Equal Exchange - 67% Cacao Mint Crunch Organic Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 6, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange
67% Cacao Mint Crunch Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 226.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, online order

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

Today's 67% Cacao Mint Crunch Organic Dark Chocolate (bar) was produced in Switzerland and distributed by Equal Exchange (San Francisco, CA).

Aroma notes for this 67% Peruvian cacao-based bar included: dark chocolate and peppermint. 

The texture was smooth, with a relatively creamy base chocolate and some sparkles of mint.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate and peppermint. I liked that the peppermint wasn't totally overwhelming. And the chocolate was relatively bold, but well executed. Overall, it tasted a little better than I expected. (It wasn't a mint bomb.)

Happily, the sweetness level and the mint flavoring were both just about right.

Ingredients: "*Organic Chocolate Liquor, *Organic Raw Cane Sugar, *Organic Cocoa Butter, Peppermint Crisps 10% (*Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Peppermint Oil), *Organic Unrefined Whole Cane Sugar, *Organic Ground Vanilla Beans." (* = Fairly Traded Ingredient) 

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Milk, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Almonds & Coconut"

Equal Exchange - Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar) - Sept. 8, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Equal Exchange
Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 253.3 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.79 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week. 

Note: The second of two dark chocolate items (Becca's Petites Chocolat Noir Bouchees) featured today can be found in a separate/next entry.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate 92% Cacao Total Eclipse (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange Co-op (W. Bridgewater, MA).

This bar was described as "Transcendently dark." Chocolates with greater than 90% cacao tend to go beyond the limits of what most people have experienced. Some will enjoy the journey, and others may miss the sugar. But, there's more to the story...and it extends to how the cacao was transported from distant lands covered with temperate rainforests into a high-percentage dark chocolate, and how it reached us at all.

The organic cacao(s) used to make this ultra-dark chocolate were "grown by small farmer co-ops" in Togo*, Dominican Republic and Peru.

Aroma notes for this dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate) and subtle vanilla bean.

The texture was smooth, thick and buttery (cocoa buttery).

Flavor notes included: bold, barely sweetened, smooth, ultra-dark chocolate with a balanced bitterness; subtle vanilla bean; and very faint, fleeting sweet red berry (raspberry jam). 

For those wanting less sugar and more unsweetened cacao flavor(s), this 92% dark chocolate blend is worth trying. You're also supporting many small cacao, sugar and vanilla farmer co-ops around the globe. (The organic cane sugar is from Paraguay, and the organic vanilla was from Madagascar.)

Ingredients: *Organic Chocolate Liquor, *Organic Cocoa Butter, *Organic Raw Cane Sugar, "Organic Ground Vanilla Beans." ("* Fairly Traded Ingredient By Weight 100% From Fair Trade Co-operatives.")

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Milk, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Almonds & Coconut."

*Equal Exchange has been serving as an "alternative trader" and supporting small farmer agricultural co-ops (coffee, cacao, other) for decades. 

SCOOPS PROCAB (Kpalime, Togo) was founded in 2013, and has been an Equal Exchange partner since 2018. Along with help from Gebana Togo, SCOOPS PROCAB were the "first producers in Togo to grow and export organic cacao;" and through this process the small farmer co-op members have gained access to more markets and greater economic resources.

Equal Exchange - Organic, Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond & Teas (Brown Sugar Boba, other) - June 15, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange 
Organic and Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (9 pieces/squares) of bar
Cost: $2.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, featuring several chocolate and tea pairings. 

Today I sampled two items: 1.) a 55% Dark Chocolate bar with tea, and 2.) a boba tea ice cream bar (with cocoa powder).

Today's Organic, Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Almond Toasted Pieces (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA). Since its inception 30 years ago, this co-op owned company has built many "alternative trade" relationships with small farmers in several countries around the world.

The organic cacao used to make this chocolate came from the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Togo. The organic sugar was from Paraguay, and the organic vanilla was from Madagascar.

This relatively sweet, 55% cacao dark chocolate bar was embedded with bits of toasted almond. The aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: true chocolate (dark chocolate pudding), faint nut and malt, and very faint tart green herb (oxalis).

I paired this with a warm, organic black tea latte with almond milk. It worked.

Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar

Shao Mei (Xiao Mei)
Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar
Good +
Weight: 2.82 fl. oz. (80 g.) / 11.3 fl. oz. (320 g.) in total box of 4 bars
Calories: 146.2 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 4 bars 
Purchased from: Safeway, San Mateo, CA

The second item sampled today was a Shao Mei Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar (product of Taiwan, (manufactured by Hwa Mei Food Col, Ltd., Changhua County, Taiwan) that contained a small amount of cocoa powder.*

This frozen pop (and other recent boba tea flavor arrivals in the frozen foods aisle at the market) reflected the popularity of boba milk teas--and in particular brown sugar boba (with pearls sweetened with brown sugar/honey)--in California and elsewhere. It was a fun change of pace (frozen dessert) on a hot day.

The milky ice cream frozen bar was veined with a prominent brown sugar marbling. Embedded brown sugar colored boba (aka tapioca/starch pearls, or mini mochi balls) contributed a springy, starchy and chewy textural element. 

The cocoa powder added a wee bit of flavor depth. I thought I imagined a little tea flavor; but I could not find any tea in the rather lengthy ingredients list (see below), unless it was one of the unnamed "flavors" at the end of the list.

Ingredients: Water, mini mochi brown sugar (maltose syrup, acetylated distarch adipate, water, brown sugar, tapioca starch, brown sugar flavor, caramel colors, palm oil, cocoa powder, potato starch), sugar (sugar, caramelizing sugar), maltose, coconut oil, skim milk powder, brown sugar, cream, whey powder, food coloring (caramel (E150a), FDandC Yellow #5 and #6 (E102 and E110)), cornstarch, maltodextrin, emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), Polysorbate 80), thickeners (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum, sodium alginate), flavors, salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk and dairy products. Made in a plant that also processes products containing peanuts, mangos, nuts, soybeans, milk, dairy products, egg products, sesame products, and gluten-containing grains. 

* This bar was different than yesterday's Brown Sugar Boba tea ice cream bar with vanilla ice cream--that did not contain cocoa powder.

 

Equal Exchange - Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk (bar) - June 14, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange 
Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 9 pieces (squares) of bar (1 serving)
Cost: $2.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: New Leaf Community Markets, Half Moon Bay, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, featuring chocolate and tea pairings.

Today's Organic Chocolate 55% Cacao Coconut Milk with Coconut Palm Sugar (bar) was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange Co-op (West Bridgewater, MA).

Equal Exchange, a co-op owned company, has been building alternative supply chain relationships and focusing on fair trade and small farmers for many years. Their offerings include chocolate, coffee, and other packaged foods.

The ingredients used to make this bar were all grown by small farmer co-operatives around the globe. The organic cacao was grown in the Dominican Republic and Peru. The organic sugar was from Paraguay and Costa Rica. The organic vanilla was from Madagascar; and the organic coconut was from Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

This bar had notably thick, coconut (milk) creamy texture with rich, sweet, authentic toasted coconut, chocolate and brown sugar (aroma and) flavors. A hint of vanilla enhanced the sense of sweetness even more. This 55% cacao bar would be great for coconut lovers with a sweet tooth and/or those searching for a sweet diary milk chocolate alternative with a little extra flavor.

Tea Pairings

Pairing chocolate with wine, tea, coffee or milk(s), can be tricky. Ideally, one should not dominate or take the other chocolate or beverage flavor(s) sideways. The best pairings elevate each both items, resulting in delicious blend. 

I tried pairing today's coconut milk chocolate with the following tea-related items:

1.) Frozen Brown Sugar Boba tea and vanilla ice cream bar (from Taiwan)
2.) Chilled Hibiscus kombucha tea
3.) Warm chai tea (oolong tea, chai spices and chai spice-infused honey)
4.) Hot/warm grapefruit leaf tea

Once again, I found that frozen and chilled tea items dulled chocolate (bar) flavors. (Cocoa butter melts at around body temperature, at which point fats and solids start separating and, arguably, the zone where embedded flavors are most easily released and enjoyed.)

Today's coconut chocolate bar was also quite sweet (a bit of a challenge), ruling out many sweetened tea offerings as partners for fear of creating overly sugared blends. 

The pairing winner? Hot/warm fresh grapefruit leaf tea (think light green, lemon, and faint lemongrass notes). This will not come as a complete surprise to those who like Thai warm coconut milk and lemon grass (savory) soups or chilled lemongrass and coconut sugar drinks. The unsweetened, fresh grapefruit leaf tisane/tea added some flavor depth/lift in the form of light acidic fruit and green notes and balanced the inherent sweetness of this bar.

Ingredients: Fairly traded, organic coconut palm sugar; fairly traded, organic chocolate liquor; fairly traded, organic cocoa butter; fairly traded, organic coconut flakes; organic coconut milk powder (fairly traded, organic coconut milk, organic tapioca maltodextrin).

Allergen-related: "Contains coconut. May contain milk, peanuts, hazelnuts and almonds."

Equal Exchange Chocolates - Organic Chocolate with Coconut Milk 55% (bar) - Feb. 3, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Equal Exchange Chocolates
Organic, Fairly Traded Chocolate with Coconut Milk 55% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh CSA box inclusion, online order

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

Today's Organic, Fairly Traded Chocolate with Coconut Milk and Coconut Palm Sugar 55% (bar) was from Equal Exchange Chocolates (West Bridgewater, MA).* 

This bar had a sweet, rich milk chocolate aroma with a subtle coconut note. Like many of the best coconut chocolate bars, the melt was rich and creamy, and the texture was smooth.

The chocolate flavor was similar to drinking a warm cup of velvety, rich milk chocolate (drinking chocolate) melded with authentic, real coconut. The 55% cacao blend was a bit too sweet for me; but the drinking chocolate-like experience was a good match for a winter day.

The hot chocolate richness lingered and was accompanied by a faint, tangy/tart-sweet, fermented milk with raw coconut note.

Ingredients: Organic coconut palm sugar, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic coconut flakes, organic coconut milk powder (organic coconut milk, organic tapioca maltodextrin)

*Equal Exchange, founded in 1986, is one of the largest democratic worker co-ops in the U.S. The organization, involved early on in fair trade efforts, began working with coffee and tea farmers in the 1980s, and in 2001 cocoa and chocolate relationships were forged.

This alternative for-profit organization structure mirrors the approximately 40 farmer organizations (co-ops) that Equal Exchange works with--in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the U.S.--that produce cacao, coffee, tea, sugar and other crops. And one hopes that this shared organizational trait facilitates understanding of co-op operations and needs as a result. Equal Exchange has been offering bean-to-bar chocolate bars for many years.

Equal Exchange - Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Chips 70% Cacao - Dec. 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange
Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Chips 70% Cacao
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42? g.) in 1 serving / 10 oz. (283.5 g.) total package of chocolate chips
Calories: 350 calories (estimate) in 1 small piece of tart made with chocolate chips
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

Today's homemade gluten-free, dark chocolate raspberry tart was made with several ingredients, including Organic Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (70% Cacao), produced in Peru for Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA).

The crust for this very tasty no-bake tart was made with cocoa powder, finely ground roasted almonds, coconut oil, and small amounts of honey and maple syrup.

The chocolate filling contained melted chocolate chips, raspberry jam, almond "milk" and coconut oil. And the tart was topped with organic frozen raspberries (as no fresh berries were available this time of year).

Raspberries remind me of warmer weather. So, it's challenging to feature a chocolate and raspberry theme week when berries are not in season. However, these frozen raspberries today held up well and looked and tasted bright and refreshing.

Equal Exchange - Panama 80% bar - April 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Equal Exchange
Panama 80% bar
Good+
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 174 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week; and I'm featuring the Panama 80% dark chocolate bar from Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA).

Today's Panama 80% bar had a very similar flavor as yesterday's Panama 80% bar. Both looked the same (same molds) and both were made in Switzerland -- likely by the same Swiss chocolate manufacturer.*

Two Costa Rica bars (one sold at Whole Foods) featured earlier this week also looked very similar, and both were made by Kim's Chocolates in Belgium. There were, however, a few, very subtle flavor and color differences in the Costa Rica bars.

Today's Panama bars tasted like they could have come from the same batch in the same factory. (Both were made with cacao beans from the COCABO Cooperative in Panama.) And the bar color was the same as well.

Today's bar smelled and tasted of rich, hot chocolate with a slight hint of raspberry fruit, and the texture was creamy, almost buttery. As I commented on yesterday's bar, the flavor profile was very smooth for an 80% bar. Both bars were quite good.

Transparency in the manufacturing supply chain process is helpful, not just for the odd blogger such as myself, who is seeking to eat a "different" kind of chocolate every day.

It's also important for those who would like to understand where their chocolate comes from, and how it's made. Equal Exchange includes quite a bit of of information about farmers and the origins of cacao on their packaging (see inside of wrapper), and their website. And their commitment to fair trade is admirable.

Outsourcing of Manufacturing

It would be nice if the company who owns the "brand" and is selling the chocolate also mentioned where the chocolate was made. (Felchlin, Durig and others offer organic and fair trade chocolate in Switzerland.) Why should we care? While the Swiss are known for fine, creamy smooth chocolate; labeling regulations are different in the EU than in the U.S. Outsourcing manufacturing overseas might actually result in better product, but more transparency would be great.

Equal Exchange - Organic Dark Raspberry bar - Feb. 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Equal Exchange
Organic Dark Chocolate Raspberry bar
Good++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 62 calories (estimate) in 1/10 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

This bar with the long name: the Organic and Fairly Traded, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart Berries bar, was from Equal Exchange Chocolates (W. Bridgewater, MA). Equal Exchange sources ingredients from cacao, coffee and tea farmers and sells finished products to consumers.

Equal Exchanges sources ingredients from small farmer co-ops -- groups that have been at the forefront of discussions about fair trade (that involves, among other things, giving farmers an above market price for their cacao beans).

This smooth, kosher, 60% cacao dark bar was flavored with freeze-dried raspberries, and a hint of vanilla from organic ground vanilla beans.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. 

Equal Exchange - Dark Orange bar - April 6, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange
Dark Chocolate Orange bar
Good +
Weight: 1.166 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 131 calories in 1/3 bar (per label)
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Red Rock Coffee, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

The Organic, Fair Trade (Fair for Life) Dark Chocolate (65% cacao) Orange bar from Equal Exchange Chocolates (W. Bridgewater, MA) was full of balanced, dark flavor with a sassy hint of orange (natural orange oil).

Equal Exchange is an employee-owned company that is set up as a worker-owned co-op. The company partners with small farmer co-ops, and blends cacao beans, cane sugar and vanilla, from these farmers to make their line of bars (that are made in Switzerland). 

Equal Exchange - Lemon Pepper bar - Nov. 22, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange
Organic Lemon Ginger chocolate with black pepper bar
Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 serving (9 pieces/squares)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

I was happy to find a new chocolate + lemon bar for this week. I love lemons for both sweet and savory dishes. Today's bar was sweet; however, the flavor additions (lemons, ginger, black pepper*) also could have been used to spice up a vegetable or chicken dish.

Today's Organic Lemon Ginger Chocolate with black pepper bar from Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA) was long on title and flavor. The bar contained a well-balanced mix of 55% cacao chocolate; fresh-tasting, sweet lemon (organic sugar and lemon oil); hints of candied ginger; and finely ground (or infused) black pepper and vanilla beans.

*Cacao and black pepper are often grown in the same equatorial regions (up to 20 degrees south and north of the Equator), so I've been surprised there aren't more chocolate items that contain pepper. (Equal Exchange works with small farmer co-operatives in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Ecuador for cacao; farmers in Paraguay for sugar; and farmers in Madagascar for vanilla. I'm not sure where they obtained the black pepper. While black pepper is often associated with India's Malabar coast, Vietnam, and Indonesia/Sumatra, black pepper is also grown in Central and Latin America and cacao growing countries as well.)

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week. 

ChocolateBet: August 9, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange, Inc.
Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt
Good+
Weight:  oz. (37 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 9 piece/square serving
Cost: $ 3.99 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA


Tasting today's Chocolate Caramel Crunch bar from Equal Exchange (West Bridgewater, MA), made me recall a time when Organic and fair trade chocolate was a new trend, occasionally associated with trade-offs in quality. My how far we've come since that time. The base chocolate in today's bar contained bright acid/fruit notes and hints of earth and olive as well -- amid tiny, crunchy shards of toffee-like caramel balanced with faint glimmers of salt.

This Chocolate Caramel Crunch bar (with 55% cocoa content) was made in Switzerland for Equal Exchange -- marrying time honored process manufacturing skills with great cacao from the Americas. Farmer co-ops in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Ecuador supply cacao for Equal Exchange bars.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Caramel and Toffee Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: May 3, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/6 bar
Equal Exchange Chocolates
Organic and fairly traded
Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .583 oz. (16.6 g.) /  3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 92 calories
Cost: $4.50 total bar
Purchased from: Calafia Market a Go-Go, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. Several companies are producing or making chocolate using at least some organic ingredients -- some offerings are certified organic and others may not be. A look into the chocolate "supply chain" generally goes back to cacao growers in other parts of the world. Equal Exchange's Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar (55% cacao content) was USDA Certified Organic; also on the bar's label: "Fair Trade and Social Certified by IMO."

Equal Exchange (based in West Bridgewater, MA) is a somewhat unique company. It is a "worker owned Fair Trade company founded in 1986," and is focused on "building equitable trade relationships with co-ops of small-scale farmers."

Today's Organic and fairly traded Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar was made with organic chocolate, organic sugar, organic vanilla and organic chopped almonds, and was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange.