Vixen Chocolate - Rising Phoenix 71% dark + spicy hibiscus (bar) - July 25, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Vixen Chocolate
Rising Phoenix - 71% dark + spicy hibiscus (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $22.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Fire & Passion Theme Week.

Today's "Rising Phoenix" 71% dark + spicy hibiscus (bar) was from Vixen Chocolate (Portland, OR).

"From the fire comes rebirth" the packaging for this chocolate tells us. (And spicy flavors can also warm and cheer our hearts.) 

Aroma notes for this bold bar included: chocolate, come hither red floral-tart-sweet red grape (wine), warm spice, and fresh, mineral notes.

Texture: smooth chocolate base, with tiny, slightly crunchy chili bits and possibly candied hibiscus bits.

Flavor notes included: smooth chocolate base, with tart-sweet floral (hibiscus), warm spices (balanced spicy cinnamon, very light chili).

I enjoyed the balanced, bold flavors; unique, intriguing complexity; and slightly smokey, tasty, restrained chili fire. I felt like I enjoyed a perfect marriage of smooth dark chocolate with spicey Jamaica (the bright red beverage made with hearty, red hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) flowers, aka roselle or sorrel).

Maker's Tasting Notes: "dark chocolate laced with bold chilies and vibrant hibiscus--forged in the fire--blooming unapologetically" ("Infused with Solfeggio Sound Frequencies" -- 417 Hz)

Ingredients: cacao beans*, cane sugar*, cacao butter*, hibiscus, guajillo chile, royal cinnamon, chipotle chili, 417 Hz, LOVE (*organic)

Allergen-related information: No information found on bar packaging

Sted Foods - Lakeside Blend 71% Dark Chocolate (small bar) - July 12, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Sted Foods
Lakeside Blend 71% Dark Chocolate (small bar)
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / This bar was part one flavor in a 3-bar pack
Calories: 78 calories (estimate) in 1 small bar
Cost: $10.00 for 3 mini bars (3 different flavors)
Purchased from: Sted Foods, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Water Theme Week.

Today's Sted Foods Lakeside Blend 71% Dark Chocolate (small bar) was manufactured by TC Foods, LLC (Fergus Falls, MN), and was part of a three-bar, lake-themed collection.

Today's "Lakeside Blend" was part of the company's Lakeside Collection of three small bars that also included "The Bobber" (with cacao nibs) and "Coffee + Cream" chocolates.

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 71% dark chocolate included: ultra-dark chocolate with flickers of ultra-dark fudge, and faint fruit (dark red, blue/purple fruits). 

I enjoyed the balanced, earthy and deep, dark flavors of the cacao(s) (Haiti and Dominican Republic)--a boldness that still left room for complex berry and other subtle flavors.

Maker's Tasting notes: "Bright, Intense, Reflective"

Ingredients: "organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that uses sesame seeds, pecans, almonds, coconut, cashews, hazelnuts, and milk"

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. - Extra Dark 71% with Salt & Nibs (bars) - Sept. 5, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir et sel de Camargue 
(Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar))
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir, eclats de feves de cacao 
(Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in total bar
Calories: 85.35 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Bonjour, and welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week--that featured a variety of chocolates with marine-related flavor additions and themes. The first of the two bars featured today contained sea salt and was adorned with a colorful, tattooed sailor.

This is also Day #2 of Chocolate and Seeds Week with chocolates that contain seeds (including seeds that are misnamed beans).**  The second bar featured today has bits of cacao seeds (aka nibs).

Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar)

Aroma notes for this 71% French dark chocolate with salt bar included: deep, dark chocolate (West African, Forastero/Amelonado varieties of cacao); dark, fudge-y, with a touch of earth and very faint tree bark/peat; and barely detectable cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxe texture and melt interspersed with crystalline sparkles of salt.

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate (that tasted slightly darker than 71% cacao); faint and balanced loamy earth and peaty-bark; satisfying upticks of salt; and very faint tropical fruit and nut. The unrefined cane sugar contributed a subtle, natural, fruity sweetness.

I liked this flavorful, dark and not too sweet dark chocolate, with a thick, luxurious melt and texture. I enjoyed the small crystals of Camargue* salt (and the salt origin story); the colorful illustration of a sailor with the tall ship (and bird) tattoos, on the package; and the use of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, Camargue salt flower 0.3% (* = Ingredients from organic farming, certified by FR-BIO-O1)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar)

Aroma notes for this second 71% French dark chocolate bar--with cocoa nibs--included: deep, dark chocolate and faint fruit (melon, fig) and very faint chocolate cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxurious texture and melt in the base 71% dark chocolate; accented with crunchy bits of cocoa nibs. 

Nit-picking time....Cacao beans or cocoa beans are actually seeds; and the terms cacao (or cocoa) nibs used to describe bits of beans, are (you guessed it) bits of seeds. It seems unlikely we'll correct these terms after using them for many decades now. But, a seed-themed week seemed like the best time to make this point.**

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate; subtle fig cookie and very faint diffuse tropical fruit (ripe pineapple, mango, sweet green banana, red apple); faint, balanced slightly acidic, woody (peaty) earth, and nut cookie.

I liked the depth and subtle complexity of the rich, cocoa flavor in this small dark chocolate bar; and that it wasn't too sweet (thank you!). The sugar did not mask some of the more nuanced cacao and chocolate flavors. I also liked the use of organic ingredients and the lack of emulsifiers and other additives.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, cocoa nibs* (* = Ingredients from organic farmers)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

*Salts in chocolates come with their own sea-related origin stories. Camargue salt comes from salt marshes in the Camargue region of southern France. This Mediterranean fleur de sel is used extensively in cooking in Southern France. The harvested salt is pushed up into large piles near pink salt evaporation ponds. Flamingos in the region also enjoy feeding in this landscape with large, shallow expanses of sea water and salt ponds. 

I could relate to this origin story. I live near the southern end of the San Francisco Bay (with salt marshes and a history of salt-making). We even have one, lone (live) flamingo that has been sighted feeding in some of the old salt ponds. 

**We may end up updating/clarifying definitions for seeds and beans in the future; but the following is what I was taught decades ago: A seed comes from a mature flowering plant/tree. A "bean" is a type of seed that comes from legumes; e.g. plants in the pea family (peas, lentils, beans). Cacao, coffee and vanilla are not part of the legume family; but their seeds are, nonetheless, called beans.

Peter Beier - D71.6PCSB - PB Special Blend (bar) - Sept. 10, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Peter Beier 
D71.6PBSB - Peter Beier Special Blend - Dark 71.6% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 283 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.12 USD (49,50 DKK) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Peter Beier (shop), Copenhagen, Denmark

Welcome to Day #9 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week, and Day #1 of Scandinavian Chocolate Week.

Today's D71.6PBSB - Dark 71.6% PB Special Blend was from Peter Beier Danmark (Helsinger, Danmark).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (ganache), faint salted butter, very faint dried fruit (fig cookie, barely detectable rye bread with butter and honey, banana, and sweet (green) tea.

The texture was buttery (almost silky) smooth.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y (very smooth, buttery dark chocolate) with subtle variations on the aroma notes (listed above): gentle dried fruit, honey, and fig, that lingered into a very pleasant finish.

This thoughtfully executed dark blend (made with Hispaniola/Criollo cacao) had an attractive, subtle complexity with an enjoyable dark chocolate aroma and flavor profile; and it was relatively low in bitterness.

Maker's Taste Profile (notes): "Cocoa, honey, green tea and a butter flowery aftertaste."

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin). 71.9% cacao solids.

Allergen-related information: (Can contain traces of milk or nuts.)

Michel Cluizel - Plantation Mangaro Madagascar 71% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 19, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Michel Cluizel (Cluizel Paris)
Plantation Mangaro Madagascar 71% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar  
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Madagascar Theme Week.

Today's Plantation Mangaro Grand Cru Ambohimarina 71% Cocoa Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Michel Cluizel (Paris, France).* 

Aroma and flavor notes for this single origin Madagascar dark chocolate included: dark chocolate/cocoa, gentle but persistent fruit (mango, cacao fruit (pulp)), and faint, balanced, vaguely botanical, fermentation (that faded after opening) and light spice notes. The texture was even and smooth. 

The fruit was sophisticated and subtle, and less overtly tart/acidic/citrus-y than some dark Madagascar chocolates I've tasted in the past. The fruit notes were more similar to heritage cacao bean fruit notes, and/or a cacao flavor that was softened by a bit more single origin, cocoa butter. 

I enjoyed the subtle, intriguing flavor notes. 

Maker's tasting/aroma notes: "Biscuit, tangy exotic fruits, gingerbread, hot cocoa, notes of citrus and pepper." (Note: Cluizel offers more online tasting information at www.lessensduchocolat.com.)

Ingredients: Cocoa (71% minimum), sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of shelled tree nuts, milk and gluten"

* Michel Cluizel in a bean-to-bar chocolate making company that was founded in the French town of Damville in Normandy in 1948.

 

One One Cacao - Blue Mountain Coffee 71% (bar) - July 2, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
Blue Mountain Coffee 71% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .353 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample-sized bar
Calories: 55 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: $53 - one of 6 sample bar chocolate tasting
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, online order 

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week. 

Today's Blue Mountain Coffee 71% sample bar was from One One Cacao (Kingston Parish, Jamaica).

This sample-sized Jamaican coffee bar was part of an online Jamaica chocolate tasting with One One Cacao founder, Nick Davis, arranged by Sunita de Tourreil at Happy Chocolate Experiences.*

Aroma notes for this 71% dark bar included subtle coffee, nut, savory (salted purple grape, very faint smoked sea salt/savory), and light fruit (raisin) and almost invisible floral (honey).**

The texture was smooth, but slightly rustic (think stone-ground chocolates, or chocolate with finely ground coffee). 

This chocolate offered substantial, hearty, well-balanced dark chocolate (faint brownie batter and dark fudge cake) flavors. Do savor slowly to fully enjoy the wonderful Blue Mountain coffee and cacao elements in this chocolate. 

The sweetness was pleasant and not overwhelming. These were high-quality coffee and cocoa beans to start with. The aroma and flavor notes were subtle,  complex, hearty and satisfying all at the same time. The beans' natural flavors (varieties, fermentation, conching/grind and refine times) and the roast time(s)--for both coffee and cacao--seemed very well calibrated to hit this point. Thank you to One One Cacao.

Maker's description: "Jamaica's Blue Mountain Coffee is often said to be the most expensive in the world. It isn't but it's super expensive compared to (your) average cup of Joe because of the incredible fruity and floral notes found in a light medium roast of the beans. Wait a second! Fruit floral notes, combined with Trinitario cacao's similar profile, with the chocolate notes in the coffee itself. It's a match made in heaven, we roast both beans using state of the art fluid bed bed technology to tease out the best flavour. Two bean's one love!"

Ingredients: (Not included on small sample packet.)

Allergen-related information: (Not included on small sample packet.)

*Sunita previously founded The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences enable chocolate lovers expand their awareness about great chocolate, and makers around the world.

**Note: I enjoy well-balanced salt, savory and umami flavors/flavor inclusions in chocolate, and considered this very faint salt/savory/salted buttered nut note a plus.

One One Cacao - St. Thomas 71% dark chocolate (bar) - June 23, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
St. Thomas 71% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Calories: 54 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: N/A - Part of a six-bar tasting kit (A full-size bar was $11.00.)
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's sample Clarendon 71% bar from One One Cacao* (Kingston Parish, Jamaica) was one of six sample bars in a tasting (kit) sent to participants in advance before an online discussion/interview and tasting experience.

Tasting these Jamaican chocolates was made possible by Sunita de Tourreil** at Happy Chocolate Experiences. Sunita interviewed founder and chocolate maker Nick Davis and Marta from One One Cacao, which provided some great context for the diversity of flavors found in one island nation.

Aroma notes for today's 71% dark tasting square included fresh, slightly sweet coffee ice cream or custard, very faint fruit (black sapote?), barely there fragrant black tea, and almost invisible warm spice and vegetable notes.

The flavor was full of subtle complex flavors including true chocolate (light brownie batter), dried stone fruits (faint plum/prune), warm plum spice cake pieces in custard topped with a drizzle of caramel and pecan pieces, and complex tea latte with brown sugar notes.

This was a high-end dessert buffet in one small bar. Do savor slowly to pick up all the sweet aroma and flavor nuances.

Maker's description: "This is an Award Winner picking up an Academy of Chocolate Award in 2020. Nutty with complex notes of biscuit and toffee, like a Graham Cracker combined with a Custard Creme. International award winning cacao from Johnson's Mountain, St. Thomas. The cacao in this bar is award winning...I'm not saying it for jokes, it's literally some of the best and most expensive and rare cacao on earth."

Ingredients: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

* The company name was inspired by an old Jamaican proverb: "One one cocoa, full basket" that conveys the notion that little by little, cocoa pods and beans fill baskets, baskets are filled, and goals can be met.

**Sunita previously founded Chocolate Dividends, and was proprietor of (and a wonderful chocolate concierge at) The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences provides windows into happy cacao--places, makers and destinations--and of course wonderful chocolate.

  

One One Cacao - Portland 71% (bar) - June 22, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
Portland 71% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Calories: 54 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: Part of a $53 six-bar tasting kit + tasting experience 
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Portland 71% sample bar from One One Cacao* (Kingston Parish, Jamaica) was part of a six-bar sample pack + online tasting experience. The chocolate selection (and conversation between the maker and a moderator) allowed tasters to experience a virtual tour of Jamaica through the lens of cacao. The chocolates were made from cacao grown in four different Jamaican parishes. 

Today's virtual stop? The Portland Parish of Jamaica, located north/northeast of Kingston, an area that includes the famed Blue Mountains National Park where coffee and cacao are grown.

The tasting and virtual travel this week was made possible by Sunita de Tourreil** at Happy Chocolate Experiences. As always, her knowledge and interaction with makers, in this case Nick Davis and Marta at One One Cacao, during the online tasting experience was enjoyable and valuable. (Check out her site (link above) for information about a planned chocolate trip to Jamaica later in 2022.)

Portland 71% bar

Aroma notes for today's dark tasting square included: cocoa, very faint spice and faint savory (vegetable and freshly baked potato bread). 

This chocolate had a rich chocolate taste and texture with a background whisper of fruit acidity/astringency. The remaining flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes above.

Re-tasting this Portland 71% bar (after the chocolate had been out of the packet for 5-7 minutes on a relatively warm morning) revealed subtle bittersweet lime flower/floral and balanced dark earth notes--adding enjoyable flavor and complexity. (The initial very faint vegetable/potato bread note I associated with fermentation was gone.)

Occasionally layered flavor shifts happen when you let certain chocolates "breathe" for a few minutes after they're unwrapped from a sealed package--as you might do for certain red wines before serving. Or when you re-taste another piece of the same bar (due to changes in your mouth chemistry as well as in volatile chocolate aroma elements reacting to air/oxygen, heat and/or light).

As with other One One Cacao Jamaica bars this week, the sweetness level for today's 71% bar, felt just right. 

Ingredients: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

Allergen-related information: (None listed on small sample bar packet)

* The company name One One Cacao was inspired by an old Jamaican proverb: "One one cocoa, full basket" that conveys the notion that little by little, cocoa pods and beans fill baskets, baskets are filled, and goals can be met.

**Sunita previously founded The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences provides windows into happy cacao--places, makers and destinations--and of course wonderful chocolate.

  

One One Cacao - St. Mary 71% Dark Chocolate bar - June 21, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
Saint Mary 71% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Calories: 54 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: One bar in a $53 six sample bar kit + tasting experience 
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's St. Mary 71% (sample bar) from One One Cacao (Kingston Parish, Jamaica) was the third of six sample bars from One One Cacao.* 

Saint Mary is a small parish in northeast Jamaica, west of the Blue Mountains National Park. Agricultural products from this region include bananas, sugar cane, citrus, cacao, coconuts, coffee and pimento/peppers.

Tasting these One One Cacao Jamaican chocolates was made possible by Sunita de Tourreil** at Happy Chocolate Experiences. (Tasting kits were sent out in advance to participants before a video interview and tasting with the maker.)

The (online/remote) interview + tasting experience with Nick Davis and Marta at One One Cacao yielded some great information on how the company was built, and how the chocolate is made. 

The aroma notes for today's dark tasting square was a pleasing, gentle blend of stone fruit (plum, cherry), subtle bread/biscuit, light cocoa, very light butterscotch brownie/caramel, and a barely there whiff of tart green herb (oxalis). 

The flavor bouquet notes for this smooth, sample square bar included: a very balanced, mild diffuse yellow stone fruit tartness (light peach, nectarine); oxalis (wood sorrel); cocoa (light chocolate and butterscotch brownie); and subtle honey graham cracker/cookie.

The level of sweetness was satisfying, and did not obscure the more delicate cacao flavor notes--that reminded me of a blend of the relatively mild but lush (heritage) criollo and the slight fruit tartness and flavor of trinitario cacao varieties.

Ingredients: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

* The company name was inspired by an old Jamaican proverb: "One one cocoa, full basket" that conveys the notion that little by little, cocoa pods and beans fill baskets, baskets are filled, and goals are met.

**Sunita previously founded The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences provides windows into happy cacao--places, makers and destinations--and of course wonderful chocolate.

  

One One Cacao - Clarendon 71% Jamaican dark chocolate - June 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
Clarendon 71% dark chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Calories: 55 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: N/A - Part of a six-bar tasting kit (A full-size bar was $10.00 USD.)
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's sample Clarendon 71% bar from One One Cacao (Kingston Parish, Jamaica) was the second of six sample bars from One One Cacao* (Kingston Parish, Jamaica). 

Tasting these Jamaican chocolates was made possible by Sunita de Tourreil** at Happy Chocolate Experiences. (Kits with sample bars were sent out in advance to participants, before a video conference and tasting with the makers at One One Cacao.)

Sunita's shared, online tasting experience with Nick Davis and Marta at One One Cacao yielded some great information on how the company was built. Davis, an ex-BBC correspondent, also discussed how he's developed partnerships with farmers in the different growing areas (parishes) of Jamaica, and evolved their own tree-to-bar chocolate making process over time.

One clear take-away: flavors vary among regions within this island nation. This is the case in other cacao-growing countries as well where there are different topographies, micro-climates, soil types, and farming and fermentation methods. As such, collaboration between farmers and makers is often very important.

Clarendon 71% dark chocolate

The cacao used to make this 71% dark bar was from Clarendon Parish, located in south central Jamaica, west of Kingston. 

Today's dark tasting square had subtle, complex and balanced aroma and flavor notes, including of molasses spice, faint dried fruit (rum raisins), gentle wood and naturally sweet fruity roast coffee notes.

The dark chocolate had a slightly dry, granular (faintly astringent) texture/melt. This was a subtle distraction that did little to interfere with the pleasure of tasting the relatively soft, nuanced flavors.

Maker's description: "Working alongside our partners at the Jamaica partners at the Jamaica Cocoa Farmers Association we source these beans in this central Parish of the island. Fermented up the wonderfully named Morgan's Valley area the chocolate has a wonderful summer fruit, cane rum, and all-spice flavour with hits of wood, carob, and coffee; a medium body, finely acidic/slightly tannic."

Ingredients: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

* The company name was inspired by an old Jamaican proverb: "One one cocoa, full basket" that conveys the notion that little by little, cocoa pods and beans fill baskets, baskets are filled, and goals can be met.

**Sunita de Tourreil founded The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences provides windows into happy cacao--places, makers and (travel) destinations linked to learning about and enjoying wonderful bean-to-bar (sometimes tree-to-bar) chocolates.

  

Cacao Hunters - 71% Cacao Elizabeth (bar) - Mar. 21, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Hunters

71% Cacao Elizabeth Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar

Calories: 170 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $7.50 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Cacao Hunters 71% Cacao Elizabeth Dark Chocolate (bar) was produced by Cacao de Colombia (Popayan, Cauca, Colombia).

For (yesterday's and) today's Cacao Hunters' Colombia bars, I found it best to distinguish between the aroma notes present when first opened, and the aroma notes after the bar was allowed to sit (in an open package) for a few minutes. (Both bars were enclosed in an air-tight "foil" pouch, which helps explain this phenomenon.)

The initial aroma notes for this bar (like yesterday's) included notes I associate with fermentation and anaerobic digestion (slight vinegar and wood mulch notes). However, when allowed to breathe for a few minutes, these notes dissipated, and more pleasant notes came to the fore: chocolate (cookie), green tea, honey, maple sugar, and faint and diffuse red fruit and tropical fruit (fleeting guava) jelly notes.

This well-tempered, 71% dark, single origin chocolate had a buttery texture and melt. The flavor notes were pleasing and echoed the aroma notes above--only with richer, deeper cocoa flavor, with a faint flicker of muted forest/earthy cacao, and small upticks of authentic sweet, diffuse fruit(s), and plant sugars (sugar cane, maple sugar) and fruit-floral honey. 

Ingredients: "Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, peanuts and nuts"

Cachet Costa Rica 71% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 12, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Cachet 

Costa Rica 71% Dark Chocolate (bar)

(Manufactured by Kim's Chocolate)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 200 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar

Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Central America Week, featuring chocolates made with cacao grown in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

This Costa Rica 71% Dark Chocolate (bar) was manufactured in Belgium by Kim's Chocolate (Tienen, Belgium).

The aroma had smooth, dark chocolate and balanced light bitter and sweet notes.

The flavor was also even and smooth with relatively gentle dark chocolate; light, diffuse mixed fruit (syrup) with very faint maple vanilla; and subtle roasted nut butter notes.

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, natural vanilla flavor. (80% Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa). (Dark chocolate cocoa solids minimum 71%)

Allergen related information: "May contain tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy."

Heinde and Verre - Single Origin Bold Brazil Dark 71% (bar) - June 7, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Heinde and Verre B.V.
Single Origin Bold Brazil Dark 71% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar of 2 / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 package (1 of 2 bars)
Cost: $9.50 (estimate) (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order (read their tasting notes) 

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

Today's Single Origin Bold Brazil Dark 71% (bar) was from Heinde and Verre B.V.* (Rotterdam, The Netherlands).

The company selects cacao beans from a single farmer/source. In Brazil, the company direct sources from "Coopoam Farmers Brazil Para Amazon Region." As the best chocolate makers do, Heinde and Verre chocolate makers work with each cacao origin to develop different roast profiles (often using more than one roast for a single batch of bars) to develop unique flavors.

The two, individually-wrapped bars contained in this package offered a convenient way to share with others, or to keep some chocolate fresh (unopened) for a later tasting. 

The chocolate had a thick, creamy melt and texture, and true chocolate (chocolate cake) with concentrated fruit (dried red/dark berry, date) aroma and flavor notes.

The source of the cacao used to make this bar: "Coopoam Farmers Brazil Para Amazon Region." Para is one of the top two cacao-growing states in Brazil. (The other is Bahia.) Located in northern Brazil where the Amazon flows toward the Atlantic Ocean, the area includes the mouth of the Amazon River as it flows toward the Atlantic Ocean. 

Maker's tasting notes: "This Brazilian cacao continuous (sic) to deliver a wide range of flavours. We achieved this by applying multiple roasting profiles on a single origin bean."

Ingredients: Cacao and cacao butter (71%), sugar, sunflower lecithin.

Allergen-related information: (None listed on packaging)

*Heinde and Verre means "near and far" in English. The name "pays homage to the Dutch tradition of sourcing the best ingredients worldwide and combining these with quality local produce."

 

Hasnaa Chocolats Grands Crus La Feverie - India Idduki 71% bar - Feb. 17, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

La Feverie - Hasnaa Chocolats Grands Crus

India Idduki 71% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar

Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.50 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Bonjour and Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and India Theme Week, and Day #1 of EFGHI Theme Week, where you'll see words like Idduki, India, and Hasnaa's La Feverie, and floral flavor elements, featured.

Today's Idduki India 71% (bar) was created by Hasnaa's Chocolats Grand Crus La Feverie bean-to-bar workshop (in Bordeaux, France). It was made using (2019 Harvest) organic cacao grown in Idukki, Kerala, in southern India. 

Hasnaa, her husband and team make confections and bars in a celebrated red wine region of France. In borrowing some of the language of wine that refers to high-value ingredients and sources, the "Chocolats Grand Crus" label says to me they make great single origin chocolates. (La Feverie is Hasnaa's bean-to-bar workshop.) 

This 71% India bar had an aroma with a sequence of interesting elements: the first bite had a refreshing, but subtle and well-balanced green floral (rose) note which dissipated after the package was open for a while.*

The second bite had an aroma and flavor with a faint fermented red fruit (red grape, cherry and cacao fruit) note. Both were followed by dark chocolate flavors with light, tart-sweet, tropical fruit (ripe pineapple, mango, mangosteen, and cacao fruit/pulp) notes. 

Maker's tasting notes on Bar and Cocoa (U.S. chocolate distributor) site: "Plump notes of cherry, slight flowery rose on a final of pineapple and candied exotic fruits."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar

*Floral notes are a bit shy. They will escape out a window as soon as possible, presumably to return to the gods or the garden. And, once gone, they rarely return. In more scientific terms, floral notes tend to be more volatile; and heavily roasted/processed chocolate will typically have far less of these flavor elements left.

Svenska Kakaobolaget - Kardemumma (Dom. Repub.) 71% (bar) - Dec. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Svenska Kakaobolaget 

The Swedish Cacao Company

Kardemumma (Cardamom) 71% Dominican Republic, Oko Caribe (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.7 oz. (50 g.) for 1 bar (per label)

Calories: 225 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar 

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Kardemumma (Cardamom) Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 71% (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Svenska Kakaobolaget (The Swedish Cacao Company). The company produces their chocolate in a "...late 1800's school house factory in a small town (Osterlen) in rural southern Sweden."

Scandinavians experience long dark winters. One way to brighten things up a bit is to add a touch of exotic warming spices to a favorite food or beverage. Swedish cardamom* cookies (often with a dash of cinnamon) are one example of this tradition. 

Today's Swedish-made Kardmumma 71% dark chocolate was infused with this same aromatic spice, to help warm up cold winter days and evenings, perhaps around a crackling fire. 

The cacao beans came from Oko Caribe, in the Dominican Republic. This bar had a uniform melt and texture and rich, dark chocolate flavor with medium-bold fruit acidity (red berry, cranberry, citrus), spice (cardamom), and faint savory (salty licorice spice) notes.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cardamom.

*Cardamom is a spice made from the seeds (and occasionally seedpods/"fruit" with seeds) of a few different plants (from the Elettaria genus (green cardamom) and the Amomum genus (black cardamom)) originally from India and China, respectively. Cardamom is part of the ginger family.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao (Ecuador) bar - Aug. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate 

Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao from Ecuador (bar)

Good+

Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar

Calories: 264 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $6.69 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao from Ecuador bar was from Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

This raw, organic, and vegan chocolate was sweetened with coconut palm sugar instead of "white" cane sugar. The overall bar had pleasant, sweet-tasting, balanced flavor profile.

The chocolate had light, warm brown (coconut) sugar-spice, sweet green floral, and chocolate aroma notes.

Ecuadorian cacao beans were not roasted but rather were stoneground in Helsinki and crafted into bars there--before some were shipped back to the Americas near where I live. Like many cacao and chocolate global supply chains, they can include several countries and more than two continents.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic coconut palm sugar, organic cacao butter, organic vanilla powder.

Chamisa Chocolate - Maruya Miso 71% Honduras bar - Sept. 8, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chamisa Chocolate
Maruya Miso 71% Honduras dark bar
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (30 g.) / 2 oz. (60 g.) (per label) for total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chamisa Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chamisa Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Maruya Miso 71% Honduras dark bar was from Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM).

This umami* bar had subtle and balanced aroma notes of chocolate, fermented sweet grapes, and multi-layered and savory soy**. In fact this bar (made with Honduras cacao) contained a small amount of Maruya Miso.

The bar had a smooth texture and melt, and a flavor not unlike a nice dark milk** chocolate with salt, only salt/sodium with a more depth and mellow flavor.

If you're a fan of chocolate with savory flavors, please do try this bar.

*Umami is a Japanese term coined to describe another dimension of flavor, akin to what some call savory. We often talk about our taste buds being able to detect sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavors. Umami would be closest to salt, but it goes beyond that. (Think mushrooms, cheeses, meats, bacon, soy, etc. ) Umami is often correlated with the presence of glutamates, including (but certainly not limited to) monosodium glutamate.

**There was no milk in this bar. The ingredients list read: "Organic cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cacao butter, Maruya Miso (contains soy)." Maruya Miso is based an an early fermented food that originated in China and Japan, thought to date back to the sixth century A.D.

Chamisa Chocolate - a date with chocolate 71% Honduras bar - Sept. 5, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chamisa Chocolate
a date with chocolate 71% Honduras bar
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (30 g.) / 2 oz. (60 g.) (per label) for total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chamisa Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chamisa Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's "a date with chocolate" 71% Honduras bar was crafted by Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM).

This bar was thick and creamy and had light earth (mushroom), cacao and nutty flavor notes.

The incorporation of the dates (as the sole sweetener) was perfect. The dates offered sweetness without being overly sweet (which is often the result when dates are added to a chocolate items).

Chamisa Chocolate - tree of gold (mulberries) 71% Honduras bar - Sept. 4, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chamisa Chocolate
tree of gold (mulberries) 71% Honduras bar
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (30 g.) / 2 oz. (60 g.) (per label) for total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chamisa Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chamisa Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's tree of gold (mulberries) 71% Honduras bar was crafted by Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM).

This bar had a chocolate, light fruit and sweet vegetable (tomato) aroma notes. The melt and mouthfeel was thick and creamy, with a fleeting very soft (not unpleasant) graininess (from dried fruit/berries is my guess).

The chocolate had smooth, dried, dark berry flavor notes mellowed by the dark smooth, almost nutty Honduras cacao. The absence of sugar in this lovely, 3-ingredient, mulberry*-sweetened bar was palpable, and delightful.

I would enjoy eating this unique (mulberry-sweetened + no added sugar) bar any day of the week.

Ingredients: "Organic cacao beans, organic dehydrated mulberries, organic cacao butter"

*Mulberries are wonderful. They're occasionally available at a local farmers market here in the Bay Area. And they sell out very quickly. Red mulberries are native to the Eastern U.S. And black and white mulberry trees came from Asia (China) to the U.S. as early as the 1600s. The latter were imported in part for sericulture or silk production. (Silk worms are fed almost exclusively white mulberry leaves.)

Note: The illustration used on the packaging was from a painting, The Mulberry Tree, by Vincent Van Gogh

Chamisa Chocolate - Bochasweet 71% bar - Sept. 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chamisa Chocolate
Bochasweet 71% bar
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: N/A - no information
Cost: $N/A - sample bar (from Chamisa)
Sent from: Chamisa Chocolate, part of an online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chamisa Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Bochasweet 71% bar from Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM). Founder, Amanda Hatherly, has never been a fan of sweet dark chocolate. She has explored various sugar alternatives, including dates, freeze-dried fruit, and Bochasweet.*

Thank you to Amanda at Chamisa Chocolate for sharing this special bar.

The chocolate was dark and creamy and not too sweet, and had a certain refreshing coolness about it. Like sitting in a cool forest. (Sugar tends to feel "hotter" on the palette.) Dried blueberries added concentrated, natural, moist, berry sweetness. And a sprinkling of chopped almonds added a soft accent crunch.

The bar's natural cocoa finish also had a lingering low level of sweetness I found hard to pinpoint (and likely from the Bochasweet). This sweetness was not unpleasant, unnatural, bitter or "off" in any way. Just a very mild sweet presence. There was a distinct calm feeling with this bar. No sugar rush.

*Bochasweet is a "zero calorie, zero glycemic" sugar substitute made of kabocha extract, that is available from Bochasweet LLC (Las Vegas, NV). Kabocha is a green, pumpkin-like winter squash from Japan.