Bixby & Co. - Puffin Project Dominican Republic 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) & Dark Chocolate Sardines - July 14, 2026

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Bixby & Co.

Puffin Project Dominican Republic 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bixby & Co., online order

Dark Chocolate Sardines
Good ++
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total tin
Calories: 279 calories (estimate) in 1 tin
Cost: $11.00 for 1 tin
Purchased from: Bixby & Co., online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Water Theme Week, featuring two items made by Maine-based Bixby & Co. (Rockland, ME).

Puffin Project Dominican Republic bar

This Organic, bean-to-bar dark chocolate bar was created in collaboration with Project Puffin Seabird Institute--an organization that works to safeguard restored colonies of puffin (birds) in the Gulf of Maine.

The cacao used to make this bar was from the Dominican Republic.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate; very faint, diffuse fruit.

Texture: relatively smooth and creamy with a barely detectable and not objectionable fruit astringency

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (ganache, torte); balanced earth; and faint medium red fruit (red berry + red dragon fruit) and light citrus.

I liked the balanced and subtle complexity in this chocolate and the very faint fruit notes. 

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients." "Vegan, Gluten Free"

Dark Chocolate Sardines

Both coastal Maine and California in the U.S. once had robust sardine (fishing) industries in the early 1900s. Sadly, due to overfishing and changes in climate, this is no longer the case. 

Happily, there are occasionally chocolate sardines, like today's catch, if you're willing to fish around for them.

Aroma notes for today's attractively-rendered, fish-shaped chocolate sardines included: smooth dark chocolate and vanilla.

Texture: smooth dark milk like texture. (There was no milk.) 

Flavor notes included: very sweet dark chocolate and warm vanilla. (The sweetness was amplified by the healthy dose of added vanilla.) 

I enjoyed the idea of chocolate sardines even more due to their being packaged in a real metal tin with a pull top. (I wish I'd ordered a few more sets to give as gifts to friends. They are currently sold out.)

Ingredients: Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients." "Vegan, Gluten Free"

Bixby Chocolate - Guatemala 70% Dark Chocolate Bar - Feb. 11, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby Chocolate
Guatemala 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate & Central America Theme Week. 

Today's Guatemala 70% Dark Chocolate Bar was manufactured by Bixby & Co. (Rockland, Maine).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, very slightly roast-y); diffuse tart-sweet/tropical fruit; very faint (warm) spice and floral (cinnamon + vanilla).

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate with an even melt, with very subtle fruit astringency.

I appreciated the makers' choice of a short list of three, organic ingredients, and the subtle complexity of the chocolate and the inherent fruit notes.

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cacao Butter."

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients."

Bixby Chocolate - Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar - May 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby Chocolate
Organic Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 + shipping for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Bixby Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Organic Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar was from Bixby Chocolate (Rockland, ME). Made with PISA Cacao.

Aroma notes included: bold dark chocolate with relatively subtle balanced earth.

Texture: even, almost stone-ground-creamy texture to start. And the creaminess increased, during each bite that was tasted. 

Flavor notes included: deep chocolate-y flavor, with very balanced (loam-like) earth. 

The sweetness level was a bit high (though right in the range of a 70% dark chocolate), and the bitterness was relatively lower than I expected--based on what the (bolder) aroma signaled.

Overall I enjoyed this bar. The chocolate was bold and balanced with satisfying texture, especially for a two-ingredient bar. And it was Organic.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients." ("Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free")

Bixby and Co. - 20 Karat Primo Bar - 70% DR Dark Chocolate Spiced Primo Almonds - Mar. 4, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby and Co.

20 Karat Primo Bar
70% Dominican Republic Dark Chocolate Spiced Primo Almonds 
Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar ($46 for 4-bar assortment)
Purchased from: Good Food Awards Marketplace, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Weeks.

Today's "20 Karat Primo Bar"--70% Dominican Republic Dark Chocolate with Spiced Primo Almonds (bar)--was created by Bixby and Co. (Rockland, ME) to celebrate Rockland neighbor Primo Restaurant's 20th anniversary. 

The aroma for this bar encompassed bold, flavorful dark chocolate, salt/savory snack, roasted nut, and raw sugar notes--and the scent of a potentially addictive, high-end, savory-sweet snack mixes with spices and herbs (rosemary) as well.

 

The flavors did deliver on the promise of a seductive and satisfying, salty-sweet nut mix. This 70% dark chocolate bar was a balanced blend of bold flavors and smooth and crunchy textures. 

The spices (salt, red and black peppers and rosemary) were a great match with (and elevated) the roasted nuts and chocolate. I detected to a very faint tingle of ginger spice; however, there was no mention of ginger in the ingredients list. Probably the pepper and sugar. It was hard to tell if there might have been a warm spice note also in the single origin DR chocolate.

Bixby notes for the spicy almond pieces adhered to the back: "...Primo's iconic recipe for roasted rosemary almonds, a snack that's typically served with drinks and cocktails." The Mediterranean-themed, almond blend helped balance the sweetness and added sassy savory depth.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, almonds, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper.

Allergen-related information: "(Contains) Tree Nuts. Manufactured in a facility that also processes Peanut and Milk products."

Bixby - Split Rock Bourbon Bar 70% Dark Chocolate - Dec. 29, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby and Co.
Bourbon Bar 70% Dark Chocolate  
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (49.5 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar (including shipping, part of a larger order)
Purchased from: Good Food Awards (Marketplace), online order 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Holiday Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Split Rock Bourbon Bar 70% Dark Chocolate was from Bixby and Co. (Rockland, ME). 

The maker's description: "Barrel aged, grain-to-glass Maine made bourbon blended into our single origin, Dominican Republic bean-to-bar chocolate."

Aroma and flavor notes for this ebony-hued bar included deep, dark chocolate, very slight citrus (orange) and fermented corn/grain, slightly malty sweetness (whiskey). While the 70% dark chocolate was almost boldly flavorful, it was also balanced, and not terribly bitter or acidic. The chocolate itself seemed to have a base level of relative natural sweetness.

The bar had a smooth melt and a uniform texture with a very slight astringency (light graininess).

Maker's tasting notes: "Notes of orange with a rich smooth taste."

Ingredients: Organic dark chocolate (organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar), organic bourbon whiskey

Allergen-related information: "Prepared in a facility that processes milk, tree nuts and peanuts."

Bixby and Co. - Organic 70% Dark Chocolate - Haitian Cacao (bar) - Nov. 21, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby and Co.

Organic 70% Dark Chocolate - Haitian Cacao (bar)

Good ++

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

Calories: 155 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar ($46 for 4 bars)

Purchased from: Bixby and Co. via Good Food Awards Marketplace, online order

Welcome to the last day (Day #16) of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, featuring chocolates from the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. 

It's been great to see (and taste) many high-quality, small batch bars from both these two nations that sharing one island, including a number of organic chocolate bars.

Today's Organic 70% Dark Chocolate bar from small batch artisan chocolate maker Bixby and Co. (Rockland, ME) was crafted from Haitian cacao beans.

This bar had a naturally sweet dark chocolate aroma and flavor with diffuse fruit acidity (very faint ripe, dark berries, with a barely detectable whisper of citrus and green). 

The two-ingredient bar had a bright sweetness with medium acidity, and was low in bitterness.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: "Prepared in a facility that also processes milk, tree nuts and peanut ingredients." Organic, vegan and gluten free.

Bixby Birdie bar with hazelnuts - March 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bixby and Co.
Birdie Chocolate Bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.2 g.) / 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

The Birdie Chocolate Bar from Bixby and Co. (Belfast, ME) was made with 72% dark chocolate (from Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa) and packed with hazelnuts, black currants, and a touch of sea salt.

The sepia-toned wrapper was adorned with an image of a woman in historic sportswoman attire about to putt in a golf ball into a hole for, presumably, a birdie -- a shot that earns the scorer one under par (a good thing).

This small, chunky, gluten-free, No GMO bar was also a good thing. It could be gently cut into slices and shared with friends or golf partners. 

Bixby - Heart's Delight bar - Feb. 14, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chocolate Cherry Cocktail
Made with: Talenti Black Cherry gelato

Bixby and Co.
Heart's Delight
Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) / 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Abe's Market (online order)

Hope you all had a great Valentines Day. I decided to keep it simple -- a modified Chocolate Gatail (cocktail with dark rum, cherry brandy and creme de cacao) and 1/2 of a Heart's Delight bar from Bixby and Co. (Belfast, ME).

The Heart's Delight bar was jammed with large pieces of dried strawberries, and bits of almond, giving the dark chocolate (72%) bar, with a very mild hint of Ceylon Cinnamon, a slightly chewy texture.

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Weeks, and the sight of cherry and other fruit tree blossoms against blue sky was a lovely reminder that Spring was already waiting in the wings.