Elements Truffles - Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 11, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Elements Truffles
Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar (part of a 4-pk. order)
Purchased from: Amazon, online order 

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

Today's Orange Crunch Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar) was from Elements Truffles (Union City, NJ).

The cacao used to make this chocolate was "Fair trade cacao ethically sourced from Ecuador."

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate, subtle sweet citrus and slightly savory spice (turmeric) -- e.g. the very faint aroma of pickled peppers/beets and barely detectable earthy, spiced lentils. The chocolate was balanced and smooth in flavor.

Texture: this chocolate was smooth with a creamy (cocoa butter and honey) melt and mouthfeel with occasional softly crunchy/crispy quinoa pieces.

I enjoyed the relatively short list of quality and organic ingredients; the subtlety of the flavors; and the honey (smooth texture and subtle sweetness). Those with a sweet tooth may miss the customary refined sugar; but I was fine without the sugar buzz. 

And I appreciated the addition of turmeric, in the Ayurvedic tradition (for health).* This ground spice imparted a distinct flavor, but wasn't too overwhelming.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Puffed Quinoa, Organic Turmeric Powder, Orange Essential Oil

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that processes nuts

*Turmeric contains curcumin which is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. (Curcumin can interfere with certain cellular signaling pathways associated with inflammation, and may inhibit certain inflammatory enzymes.)

Elements Truffles - Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate with saffron (bar) - Oct. 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Elements Truffles

Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate with saffron (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Amazon, online order (4 bars)

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

Today's Almond Crunch Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Elements Truffles (Union City, NJ). 

The company offers attractively packaged chocolates "powered by the 5,000 year old science of Ayurveda..." And today's floral ingredient--saffron (from crocus flowers)--was called out as an "Ayurveda Superfood."

Aroma notes for this bar included: roasted cacao, floral (sweet saffron, chrysanthemum), and faint nut (almond).

Texture: relatively soft texture and melt with small, crunchy almond bits. 

Flavor notes included: mild-tasting dark chocolate, almond, and faint floral (chrysanthemum, saffron). The mild cacao/dark chocolate tasted authentic, and was relatively low in bitterness and acidity.

The sweetness (raw honey) tasted natural, authentic and slightly muted. (I enjoyed the lack of sugar buzz.)

Ingredients: "Organic Raw Cacao Paste, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Almonds, Saffron"

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

Dude, Sweet Chocolate - "A Holiday In Cambodia Bar" + Elements Truffles - Rose Cardamom Dark 70% bar - Mar. 31, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Dude, Sweet Chocolate 
"A Holiday in Cambodia Bar"
Good ++
Weight: .775 oz. (22 g.) /1.55 oz. (44 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Dude, Sweet Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Flowers and Honey Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Thailand Week. 

There are two Thai-related chocolates today. 

The Rose Cardamom bar with ingredients from Thailand from Elements Truffles I tasted five years ago, but wanted to enjoy the lovely rose smell and taste again. The primary chocolate involved crossing the Thai border to try this "Holiday in Cambodia" chocolate bar. Not Thailand; but the two neighboring countries share a 500-mile border(s) and many culinary and cultural traditions.*

Today's unique "A Holiday in Cambodia Bar" from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (Dallas, TX) contains SE Asian inspired flavors (Palm Sugar, Cambodian Black Pepper)--and Pop Rocks (popping candy) that relate to holidays celebrated with fireworks in Cambodia (Independence Day in Nov.) and Thailand. (New Year's Day in Thailand (Songkran) is April 13th.) 

A Holiday in Cambodia Bar

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (roasted cacao), pleasant sweetness (coconut or unrefined sugar) and very faint spice.

Texture: The Pop Rocks created little crunchy, sweet candy explosions in my mouth. About the closest thing one could get to culinary fireworks (other than chili peppers perhaps). 

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate; unrefined/coconut palm sugar; and faint warm spice and coconut. (The palm sugar was nice; not quite as buzzy and dominant as refined (white) cane sugar.) Overall, a fun bar to try, and well-executed and creative take on a southeast Asian international experience. 

Pairing suggestions: Tea, wine, or blue butterfly pea flower tea** with coconut milk and honey or palm sugar, if you can make or find it (or ingredients) in your area. Think Thai iced tea...in a lovely shade of blue.

Rose Cardamom Dark Chocolate 70% (bar)

Elements Truffles
Rose Cardamom Dark 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Today's second chocolate: a Rose Cardamom Dark 70% (bar) was from Elements Truffles (Union City, NJ) and contained Thai-inspired rose elements. (As indicated above, I had tasted this bar before, in 2018.)

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate; fragrant rose/rosewater; and faint cardamom.

Flavor notes for this gentle (cocoa butter prominent) but flavorful 70% bar included: smooth dark chocolate; rose, rose, and more authentic rose; and a trace of cardamom spice. If you enjoy floral and honey flavors, you'll love the sweet, soft authentic rose aroma and flavor.

This bar was well balanced and relatively low in bitterness/acidity--in part due to cocoa butter (#1 ingredient).

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao Butter, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Powder, Rose Essential Oil, Cardamom Essential Oil."

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

* Cambodia and Thailand are two of the oldest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Both were once part of the Khmer civilization (when the empire included all of Cambodia, and parts of Thailand and Laos). The two countries have many similar cultural and culinary traditions, some language overlaps. In recent centuries, the relationship between the two countries has been influenced by French colonization in SE Asia, cultural influences from India and China, and many other factors. (It's complicated.) 

Both countries are worth visiting and are in a climactic zone where cacao, palm sugar, flowers and spices (ginger, lemongrass, peppers) grow. Both have lovely cuisines, traditions, and at least one holiday involving fireworks. A Thai version of this Holiday in Cambodia bar might have a little more (spicy) heat; both countries offer complementary flavors that can be (continue to be) successfully blended with cacao.

Elements Truffles - Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa - April 16, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 serving (per label)
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Plant and Herb Theme Week.

Maple Toffee Crunch infused with Moringa from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ)

The aroma was mild and pleasant, as was the tasting experience. The unwrapped bar displayed an intriguing constellation of inclusion bits on the back side.

This 70% cacao bar was made from cacao sourced from Ecuador and had a creamy melt. (In very cold weather, you might notice the melt is slightly waxy, as the number one ingredient is cocoa butter—not a bad thing.) The flavors were mild (muted somewhat by the cocoa butter).

As with other bars from this same company, it felt very balanced and relaxing. Their bars are slightly lower in cocoa solids (that contain the stimulant portion of cacao) than some other bars and lack refined sugar. (Bars are, instead, lightly sweetened with honey and, in today's case, also with a bit of organic maple syrup.) The organic powdered moringa* was very subtle, and would have been hard to pick out in a blind taste test.

This Ayurveda-inspired chocolate made me feel more serene than hyped up. I feel I could meditate or enjoy a peaceful conversation or walk after this company's chocolate. Again, a good thing, in a world that can often feel too hectic or busy.

*Moringa (Moringa oleifera) comes from the Moringa tree native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is cultivated in Asia and Africa. Moringa has been used for medicinal purposes. (It has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and other properties.) The pods, seeds, leaves and roots are all edible.

Elements Truffles - Cinnamon Orange Infused with Clove - Apr. 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Cinnamon Orange Infused with Clove
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Cinnamon Orange Infused with Clove 70% bar was from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ).

This square bar had a warm cinnamon and spice aroma, and a creamy, rapid melt.

The blend of flavors included soft, dark chocolate, cinnamon, clove, spice and chewy dried orange pieces—with a light, lingering cinnamon and natural orange finish.

I've found most bars from Elements Truffles to be quite soothing. Perhaps because the company sweetens their bars with honey instead of sugar. Although if you look at the founder origin story, other clues to this conveyed state of mind are revealed:

"Elements Truffles was born at the intersection of two things that make us happy - chocolates and meditation. We are an Ayurveda inspired line of clean chocolates that taste good and does good - for the body, mind, and community." (This is coming from an ex-Wall Street trader who chose to pursue her own chocolate business.)

Elements Truffles - Ginger Black Pepper bar - July 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Ginger infused with Black Pepper 70% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner,  Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Ginger infused with Black Pepper 70% Cacao bar was from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ).

This raw, dairy-free bar was sweetened with raw honey and contained no refined sugar. It had very pleasing authentic ginger flavor with a very subtle hint of black pepper.

The cacao used to make this bar was "ethically sourced" from Ecuador. And added cocoa butter helped give this bar a slightly soft bite and buttery texture.

Elements Truffles - Sea Salt Turmeric 70% Cacao - May 10, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles

Sea Salt infused with Turmeric 70% Cacao

Good - Good +

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

Calories: 130 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $6.59 for 1 bar

Purchased from: The Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Ayurveda inspired* cacao offering was a Sea Salt infused with Turmeric 70% Cacao (bar) from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ).  

This bar (and all Elements Truffles dark bars sampled to date) have a soft texture/bite and are gently sweetened not with sugar, but local honey. And each one has been infused with different flavor elements in a base of smooth flavored cacao (and with Peruvian Criollo cocoa butter).

Today's bar was lightly salted and seasoned with sea salt and turmeric.

Ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao Butter (Peruvian Criollo); Raw Honey; Organic Raw Cacao Powder; Organic Turmeric Root Powder (from India); Sea Salt (from a family farm in Greece).

*Statements on the bar's packaging read: "Turmeric helps balance - Vata, Pitta and Kapha—all three doshas." And, "Curcumin in turmeric stimulates the body's own antioxidant mechanism and also helps delay aging."

Elements Truffles - Raspberry Beetroot 70% bar - April 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Raspberry infused with Beetroot 70% bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Botanicals Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week.

Botanicals this week have included a variety of plant-based ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, flowers and seeds. Today's Raspberry infused with Beetroot bar from Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ) contained both a fruit and and a root vegetable.

The company's Ayurveda-inspired, cocoa butter-rich* bars have a slightly soft, creamy melt and texture (like chocolate truffles).

This 70% dark chocolate had red berry flavor balanced by slight beet, vegetable note; and the bar was garnished with a thin line of freeze-dried, raspberries (powder) on the back.

*Ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao Butter (Peruvian Criollo), Raw Honey, Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Raspberry Essential Oil, Organic Beet Root Powder, Organic Freeze-Dried Raspberry, Himalayan Sea Salt.

Elements Truffles - Orange Pistachio Turmeric bar - April 10, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles
Orange Pistachio infused with Turmeric
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package
Calories: 130 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar/package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Orange Pistachio infused with Turmeric bar was created by Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ). The company produces a line of "Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate."

This 70% cacao dark chocolate had a balanced, complex and intriguing orange (orange essential oil) spice aroma, and soft, smooth texture and creamy melt (like a truffle).

Organic, raw cacao butter (Peruvian Criollo) was the first ingredient listed and helped create the creamy texture. The cacao used to make this bar was: "Fair Trade organic cacao ethically sourced from Peru."

Refined sugar does have a powerful ability to attract (or repulse). And chocolates (like this one), made with raw honey instead of refined sugar, do have a different, more relaxed feel to them.

Honey scores lower on the glycemic index than refined sugar, and this chocolate scored a bit better on our (granted, somewhat subjective) perceived sugar buzz index.** If you're seeking to be more centered and balanced, this is a good thing.

This bar was made without dairy, soy/emulsifiers, preservatives, and/or gluten-containing ingredients; and made with a purpose: A percentage of the profits of these bars "go towards education of underprivileged children (www.careforchildren.org)"

*The word Ayurveda comes from Ayur (life) + veda (knowledge)
** After sampling 4,000+ chocolates, one can sense a difference within the first few minutes between a dark chocolate bar made with refined white sugar and sweeteners such as coconut palm sugar, honey or stevia.

Elements Truffles - Rose infused with Cardamom - March 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Elements Truffles

Rose infused with Cardamom 70% cacao bar

Good +++

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

Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar

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

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

Today's Rose infused with Cardamom 70% Cacao bar was made by Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ). Like yesterday's Peppermint infused with Lavender bar (from the same company), this chocolate was well balanced and full of natural flavor. 

This bar had a beautiful aroma and flavor, with authentic, rose floral notes, and a hint of cardamom (think chai tea). The chocolate had a buttery/creamy melt and texture (cacao butter was the first ingredient), and a pleasing rose finish.

The bar was "sweetened just with local honey," which gave it a more delicate quality (less of a sugar buzz) and contributed to a floral experience.

Elements Truffles raw chocolate bars are handmade in micro batches without dairy, refined sugar, soy/emulsifiers or preservatives. Today's bar was made with Fair Trade organic cacao ethically sourced from Peru.

Ingredients: organic raw cacao butter (Peruvian Criollo), raw honey, organic raw cacao powder, rose geranium essential oil, cardamom essential oil, organic rose petals, organic raw pumpkin seeds, Himalayan sea salt.

25% of profits go toward education of underprivileged children 

Elements Truffles - Peppermint Lavender - March 23, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Elements Truffles

Peppermint Lavender 

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package

Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 package

Cost: $6.99 for 1 package

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

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

What do you do as a follow-up act when you're a high-powered trader on Wall Street? Start making chocolate might not be the most obvious answer to this question. But, fortunately for us, this is just what Alak Vasa, founder of Elements Truffles (Kearny, NJ) did.*

Vasa created a line of raw, Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate. Her chocolates are handmade in small batches, with no refined sugar, dairy, soy/emulsifiers or preservatives; and they're sweetened with local honey. She used Fair Trade organic cacao sourced from Peru in today's bar.

Today's 70% cacao Peppermint infused with Lavender bar was made with raw cacao butter, raw honey, raw cacao powder, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, organic lavender flowers, and Himalayan sea salt.

This relaxing, but invigorating (is this possible?) chocolate was firm (it broke with a snap); yet, had the buttery melt of a truffle. Lavender buds and oil were well balanced with the mint and provided a natural tasting, balanced floral and herbal experience. The chocolate had a pleasing lavender finish, and was designed to support Vata and Pitta ayurveda doshas.

Loved that it was not ultra-sweet. The amount of honey used was just right, and didn't overpower the other elements/inclusions.

*25% of proceeds go towards education of underprivileged children.