Standout Chocolate - Nordic Nature Sugar Kelp & Sea Salt 66% (bar) - July 15, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Standout Craft Chocolate
Nordic Nature Sugar Kelp & Sea Salt 66% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 297.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate & Water Theme Week--including a variety of items ranging from chocolates with connections to bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans) to more literal objects like chocolate surfboards and chocolate fish.

Today's Nordic Nature Sugar Kelp & Sea Salt 66% (bar) was from Standout Craft Chocolate (Goteborg, Sweden).

The cacao used to make this bar was from Oko Caribe (a cacao producer) in The Dominican Republic.

Aroma and flavor notes included: pleasing dark chocolate with a satisfying light floral green tea; subtle umami; light salt; and warm spice (very faint ginger graham cracker cookie).

Texture: smooth texture and mouthfeel

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Rose Hip, Green Tea, Sea Breeze"

I liked the smooth blend of balanced flavors and appreciated the short list of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao beans*, Sugar*, Cacao butter*, Sugar Kelp*, Sea Salt. 

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of MILK."

Cacao & Cardamom - Coffee & Cardamom 66% Cacao Single Origin (bar) - May 26, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao & Cardamom
Coffee & Cardamom 66% Cacao Single Origin (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 272 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao & Cardamom, online order

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

Today's Coffee & Cardamom 66% Cacao Single Origin (bar) was made by Cacao & Cardamom (Houston, TX). Their chief chocolatier is Annie Rupani.

The Caraibe single origin cacao used to make this bar refers to a blend of single origin Trinitario cacao from Valrhona (France).*

Aroma and flavor notes for this warm and flavorful dark chocolate included: aromatic cardamom; dark chocolate (relatively sweet 66% cacao chocolate and authentic "100%" cacao nibs and coffee beans); additional warm spices (cinnamon, vanilla); and mild coffee (beans).

Texture: a blend of smooth, relatively creamy dark chocolate and softly crunchy cacao nibs and "Espresso beans" (no coffee grit, thank you).

I loved the blend of cardamom, chocolate and coffee--all relatively aromatic and bold flavors that work very nicely together. The cinnamon and vanilla added more warmth, depth and come hither flavors to the whole blend.

Ingredients: "66% Caraibe Dark Chocolate (Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla extract), Cardamom, Cinnamon, Espresso Beans"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts"

*Valrhona's Caraibe chocolate is crafted from a blend of Trinitario cacao beans from four countries: the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, and Togo.

Chocofin Chocolatier - Dark Almond Bark 66% Couverture Chocolate - Mar. 11, 2026

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Chocofin Chocolatier
Dark Almond Bark 66% Couverture Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.05 g.) in total bar
Calories: 265 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: AJ's Fine Foods market, Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Pistachio, Hazelnut and Almond Theme Week.

Today's second chocolate for today was found while on a trip to Arizona: a Dark Chocolate Almond Bark bar--with 66% couverture chocolate blended with fresh roasted almonds--was from Chocofin Chocolatier (Fountain Hills, AZ).

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively smooth dark chocolate with a slight, balanced bitterness and nut (almonds) from a generous helping of roasted almonds.

Texture: Smooth textured dark chocolate with softly crunchy almonds.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, natural vanilla, soy lecithin), whole natural almonds.

Allergen-related information: "Contains: nuts & soy; made in a facility that Handles peanuts"

Ethereal Chocolate - Espresso Yourself Organic Coffee 66% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 3, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ethereal Chocolate
Espresso Yourself Organic Coffee 66% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 148 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ethereal Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's Espresso Yourself Organic Coffee 66% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Ethereal Chocolate/Confections (Woodstock, IL).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and roasted coffee, with very faint/diffuse fruit, nut, and very faint green (almost but not quite floral/vanilla) and cookies.

Texture: Smooth, very slightly grainy dark chocolate was accented by a generous helping of crunchy cacao nibs.

Flavor notes included: dark, sweet chocolate and genuine coffee, with medium acidity, and authentic unsweetened cacao nibs. The cacao nibs and coffee balanced the sweetness (sugar).

I liked the aroma; and appreciated that the coffee was present (especially in the aroma), but that I could taste the chocolate (first), and then the coffee. It was well executed from this standpoint. 

In chocolate and coffee blends, these two flavorful beans (seeds) can overpower each other if not balanced. Sometimes I like tasting the coffee first, and sometimes the chocolate. A great maker can anticipate what works best, depending on the types/varieties of cacao and coffee.

Ingredients: Chocolate* (Cocoa Beans*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*), Coffee Beans, Cocoa Nibs*. (* Organic Ingredient)

Allergen-related information: "Made on shared equipment with peanuts & tree nuts."

Castronovo Chocolate - Colombia Arhuacos 66% Ancestral Cacao Dark Milk Chocolate with Cacao Nibs (bar)

Chocolate of the Day

Castronovo Chocolate 
Colombia Arhuacos 66% Ancestral Cacao Dark Milk Chocolate with Cacao Nibs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Castronovo, online order

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

Today's Colombia Arhuacos 66% Ancestral Cacao* Dark Milk Chocolate with Cacao Nibs (bar) was from Castronovo Chocolate (Stuart, FL).

Aroma and flavor notes included: pleasing, authentic milk chocolate (malted chocolate milkshake); light caramel; and faint nut cookie.

Texture: creamy (milk chocolate) and crunchy (nibs). A few of the nibs had a hard crunch; but the overall flavor was one of subtly complex, relatively light, cacao.

Naturally sweet attributes (and lack of bitterness) gave this ancestral cacao-based chocolate a sweet nature.

I enjoyed the gently complex flavors in this special chocolate. 

Maker's tasting notes: "...subtle flavors of white wine, pecan, honey, and a malty rich chocolate creaminess with a crunch of roasted cacao nibs."

Ingredients: "cocoa beans*, cane sugar*, whole milk*, cocoa butter*, cocoa nibs* (* = organic ingredients)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a nut-free facility that uses milk and wheat."

*Many cacao farmers have long ties to the land where they are harvesting cacao. This is especially true in countries closer to the Amazon Basin in South America, where indigenous peoples have had a relationship with cacao for thousands of years. 

The maker included advice (printed on the packaging of this bar) from a Colombian spiritual leader of the Arhuacos, of Katansama, Colombia. "...listen to the elements: the wind, water, and the ancestral cacao from our forest"...."protect Mother Earth" and "be mindful of how you change nature."

 

Fruition - Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) - Nov. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate Works
Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Limited Release Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) (Batch #1) was from Fruition Chocolate Works (Shokan, New York).

The company sourced the wild Beniano Bolivian cacao beans used to make this chocolate from Volker Lehmann via Uncommon Cacao. Lehmann operates Hacienda Tranquilidad, in northern Bolivia. And their cacao is designated as a special heritage cacao by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund.

Aroma notes included: subtle, complex dark chocolate that started with a slightly more intense dark chocolate and ended with a more delicate, almost floral, sweet botanical dark chocolate.

This well-tempered 66% dark chocolate bar broke with a hard snap, and had a smooth, even texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate; very faint coffee; molasses brown bread; honey; and sweet nut(s). This Bolivia Beniano dark chocolate had a gentle, pleasing finish with slight roasted cacao/coffee and faint, fleeting forest notes.

I've tasted and featured several bars from different makers who used Tranquilidad, Bolivia, (Beniano) cacao grown in the Beni Department of northeastern Bolivia. 

While the resulting chocolates vary slightly (based on harvest year, selected roasting and conching/grinding times, etc.) all have had gentle, appealingly complex aroma and/or flavor aspects to them. 

Love live these wonderful islands of heirloom cacao trees and those that protect them. 

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Allergen Warning: Our facility contains tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, and sesame. Trace amounts possible."

 

Original Beans - Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) - Oct. 27, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Original Beans
Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 198 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 (estimate) + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Original Beans Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) was made in Switzerland. (Original Beans is based in Amsterdam, NL.)

This chocolate had a wonderful and complex aroma. Notes included: cacao with floral (honey), faint molasses/brown sugar; very faint fleeting freshly baked breads (yeast bread and steamed Boston brown bread with cornmeal, molasses and raisins); fruit (dried peach); very faint, fleeting jungle (loam/peat); and other trace sweet green botanicals.

The texture was smooth, uniform and creamy. (It likely would have been even creamier; but I was enjoying this chocolate after the expiration date.)

Flavor notes for this 66% Bolivia bar included: vibrant and complex, naturally sweet flavors. Many of these flavors were similar to the complex and varied aroma notes above. Honeyed floral notes and peach (fruit) were joined by a lovely fleeting ripe, sweet blackberry flavor note. 

It's been a long time since chocolate made me feel so transported (to a rain forest where I could imagine scents, movements and sounds among the stillness). The "fleeting" notes I mentioned seemed almost alive. One appeared and disappeared up in a forest canopy; another shimmered briefly between some lush plants between trees. I could almost hear muted bird calls and the rustling of wildlife. 

This special chocolate was made from the "rarest of the rare" Beniano wild cacao beans from the Beni* Amazon area of Bolivia. It was low in bitterness and acidity, well balanced, and wonderfully blessed with natural wild cacao flavors.

Thank you to Original Beans for making this tasting experience possible.

Original Beans Tasting Notes: "Hints of floral honey, apricot and jasmine tea..."

Ingredients: Cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*. Cacao solids: 66% minimum. (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: (No allergens listed on label.) "Certified Organic, Vegan, Dark"

*The Beni River is a major tributary of the Amazon River that originates in the Bolivian Andes. It is home to ancient forests, rare species of cacao and other plants, and indigenous peoples.

Peter Beier - D66BRA - Brazil Dark 66% - Sept. 11, 2023

​Chocolate of the Day

Peter Beier Chokolade
D66BRA - Brazil Dark 66% (pieces)
Good - Good +
Weight: .795 - .88 oz. (22.5 - 25 g.) / (1.59-1.76 oz.) (45-50 g.) in 1 container
Calories: 138.4 calories in 1/2 container
Cost: $7.05 USD (49,00 DKK) for 1 container
Purchased from: Peter Beier (store), Copenhagen, Denmark

Welcome to Day #3 of Scandinavian Chocolate Theme Week, and to 17 rewarding years of eating a different chocolate each and every day.

Today’s D66BRA - Brazil 66% Dark Chocolate--uniquely packaged, in the form of pastille-sized, small cacao pod-shaped pieces in a metal tin--was from Peter Beier Danmark (Helsinger, Danmark).*

Aroma notes for this single origin Brazil dark chocolate included: slightly bitter/sour dark cocoa (light loamy earth, yogurt, roasted cocoa, faint wood), and faint vanilla.

The texture was smooth, almost silky, and buttery.

Flavor notes included: deep dark cocoa with balanced bitter notes (porter, stout), and sour (milk/yogurt), faint roasted wood, and very faint and diffuse fruit (citrus, tart berry, dried banana, dried sweet and sour cacao pulp).

The cacao variety used to make this 66% dark chocolate was: “Amelonado/Bahia Superior.” While many steps go into creating chocolate flavor(s), Amelonado and Forastero varieties of cacao also tend to have bolder, denser/stronger flavors. 

Company’s Taste Profile notes read as follows: “Intense bitter, cocoa, fruity, unripe banana, a smokey hint.”

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier: Soya lecithin, natural vanilla.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk or nuts.

*It sounded like the tin may be taken back into a Peter Beier shop for a refill.

Fruition Chocolate Works - Spiced Rum Dark Oko-Caribe 66% (bar) - May 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate Works
Spiced Rum Oko-Caribe 66% (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Dominican Republic Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate, Spirits and Savory Snacks Theme Week.

Today's Spiced Rum Oko-Caribe 66% (bar) was created by Fruition Chocolate Works (Shokan, NY) at their workshop in the Catskill Mountains.

Maker's description: "This riff on our signature Dominican Republic Oko-Caribe dark chocolate is spiked with local Berkshire Mountain Distillers Ragged Mountain Rum and blended spices." (Cacao origin: Duarte, Dominican Republic; sourcing partner: Uncommon Cacao.)

Aroma notes for this spirited, 66% cacao dark bar included: sweet dark chocolate, caramel, sweet candy wax, warm spices, brown sugar and very faint rum.

This well-tempered chocolate broke with a hard snap. The melt and texture were smooth.

The overall taste was a softly undulating bouquet of balanced sweet, spiced rum punch and dark chocolate flavors that lingered into the finish.

The rum provided a naturally sweet, mellow, aged backdrop, without being boozy; and the subtle but intriguing spice blend infused the 66% chocolate with a warm, spiced rum flavor.

Today's chocolate was enjoyed with a savory snack plate that included: red grapes, Smokey Pepper Fontal Cheese, and savory, roasted almonds

Ingredients: Cocoa beans*, cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, rum, cinnamon, vanilla bean, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise, ginger, black pepper, pineapple essential oil. (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, soy, sesame."

Hogarth - Manuka Honey & Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao - Feb. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers 

Manuka Honey and Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 194.1 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Manuka Honey and Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao (bar) was created by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). 

The company offers a variety of chocolate bars (single origin and with flavor inclusions) made with fairly traded and organic ingredients. 

Today's bar--made with Peruvian cacao--was a collaboration with "You're a Honey"-- a New Zealand supplier whose bees have created prized Manuka honey from manuka* tree flower nectar.

Aroma notes for this bar included: honey butter, dark chocolate, and faint green maple. The relatively thick bar had a hearty smooth texture punctuated by softly crunchy cacao nibs.

The flavor was remarkable for its undulating honey and flower pollen notes, and smooth, but flavorable, dark chocolate that had subtle red/berry fruit notes. Cacao nib pieces balanced the richly sweet honey tones and added extra unsweetened, pure cacao flavor depth (with mellow wood, nut/seed and earth notes). 

Normally, 66% dark chocolates taste too sweet for me; but I loved the layers of authentic floral honey flavor in this bar. 

Maker's tasting notes: "...a chocolate with full honey flavour and a little fruit, balancing out the sweetness with bitter, crunchy cacao nibs."

Ingredients: Cocoa solids 66% (Organic, fairtrade cocoa beans; organic, fairtrade cocoa butter); organic, fairtrade sugar; Manuka honey (5%).

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk and nuts." "Gluten free; Soy free"

*Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is a flowering plant/tree in the myrtle family, native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It's also known as manuka myrtle and New Zealand tea tree. Manuka flowers in Nelson (NZ) are said to have a high pollen content and the flavor imparted (into what is often a thicker honey) was appealing and unique.

The most poetic description of manuka honey I found was a frequently quoted passage said to come from the Honey Traveler website: "aromatic with damp earth and heather notes and a cool menthol (or eucalyptus) taste and rich flavour of mineral, barley sugar and herbs."

Hogarth - Peru Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar) - Nov. 30, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Peru - Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 77.7 calories in 1 serving (1/5 bar)
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order  

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

Today's Peru Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar) was created by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). 

The Hogarth company name refers to chief chocolate maker, Karl Hogarth. And the company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates, including today's single origin Peru bar.

Aroma notes for this single origin Peru chocolate included: gentle fermented cacao, cream; very faint, balanced earth; and very faint diffuse spice and lemon-herb (oxalis).

Texture: smooth with a very slight granularity (astringency). 

Flavor notes included: chocolate (warm cocoa/drinking chocolate), natural diffuse fruit sweetness (faint, slightly tart-sweet pink lemonade and goji berry), and fresh fleeting green (sweet green tea latte with lemon).

Ingredients: Organic fair trade cocoa beans, organic fair trade cocoa butter, organic cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk and nuts. "100% Organic, vegan, gluten free, soy free"

Standout Chocolate - Nordic Nature Spruce Shoots 66% (bar) - Oct. 19, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Standout Chocolate

Nordic Nature Spruce Shoots 66% (bar)

Good ++

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 144.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Organic and vegan Nordic Nature Spruce Shoots 66% (bar) was handcrafted by chocolate maker Fredrik Martinsson and team at Standout Chocolate (Kallered, Sweden).

Aroma and flavor notes included tart sweet green and citrus as well as very faint evergreen forest notes.

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in the Dominican Republic and it provided dark rich flavor (Forastero-Trinitario hybrid cacao variety perhaps?) with one faint, fleeting flicker of earth. The sugar, chocolate and spruce together created a nicely-balanced red berry-citrus like sweetness.

I highly recommend this unique and tasty spruce tip flavored bar for chocolate lovers who also enjoy botanicals and edible plants. No surprise--coming from an area where evergreens are enjoyed and appreciated--the spruce flavor in this chocolate was particularly wonderful.*

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic spruce shoots.

Allergen-related information: May contain milk.

*Native Americans also used edible Spruce tips (as well as spruce "gum" (resin) and occasionally inner bark) for medicinal purposes. And European explorers learned to stave off scurvy with these Vitamin C rich botanicals. Occasionally I am able to find Douglas Fir and/or spruce tree tip teas; but they're a rare commercial find in the U.S.

Ethereal Confections - Whiskey and Nibs (bar) - May 26, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Ethereal Confections
Whiskey Infused Chocolate Bar topped with Whiskey Cocoa Nibs
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 207 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic (now closed), Mill Valley, CA 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z.

Today's Whiskey Infused Chocolate Bar topped with Whiskey Cocoa Nibs was made by Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL). The company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates and hosts on-site classes and events in their space.

Whiskey and chocolate are a great match. The Whiskey in this 66% cacao dark chocolate provided a fragrant, boozy aroma, and rich, well-rounded, barrel-aged flavor. The spirits harmonized quite well with the chocolate. 

Whiskey-soaked cacao nibs added concentrated cocoa flavor with a flavor kick. (Whiskey-infused nibs are a wonderful garnish for, or inclusion in, sweet/dessert items as well as savory dishes (roasted meat rubs, vegetable marinades, salads).

Ingredients: Organic Chocolate (Whiskey Infused Organic Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter); Whiskey Infused Cocoa Nibs. 

Allergen-related information: "Made on shared equipment with peanuts and three nuts." Vegan.

Raaka Chocolate - Green Tea Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 66% (bar) - Feb. 23, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate
Green Tea Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 66% (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 238 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and EFGHI Theme Week, where I am featuring chocolate items with flavor inclusions that begin with the letters E, F, G, H and/or I.

Today's Green Tea Crunch Unroasted Dark Chocolate 66% (bar) was made by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Tea and chocolate blends can be wonderful. Today's vegan and gluten-free bar incorporated genmaicha* green tea. 

This well-tempered and skillfully-executed chocolate had a dark, faintly green, aroma. 

The base dark chocolate was smooth with tiny crunchy bits from puffed quinoa. Adding a grain of any type (rice, oats, quinoa, etc.) tends to mellow/complement sharp, bitter or earthy notes sometimes found in ultra-dark or bolder chocolates. This bar contained both brown rice* and quinoa.

The bar had a faint pleasant almost floral, grassy, green tea flavor with medium fruit (mild, citrus/tangerine with honey) acidity. The finish had a light, lingering malt/grain flavor, and a relatively long tail with a fleeting, faint uptick of green tea.

The deep, dark, unroasted cacao used to make this bar was from Reserva Zorzal, a cacao-producing private reserve, located in the mountains of Duarte Province in northeastern Dominican Republic.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic puffed quinoa, organic genmaicha* green tea.

*This bar was made with genmaicha green tea. Genmaicha ("brown rice tea", also known as roasted rice tea or popcorn tea) is popular in Japan, and is made with green tea and roasted, popped brown rice.

St. Benoit Creamery - TCHO Chocolate Pot de Creme organic dessert - Sept. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

St. Benoit Creamery 

Organic Desserts Pot de Creme - TCHO Chocolate

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 small jar

Calories: 200 calories in 1 small jar

Cost: $3.99 for 1 small jar

Purchased from: Farm Fresh (CSA box item)

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's TCHO Chocolate organic pot de creme dessert was from St. Benoit Creamery (Sonoma, CA).

This little glass jar was full of smooth and creamy chocolate goodness. Its rich

chocolate aroma and flavor was the product of plenty of chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. The cocoa powder also contributed an authentic, medium cacao acidity that nicely accented the more bland but altogether yummy milk and cream.

Ingredients: Organic whole milk, organic cream, organic egg yolk, organic 66% chocolate (organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, soy lecithin, organic vanilla beans), organic cacao beans, organic cocoa powder, organic cane sugar, pectin, sea salt, organic vanilla extract.

Ranger Chocolate - 66% Cacao with Maple Sugar (bar) - June 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ranger Chocolate
66% Cacao with Maple Sugar (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.)/ 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 169 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ranger Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Bees and Trees Theme Week.

Today's 66% Cacao with Maple Sugar (bar) was from Ranger Chocolate (Portland, OR)--a company that has a tree graphic as part of their logo.

The company has paired sweet maple sugar crystals (made from maple tree sap) with a "bold, fruit forward Trinitario cacao." 

This thick, aromatic bar smelled great. It had a rich chocolate and authentic maple sugar aroma and flavor with faint molasses, spice and fruit notes.

The melt was long and smooth and became more creamy in texture as you could get your mouth around each relatively thick bite. Patience was rewarded. And the finish was clean, fading with a light trace of maple and faint spice. Given the potentially cloying flavor of maple sugar, this was relatively well balanced in terms of flavors and the Trinitario cacao fruitiness was able to shine through a bit, enhanced by the maple.

Maker's tasting notes read: "strawberry and maple syrup."

Tree sugars
Most chocolate bars and confections in the U.S. are flavored with cane sugar and perhaps beet sugar.

Honey from beehives in trees, tree fruit and blossoms, and and tree sap(s) also have been time-honored sweeteners. Maple sugar (from tree sap) and palm coconut sugar (made from the sap of flower buds) are two examples of the latter. It's been a treat to feature chocolates with some of these "tree" related sweeteners this week.

Michel Cluizel - Plantation Mokaya Organic 66% Mexico (bar) - Mar. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Michel Cluizel
Plantation Mokaya Bio/Organic Chocolat Noir 66% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Mexico Theme Week--and the third French chocolate bar made from Mexican-grown cacao.

Today's single origin (Mexico) Plantation Mokaya Organic 66% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Michel Cluizel (Damville, France).

This bar had an aroma with chocolate fudge brownie, dried fruit (prune), clean green and very faint pleasant/aromatic vanilla tobacco notes. The melt was even and smooth and the texture was slightly silky and buttery.

The flavor was relatively sweet (but not overpoweringly so) 66% cacao chocolate with balanced earth, true chocolate and mellow dried fruit flavor and finish.

The bar contained three ingredients: "Fine cocoa from the Mokaya Plantation" (located in the Province of Chiapas, in SW Mexico); "Pure cocoa butter;" and "Bourbon vanilla pod."

Cemoi Chocolatier - Sao Tome 66% Cocoa (bar) - Mar. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cemoi Chocolatier
Sao Tome 66% Cocoa (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 4 squares of bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and West Africa Theme Week.

Why focus on West Africa? Because chances are that the bulk of the chocolate you've eaten in your lifetime was made using cacao grown in West Africa (most of it from Ghana and the Ivory Coast). Cacao was brought from the New World to West Africa in the early to mid 1800s, and ramped up from there. But the first country where cacao likely made landfall was the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe (in 1822), that earned the nickname "chocolate islands."

Today's Sao Tome 66 percent Cocoa bar was made in France and distributed by Cemoi Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA). Cemoi cocoa comes from thousands of farmers (an estimated 60,000 worldwide) and "is collected in fair trade conditions." Cocoa for this chocolate was Non GMO Project Verified.

This smooth chocolate bar's aroma and flavor had roasted earthy, loamy notes and a light bitterness, with a touch of honey and faint cinnamon.

Mayana Chocolate - Monkey Bar Mini - Banana Rum Caramel, Vanilla Bean 66% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Mayana Chocolate
Monkey Bar Mini - Banana Rum Caramel, Vanilla Bean 66% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Spanish Table, Mill Valley, CA

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

Today's Monkey Bar Mini was handcrafted by those at Mayana Chocolate in Spooner, Wisconsin.

The bar-shaped confection was a total sugar bomb (with at least three types of sugar), but it was a very nicely flavored one.

At the heart of this sweet thing was a foundation layer of authentic banana caramel with a faint hint of butter rum flavor.* This layer was topped by a layer of light as a feather vanilla marshmallow. And this sweet stack was covered in 66% dark chocolate, and festively sprinkled with what might have been...more sugar.

*This flavor was conjured with banana-rum liqueur according to the ingredients list.

Ethereal - 66% Dark Chocolate Blueberries, Lavender, Almonds bar - May 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ethereal Bean-to-Bar Craft Chocolate
66% Dark Chocolate Topped with Blueberries, Lavender, Almonds bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 234 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

Combining chocolate with edible flowers and floral flavors is one of our favorite pastimes, so we were looking forward to this week for months.

Today's 66% Dark Chocolate Topped with Blueberries, Lavender and Almonds bar was created by Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL).

The chocolate had a deeper, darker, slightly fruit-acidic chocolate aroma and flavor than other 66% cacao bars, and less sugar sweetness than expected (thank you!). Whether there was actually less sugar or not, we're not sure, but this would have helped explain why the authentic chocolate, blueberries, lavender and almond flavors seemed to shine through.

Freeze-dried blueberries provided some down to earthy fruit-acid flavor and finely sliced almonds provided some balance and slightly nutty texture/soft crunch. Lavender flower buds contributed a distinctive, calming, floral flavor that lingered in the finish.