus the considerable overlap of these two themes this month.

Today's Cacao Hunters 64% Campesino Dark Chocolate Bars (package of 2 bars) were manufactured by Cacao de Colombia (Popayan, Cauca, Colombia). 

Cacao Hunters offers several bean-to-bar chocolate bars that highlight regional Colombian/cacao flavors and the company is committed to ethical sourcing and helping small stakeholder farmers.

The word campesino in English means a person from the country. Campesinos include small-to-medium sized farmers (that may or may not be landholders, who live in fairly remote, forested regions). These are the people who often grow and harvest the fine flavored cacaos and specialty coffees that we love so much. It's a term that has my respect.

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 64% Campesino dark bar included: rich cocoa and warm spices (cloves, cinnamon), brown sugar caramel, and very faint floral (vanilla), wood (very faint cedar) and brown fruit (dried peach).

Texture: smooth 

I loved the pleasing, gently complex and complementary flavors in this chocolate. The warm spice notes were balanced and could even be mistaken for naturally occurring cacao flavors.

I paired this bar with a gently spiced, iced coffee latte.

I also appreciated the short list of quality ingredients.

Ingredients: "Cocoa beans, canela brown sugar cane, cocoa butter, cinnamon, clove."

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk.

TCHO - Yule Nog Oat Milk 35% Cacao (bar) + Napa Noir - Salted Cabernet 64% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 31, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

TCHO

Yule Nog - Eggnog with Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate (bar)
Good++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 package of three small bars
Calories: 360 calories in 3 small bars (1 package of 3 bars)
Cost: $7.19 (sale) for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

TCHO + Clif Family
Napa Noir - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao 
Good ++
Weight: 1.65 oz. (46.2 g.) /2.5 oz. (70 g.) total package of three bars

Calories: 240 calories in 2 small bars
Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar (package of 3 smaller bars)
Purchased from: TCHO, online order 

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Warm Spices & Maple Theme Week here on Chocolate Banquet.

Today two winter warmer bars were from TCHO Ventures Inc. (Berkeley, CA): 

• 1.) a "Yule Nog" (Eggnog With Nutmeg & Rum Flavor Cashew Oat Milk White Chocolate) 35% Cacao chocolate
• 2.) a "Napa Noir" - Cabernet Salted Bar Made With Organic Dark Chocolate And Barrel-Aged Nibs 64% Cacao - a collaboration with the Clif Family Winery (Saint Helena, CA)

Yule Nog (bars)

Aroma and flavor notes for this Organic bar included: aromatic and authentic nutmeg spice; warm spirits (rum); white chocolate cookie dough; faint nut--all culminating in a surprisingly tasty white chocolate with convincing eggnog taste--without egg or dairy.

The texture was quite smooth for a non-dairy, white chocolate bar. I noticed a very faint, fine granularity in my throat from the oat milk and cashew (and maybe ground nutmeg); but it didn't distract me that much. It had a thick, creamy-gummy texture that resolved into a very satisfying melt and mouthfeel.

I appreciated the company's choice to use organic ingredients, their blend of 100% Plant-based ingredients and the high-quality nutmeg and rum flavors that conjured up the true spirit of eggnog.

Ingredients: Cocoa Butter*+, Gluten Free Oat Flour* (Oat Flour*, Natural Vitamin E), Cane Sugar*, Cashew Butter*, Coconut Oil*, Nutmeg Powder*, Sea Salt, Vanilla*, Natural Flavors* 

* = Organic, + = Fair Trade Certified - Over 34% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients

Allergen-related information: Contains Cashews. May Contain Other Tree Nuts.

Napa Noir (bars)

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate; faint red fruit (red grape, red berry, red wine); barely detectable pepper.

Texture: smooth base dark chocolate mixed with crunchy cacao nibs bits

Flavor notes: smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y, hot cocoa/drinking chocolate, dark fudge, cocoa nibs) with faint red fruit (red grape, berry, watermelon, red wine) and a perfect touch of salt.

This was a tasty, well-balanced bar with chocolate, red fruit, salt, and crunchy (Peruvian) cacao nibs -- all blended harmoniously together. 

Both TCHO bars today exceeded my expectations and I'd happily enjoy them again (if they are available in the future). 

(Note: this Napa Noir bar was still available on the TCHO website shop as well as the Clif Family Winery online store when I checked this week. The Clif Family red wine used to make this bar was: "Kit's Killer Cab.")

I appreciated the packaging (3 individually-wrapped bars that can be easily shared with others); the maker's use of Organic, quality and thoughtfully sourced ingredients; and the clever use of using wine infused sugar and salt to flavor this sweet and salty dark chocolate*.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Wine Sugar (Cane Sugar, Wine), Organic Roasted Cacao Nibs, Organic Cocoa Butter, Wine Sea Salt (Salt, Wine), Organic Sunflower Lecithin

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Tree Nuts. Contains Less Than 1% Alcohol."

*Chocolate is hydrophobic (does not play well with water/liquids), so if you're stirring around a large vat of melted chocolate, the last thing you want to do is to add water, milk, beverages or other liquid libations. You run the risk of the chocolate seizing up. (Milk chocolate is made by adding powdered milk.) 

Wine-flavored chocolates can be created by storing/aging cacao nibs in old wine casks. Or, liquids can be reduced/dried and infused into melted cocoa butter--or blended with batches of sugar and salt using drying or evaporation techniques--with the result being wine-flavored sugar and salt. 

The first and third techniques mentioned above were likely used with today's Napa Noir bar. 

Cacao Hunters - 64% Limoncillo Lemongrass Dark Chocolate Bars - Jan. 7, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Hunters
64% Limoncillo Lemongrass Dark Chocolate Bars
Good ++ 
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 340 calories in 2 bars (1 package)
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate & Citrus Theme Week; Day #1 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Hunters 64% Limoncillo chocolate (bars) were manufactured by Cacao de Colombia in Colombia. The package contained two, individually-wrapped (sealed) bars.

Aroma and flavor notes for these bars included: sweet, smooth, dark chocolate; light citrus (lemon); light green herbal/spice (vanilla*); and very faint lemon profiterole cookie.

Texture: The chocolate was well-tempered (broke with a snap); and it was smooth textured--with an even, satisfying melt. The relative thinness of these bars allowed better/quicker access to flavors and texture.

I liked the smooth texture and blend of gentle (Tumaco, Colombia) cacao and herbal lemongrass** flavors. I also appreciated the relatively short list of ingredients.

Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin)), Lemongrass."

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk."

*Note: There was no vanilla; no vanilla appeared in the ingredients list.

** While native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, lemongrass (Cympobogon) has been cultivated for over a century in other tropical areas--that often overlap with cacao growing areas in South American and Central American countries like Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Guatemala.

Raaka Chocolate - Popcorn Unroasted Dark Chocolate 64% Cacao (bar) - Nov. 25, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate
Popcorn Unroasted Dark Chocolate 64% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 275 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Movies & Entertainment Theme Week--where chocolates intersect with film, animation and other forms of entertainment.

Following on the heels of yesterday's Cherry Licorice bar, we're enjoying another movie snack bar item reimagined with chocolate. 

Today's Popcorn Unroasted Dark Chocolate 64% Cacao (bar) was created by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY). The makers "crushed salted popcorn and blended it into our (Semuliki Forest, Uganda cacao) dark chocolate, crafting a thrillingly chunky, buttery, and adventurous treat."

Aroma and flavor notes included: pleasing dark chocolate with faint diffuse fruit (stone fruit, dark berry, green/floral banana) and slightly savory (buttery).

Texture: the base dark chocolate was smooth with a relatively creamy melt. There were bites with very tiny pieces of popcorn hull (but it wasn't overwhelming). Raaka's description for this bar read: "Chunky, Crunchy, Buttery!" I found the tiny ivory-colored clouds (popcorn) floating in the dark chocolate to be pleasantly soft and pillow-like.

A digression about salt and chocolate...

My first impression: "This dark chocolate contained popcorn and salt, but the bar tasted surprisingly sweet, and not salty enough to taste like popcorn." Well, that was incorrect. At one point I added salt; and it did not work. Too much salt obscured the fruity, chocolate-y Ugandan (unroasted) cacao chocolate. 

The makers were right in holding back on the salt. Instead they tickled sweet movie theater memories of multiple concession stand snacks, including: dark, slightly fruity chocolate bars; dark hot chocolate/cocoa; fruit (cherry, red raspberry, banana) drinks and candies (even candied popcorn); and a wee bit of my all time favorite: salted, very lightly buttered popcorn. 

This was a fun and educational bar to taste and retaste, and retaste again. 

Movie and dark chocolate fans will appreciate this balanced, flavorful blend; the short list of authentic and organic ingredients; the gentle, fruity and chocoate-y complexity in the unroasted dark chocolate; the incorporation of popcorn (with minimal hulls); and the fact this elevated movie snack wasn't too sweet.

 A perfect bar to watch with a movie, or to savor slowly all by itself.

Maker's tasting notes: " The makers are using unroasted cacao to "capture the "brighter, bolder, and fruitier" side of cacao."

Ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic popcorn, organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic nutritional yeast, salt"

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy Free, Nut Free"

 

Godavari Chocolate - Bon-fiction - The Cranberry Chilli Chase (bar) - Aug. 6, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Godavari Chocolate
Bon-fiction - The Cranberry Chilli Chase 64% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's "tree to bar" chocolate from India--The Cranberry Chilli Chase 64% (bar)--was manufactured by GACS Foods, India and Imported and Distributed by Godavari Chocolate Inc. (Folsom, CA). 

The company has a production facility in Andhra Pradesh, in the Godavari province, in (southeast) India. Cacao is grown on their plantation and the company also works with other farmers in Godavari.

Aroma notes included: rich dark chocolate, fruit (sweet red berry, cranberry) with a rich, decadent sweetness (brown sugar, dates). 

Texture: a hearty blend of dark chocolate and a generous helping of plump, relatively moist, dried cranberries.

Flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate; high-quality and authentic cranberry textures and flavors; just the right amount of chili warmth and sea salt. For some reason I was reminded of a delicious (dark chocolate) version of pemmican* likely because of the hearty, appealing and satisfying flavors.

The cranberries weren't overly sweetened or too tough and chewy (thank you). The choices and amounts of chili and light dose of sea salt were perfect. The overall flavors harmonized very well. This bar exceeded my expectations. I appreciated the choice of 64% cacao chocolate -- a percentage that often tastes too sweet for me (a dark chocolate fan). It seemed just right in this bar.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cranberries, Chilli, Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Manufactured in a facility that also processes: Milk, Peanuts, Almond, Cashew, Walnut, Coconut, Hazelnut, Pistachio. 

*Pemmican is/was a staple food item in North America--made with ground jerky (typically dried bison jerky and occasionally dried/smoked salmon), rendered fat, berries (chokecherry, Saskatoon berry, cranberry) and occasionally honey and nuts. It was originally created by indigenous people. Fur traders and colonists consumed versions of this traditional protein/energy bar as well. (You can even find a few modern versions of pemmican with chocolate.)

Raaka Chocolate - "Mellow Moon" - Functional Dark Chocolate 64% (bar) - Dec. 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate
"Mellow Moon" - Functional Dark Chocolate 64% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. 28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar + shipping 
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Mushroom Week.

Today's "Mellow Moon" Functional 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) made by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Aroma and flavor notes included: the smells of freshly cut wood stacked by a fireplace, with a winter mulled, warm chocolate and spice beverage in my hand wafting up steam. Amazing how evocative smells and taste can be.

Additional flavor notes included very faint, authentic menthol/peppermint and very faint wood and umami.

Texture: smooth, almost creamy texture--with no detectable mushroom powder/grit. (I've made this comment in most of this week's mushroom chocolate bars. We've come a long way from the very first mushroom chocolate I ever tasted years ago.) 

I enjoyed the diverse blend of ingredients that somehow all harmonized well together, and the base cacao that contributed a smooth yet flavorful base, and the faint, fleeting and unlikely graham cracker (brown sugar?) note in the finish.

Cacao origin: Semuliki Forest, Uganda. 

Maker's description: "Mellow out with this soothing, floral dark chocolate infused with seven adaptogenic herbs and 530 mg of mushrooms, carefully crafted for the after hours."

Ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic coconut sugar, organic cacao butter, organic lion's Mane mushroom extract, organic reishi mushrooms, organic peppermint, organic holy basil, organic lemon balm, organic lavender, organic ashwaganda"

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut sugar. "gluten free, vegan" 

Intrigue Chocolate - Lavender, Coffee, Long Pepper (bar) - Nov. 3, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Lavender, Coffee, Long Pepper 64% Dark (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5) / 2.5 (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and the Mint Family Theme Week--featuring several days of chocolates flavored with different members of the very large mint family: peppermint, yerba buena, basil, rosemary, lavender and more.

Today's Lavender, Coffee, Long Pepper 64% Dark (bar) was from Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA), a small-batch maker offering bars and confections--most with at least one local, Pacific Northwest flavor inclusion. 

Origin story: The cacao ("mostly Trinitario and Amelonado") used to make this chocolate was from Uganda, Rwenzururu, Semuliki Forest. And the lavender was from B&B Family Lavender Farm (Sequim, WA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, slightly woodsy, distinctive floral (lavender) with light menthol (mint), sweet green, and very faint and harmonious savory (pepper). I could not smell the coffee, but I think it added a richness and a grounded quality, and somehow tied together these 4+ flavors in an unexpectedly successful way.

Texture: smooth, well-tempered dark chocolate with both a very slight crunchiness (likely coffee), and a relatively creamy texture and melt.  

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, dark ganache), with a blend of authentic lavender, faint fruit (blueberry), and very faint savory (pepper) and barely detectable (in most bites) coffee.

This 64% cacao bar was sweet without being overly so--allowing one to really appreciate a skillfully executed blend of complex, bold flavors--that could've been pulled in many directions; but instead the finished blend was almost smoother and greater than the sum of its parts. 

Makers tasting notes: "Medium-roast coffee draws together the perfume of the lavender and the musky bite of the long pepper."

Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), lavender, coffee, long pepper"

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

    

Godavari Chocolate - Bon-fiction "Lost in an Orange Haze" 64% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Godavari Chocolate Inc.
Bon-fiction "Lost in an Orange Haze" 64% dark chocolate, candied orange peel and cinnamon (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA  

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Orange Week.

Today's Bon-fiction "Lost in an Orange Haze" 64% dark chocolate, candied orange peel and cinnamon (bar) was made from tree-to-bar in India, and imported and distributed by Godavari Chocolate Inc. (Folsom, CA).

The cacao used to make this bar was "hand-picked from farms in the Godavari region of Southern India."

Aroma and flavor notes for this single origin bar included: rich chocolate orange spiced cake/cookie. There was also a very faint (barely detectable) slightly savory freshly baked bread with butter aroma note(s) in the very beginning, that faded after taking a bite--when the chocolate and orange took center stage.

The texture was smooth and buttery/creamy. (It did not contain milk.) The finely diced pieces of candied orange peel were well executed and very complementary to the chocolate flavors. I also enjoyed the cinnamon--that added a subtle, warm spice note.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Candied Orange Peels, Cinnamon

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes: Milk, Peanuts, Almond, Cashew, Walnut, Coconut, Hazelnut, Pistachio."

Orchard Valley Harvest - Dipped Almonds, 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate - Aug. 20, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Orchard Valley Harvest
Dipped Almonds - Almonds Coated in 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate
Good + 
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total package of 8 packs
Calories: 160 calories in 1 pack

Cost: $5.00 for 1 package of 8 individually-wrapped packs
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Orchard Valley Harvest Dipped Almonds --Almonds Coated in 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate--were distributed by John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (Elgin, IL).

One percent of the sales of this product goes "towards tackling child hunger across America."

Aroma notes for these glossy, dark chocolate covered almonds included: chocolate (dark ganache), nut (almond, peanut), faint vanilla and faint, fleeting fruit (pear). (Note: there were no peanut ingredients listed in this product.)

The whole almond centers had a crunchy, roasted texture; a smooth, fudge-y 64% dark chocolate covering (and a shiny coat); and a smooth, dark chocolate finish that was balanced and not too sweet (thank you!).

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract), Almonds, Gum Acacia, Sugar, Confectioner's Glaze.

Allergen-related information: Contains tree nuts (almonds). May contain milk, peanuts and other tree nuts. 

Monsoon Chocolate - Bejofo Estate Madagascar 64% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar) - July 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Bejofo Estate Madagascar 64% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 138 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Bejofo Estate Madagascar 64% Dark Milk Chocolate (Batch #7) bar was from Monsoon Chocolate LLC (Tucson, AZ).

Part of the company's Origin Series, this chocolate was crafted using cacao grown on the Bejofo Estate in northwest Madagascar's Sambirano Valley.

This estate is managed by "Bertil Akesson, who has specialized in growing fine cocoa, pepper, and other spices for many years, Bejofo Estate produces 300 tons of cocoa a year. The cocoa has been designated as certified "Heirloom" by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative (HCP)."

The subtle aroma notes included: dark milk chocolate, fruit (tropical fruit, melon, kiwi) and faint cookie. 

The texture was smooth, with a creamy mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: dark milk chocolate with tart-sweet fruit notes (mango, cacao fruit (pulp), melon, tangerine, very faint sweet green fruit (kiwi)); faint clean mineral water; faint caramel; and faint butter cookie. 

Similar to other chocolates made with (Criollo, Nacional) heirloom cacao varieties, the flavors in today's dark milk chocolate were subtle, pleasant and complex. The milk and unrefined cane sugar softened the tart-sweet fruit flavors and also added a bit of caramel flavor.

This 64% dark milk chocolate bar was smooth, and sweet and very low in bitterness. It will surely please most milk chocolate fans. However, both dark and milk chocolate fans may also appreciate the sophisticated cacao and softly undulating fruit flavors. I certainly did.

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Milk Powder* (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: Contains dairy (milk). "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

 

Auro Chocolate - 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) - May 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Auro Chocolate
64% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 168 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 64% Dark Chocolate bar was from Auro Chocolate (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines). 

The company produces tree-to-bar chocolate using cacao grown in the Philippines. Today's bar was made with cacao sourced from farmers in the forests of Davao.

Aroma notes for this 64% cacao chocolate included: chocolate (roasted, slightly smoky cacao, ganache), molasses and faint spice, and very faint, fleeting umami (savory -- think faint mushroom soup and cheese -- which, to be fair, may have wafted in from a nearby restaurant(s).

Flavor notes included: rich and sweet drinking chocolate (with faint fermented cacao and very faint fleeting earth). 

This chocolate had flavor depth and complexity, and was reasonably well balanced. It had the expected amount of (relatively bright fruit/sugar) sweetness--a level I'd expect to find in a 64% cacao dark chocolate. This sweetness was tempered by the breadth of naturally occurring chocolate flavors.

Maker's tasting notes: "...64% dark chocolate accented with notes of raisins and berries." 

Ingredients: Cacao mass, cane sugar, cacao butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier)

Allergen-related information: Contains soy. "This product is manufactured in a facility that processes other products which may contain milk, tree nuts and peanuts."

Shekoh Confections - Blackcurrant - June 7, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Shekoh Confections
Blackcurrant
Good +++ 
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 62 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $4.40 (estimate) 
Purchased from: Shekoh Confections, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week.

Today's Yuzu chocolate was created by Chef Shekoh Moossavi at Shekoh Confections (Palo Alto, CA). Her high-end filled chocolates were/are made with no preservatives, and "fresh to order" for customers.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (faint dark brownie with nut butter); faint diffuse tart sweet fruit (dark berry + light mango jam); and tart green lemon herb (oxalis). 

Biting into this small, domed confection yielded an excellent blend of jammy dark berry (black currant, blueberry preserves) fruit and chocolate--a very satisfying, flavorful layering of a dark chocolate shell and ganache with true dark chocolate (dark chocolate torte, faint nut and very faint tart lemony herb (oxalis)) notes. The rich flavors lingered lightly into the finish.

This was another very well balanced and executed confection, with a restrained sweetness--just enough for enjoyment while still allowing full access to cacao and authentic, sweet-tart blackcurrant fruit flavors.

Shekoh description: "Puree of blackcurrant (and) Valrhona 64% Tainori dark chocolate."

Ingredients: Not listed on small assortment box

Allergen-related information: Not listed on small assortment box

 

Obolo Chocolate SpA - Masala Chai Spicd 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Obolo Chocolate SpA

Masala Chai Spiced 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar

Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Masala Chai Spiced (tea) 64% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Chilean chocolate maker, Obolo Chocolate SpA (Santiago, Chile). 

This Certified B Corporation makes bean-to-bar chocolate in Santiago, a large city with a climate similar to Los Angeles, making it a bit easier to make chocolate (vs. in the more remote regions where cacao grows in the Amazon), while at the same time affording relationships with nearby cacao producers in South America. 

Masala Chai is a blend of spices and tea (and often milk). There was masala tea infused into this sweet chocolate--that was made with organic cacao from Pangoa, Peru--but no milk (powder). Similar to yesterday's Earl Grey bar from Obolo, the aroma was very subtle, but the flavors became stronger over the course of the tasting experience, ending with a clearer taste of the spices (and the chocolate) in the finish. 

The relatively high level of sugar made it difficult to pick out the cacao flavors in the base chocolate but there seemed to be hints of balanced fruit acidity/brightness and true chocolate/cocoa notes. (There might have been a wee bit of a floral note, but there was too much going on with the tea spices to be able to be sure of that.)

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, masala chai tea. 

Obolo Chocolate SpA - Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 10, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Obolo Chocolate SpA

Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar

Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week. We're also celebrating Chocolate Banquet's 14th Anniversary this week. Our 14th year of sampling a different chocolate every day, visiting great chocolate makers and exploring cacao-related destinations. 

Today's Earl Grey Blend 64% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Chilean chocolate maker, Obolo Chocolate SpA (Santiago, Chile).

Earl Grey tea, a black tea blend flavored with oil of Bergamot (extracted from the rind of the aromatic Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia)), was first mentioned in the early 1800s. The yellow-orange Bergamot fruit (aka sour orange) shares the tart brightness of other citrus fruits but also possesses pronounced floral and spice notes.

This Chilean-made, tea-infused chocolate (crafted with cacao from Pangoa, Peru) had a very subtle aroma with a whisper of Earl Grey tea (bergamot, aromatic light woodsy citrus and tea notes). Stronger Earl Grey and chocolate flavors unfolded during the tasting experience. The bar had balanced tea and chocolate acidity levels, and a citrus/bergamot tea flavored finish. It was difficult to pick out the flavor the cacao may have contributed (e.g. perhaps its own floral and citrus fruit notes), but the relatively sweet chocolate did add chocolate depth and richness.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Earl Grey tea.

Obolo Chocolate - 64% Cacao Lapsang Souchong bar - Dec. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Obolo Chocolate
64% Cacao Lapsang Souchong (bar)
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's 64% Cacao Lapsang Souchong (tea) bar was made by Obolo Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker based in Santiago, Chile.

This complex, relatively sweet dark chocolate broke with a hard snap and was full of smoked tea, savory, fruit, floral aroma and flavor notes. It was an enjoyable and satisfying dark chocolate ride.

I love umami flavors, so I'll never say no to a well-executed, well-balanced bar like this with hints of clean smoked tea.

*Lapsang Souchang tea is a black tea originally from the Wuyi region (Fujian Province) in China. Tea leaves are dried over a smoking pine fire, giving the tea its characteristic smoky flavor and aroma.

World Market - 64% Strawberry Champagne Dark Chocolate square - Aug. 14, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

World Market 

64% Cacao Strawberry and Champagne Dark Chocolate small bar

Good

Weight: .375 oz. (10.6 g.) in total bar

Calories: 49 calories in 1 small bar

Cost: $0.49 for 1 bar

Purchased from: World Market, N. Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week.

This individually wrapped square had a sweet dark chocolate and red berry/strawberry flavor.

The 64% cacao chocolate was embedded with tiny red-pink morsels, and it even had a few very tiny authentic strawberry seeds to embellish the tasting experience.

One had only to imagine a tiny crystal goblet of pink bubbly champagne along with it.

Markham and Fitz - Ooh La Lavender 64% bar - May 31, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers
Ooh La Lavender - Lavender, honey, vanilla, nibs 64% dark chocolate bar
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA


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

Today's Ooh La Lavender bar was made by Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers (Bentonville, AK).

This lovely 64% dark chocolate bar contained the aforementioned lavender (lavender oil); Patagonia honey (a floral honey sustainably produced by Patagonia Bee Products); cacao nibs and vanilla.

The single origin chocolate was made using organic cacao that was grown in Oko Caribe, Dominican Republic. (The makers work with importing partners, such as Uncommon Cacao.)

The bar had a great lavender floral aroma—made extra beautiful with honey and an almost invisible but very effective touch of vanilla.

Honey itself can provide a subdued floral note or two. This bar was sweetened with honey and cane sugar. Using honey in this bar added great complementary flavor and, when combined with the DR cacao, the 64% cacao chocolate (that tasted more like a 75% bar), was not too sugary sweet (thank you!).

Why don't more makers choose to work with honey? Not everyone wants floral or honey flavors added to their chocolate, however subtle they may be. And refined cane sugar is considered more "neutral" as well as being less expensive. Honey can be more challenging to work with than cane sugar.*

The texture was smooth and the flavor was the realization of aromas promised, punctuated by crunchy cacao nibs. The chocolate had a bold, smooth dark flavor that the makers balanced very nicely with the other flavors.

This Ooh La Lavender bar had a very pleasant, very light lingering honey and lavender finish that felt both refreshing and calming. Overall it was a very well executed bar, and a well-deserved Good Food Awards** win.

*Unlike cane sugar which is fairly dry, honey is about 20 percent water, and is considered a humectant (meaning it acts to preserve moisture). Chocolate generally reacts poorly to water or moisture and can "seize up" in its melted form (when be made into chocolate bars) if one adds water. Not a great thing to happen in the manufacturing process, which is also why powdered milk (and not fresh milk) is added directly to chocolate in the making of milk chocolate. 

**The Good Food Awards have roots in the slow food and sustainability movements in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. If you're looking for great chocolates, peruse their list of winners. 

Auro - 64% Fine Dark Chocolate Coins - Feb. 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Auro
64% Fine Dark Chocolate Coins
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 5.3 oz. (150 g.) in total package
Calories: 75 calories in 1/2 oz. serving
Cost: $N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Gifts Theme Week.

Today's Auro Chocolate 64% Fine Dark Chocolate Coins were produced by FODC, Inc. (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines).

Thank you to Mike and Lawton for these high-end chocolate coins.

This chocolate had chocolatey, sweet and fruity (slight acetic acid - fruit vinegar) flavor and aroma notes.

TCHO - Banana Nut Organic Dark 64% Cacao bar - Aug. 19, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

TCHO 

banana nut - Organic dark chocolate with almonds and banana 64% cacao (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $3.79 for 1 bar

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

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Week. The fruit inclusion of the day is banana.

Today's banana nut Organic dark chocolate with almonds and + banana 64% cacao bar was crafted by TCHO in Berkeley, CA.

The banana flavor and almond bits were balanced and subtle, allowing the smooth, creamy dark chocolate to be prominent in the tasting experience. Flip the bar over and it was bumpy with banana and nut bits—also visible in broken pieces.