Fossa Chocolate - Gardenia Flower Green Tea (bar) - June 23, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Gardenia Flower Green Tea (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 273 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $13.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

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

Today's Gardenia Flower Green Tea (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore). It was the part of the company's impressive Tea Collection.

Fossa makers chose a "...floral and mild Peruvian cacao from Puerta Pulache, Piura..." for this refreshing gardenia green tea bar. In a multi-step process...

Aroma notes for this bar included: subtle dark milk chocolate and come hither floral and green tea notes. The carefully nested process of flavor development in this bar was impressive: 

"Green teas from the "Fuding Da Bai cultivar were infused with Gardenia flowers from Qianwei country in Sichuan using a traditional floral infusion method -- fresh flowers are layered over tea leaves in a laborious process that is repeated seven times to achieve complex yet delicate floral candy sweetness."

 And of course the tea was then integrated into the Peruvian cacao which had its own, albeit mild, naturally floral cacao notes.

Texture: creamy and smooth with a quiet whisper of green tea astringency.

Flavor notes included: smooth, creamy and addictive dark milk chocolate infused with authentic and beautiful floral (gardenia) green tea notes. Just a faint whisper of green tea astringency.

I really enjoyed the upbeat gardenia tea blend; the choice of complementary cacao; the creamy texture and the subtle and harmonious complexity. And, like all the bars Fossa's Tea Collection that I've tried, I appreciated the thoughtful sourcing of ingredients and skillful balance and execution of the finished product. 

Maker's tasting notes: "Candy-like florals with lingering umami and a creamy mouthfeel"

Ingredients: "Organic cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, tea leaves"

Allergen-related information: "Contains dairy. Produced in a facility that processes nuts."

Fossa Chocolate - Honey Orchid Dancong Oolong 52% dark milk chocolate (bar) - June 20, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Honey Orchid Dancong Oolong 52% dark milk chocolate (bar) 
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 273 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Tanzania Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Floral Theme Week. 

Happy Summer Solstice. I couldn't imagine a better bar to celebrate this spring-to-summer transition. 

Today's Honey Orchid Dancong Oolong 52% dark milk chocolate (bar) was made by Fossa Chocolate (Singapore). This collaboration with Pekoe & Imp (Singapore company specializing in single origin teas) was part of the Fossa's "Tea Chocolate" series.

Aroma notes for this tea-infused bar included: dark milk chocolate with subtle honey, orchid, faint stone fruit (peach, nectarine), and ripe guava. (It was a perfect sensory match with the bar's name.)

Texture: luxurious and creamy mouthfeel and melt

Flavor notes included: dark milk chocolate with blooming honey, floral, cream, oolong tea and fruit (peach, guava) notes.

I loved the aroma, creamy texture and complex, elegant, botanically authentic flavors that unfolded like a beautifully painted fan. This thoughtfully sourced and well-executed chocolate was fit for royalty.

Tasting Notes: "Floral fragrance layered with notes of guava and cream"

Ingredients: "Organic cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, tea leaves"

Allergen-related information: "Contains dairy. Produced in a facility that processes nuts."

Fossa Chocolate - 100% Cacao Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar) - June 17, 2025

 Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Tanzania 100% Cacao Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar)
Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

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

Today's Tanzania 100% Cacao Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore). 

The company specializes in high-end, well-executed, bean-to-bar, chocolate bars (and confections for those in Singapore)--made with single origin cacao beans. Many bars feature Asian-inspired flavor inclusions (including lovely Oolong teas, traditional desserts as well as savory dishes). They also offer some single origin bars (like today's bar) with "just" cacao.

This unsweetened chocolate was made using cacao grown in the Kilombero Valley, a large "wetland area" in southern Tanzania with rich soils that benefit agriculture and grazing.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and fragrant, balanced fruit (citrus, ripe berry, wine grape).

Texture: smooth, buttery, almost silky; more creamy than most 100%ers.

Flavor notes included: balanced bitter and tart unsweetened, ultra-dark with hidden fruit, forest and nut treasures. 

Note: do savor this chocolate slowly and you'll get wonderful, small upticks in fruit flavor. (The muted, sweet Concord (purple) grape was a favorite. It gently peeked out and then receded over a 10-second period, about 2/3 the way through tasting a piece of this bar.)

This was a very enjoyable 100% bar with delicate sophisticated fruit aroma and flavor notes. For those dark chocolate fans not familiar with zero sugar cacao experiences: smell first, then take a small bite. Recover from your first impression: your brain was expecting sugar, and now has to adjust to what initially seems a bit dense, flat and bitter. But, then wait...With this Fossa single-origin Tanzania, single ingredient (just cacao) bar you'll be rewarded. 

Maker's tasting notes: "Lemon zest, Biscuit, Nuts"

Ingredients: "Organic cacao" 

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy." (Vegan, Gluten free, Sugar free)

Fossa Chocolate - Yuzu Sea Salt 54% Dark Milk Tanzania (bar) - June 13, 2025

 Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Yuzu Sea Salt 54% Dark Milk Tanzania (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Citrus Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate and Tanzania Theme Week.

Today's Yuzu Sea Salt 54% Dark Milk Tanzania (bar) was made by Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Aroma notes included: creamy chocolate, chocolate and citrus cookie and very faint tea and caramel.

Texture: smooth, creamy (almost silky) dark milk chocolate accented by strips of candied yuzu peel.

Flavor notes included: satisfying, sophisticated and balanced dark milk chocolate (with cream, very faint caramel, nut and cookie); tart-sweet fruity and authentic-tasting candied yuzu peel; and tiny pulses of sea salt. 

The slightly stronger elements of the yuzu citrus fruit (peel) were presented in a subtle, sweet and very well-balanced way and complemented the chocolate nicely.

I liked the authentic yuzu citrus fruit flavor and the sprinkle of sea salt -- both of these elements balanced out the rich, buttery sweetness of the milk chocolate.

Maker's tasting notes: "Creamy, biscuity chocolate with refreshing citrusy aroma"

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, yuzu peel (yuzu peel, sugar, vitamin c), sea salt"

Allergen-related information: Contains milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

Fossa Chocolate - Teh Tarik 51% (bar) - Apr. 10, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
51% Teh Tarik (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 284.5 calories in 1 bar (569 kcals for 100 g.)
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Tea Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate & India Theme Week.

Today's 51% Cacao Teh Tarik tea-infused milk chocolate was made by Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore). The company offers a variety of high-quality tea chocolate bars that draw from some of the best single origin tea and cacao traditions.

Teh Tarik ("hand pulled" or "pulled tea" in English) is a popular Malaysian style tea created by pouring hot black tea and condensed milk back and forth, until the two are fully integrated. 

To create a dark milk chocolate version of this beverage, the makers sourced fine cacao (from Hacienda Limon, Ecuador) and Pine Smoked Darjeeling Tea (from Gopaldhara estate in India).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: complex sweet black tea, condensed milk/Thai iced tea, faint floral, brown sugar, spices and sweet pine resin; and balanced, flavorful milk chocolate.

Texture: creamy and smooth

I loved the Darjeeling tea notes in this rich, luxe milk tea bar. I wondered if the tea notes were somewhat subdued by the milk and sugar.

I reminded myself that the milk and sugar may also have masked some astringency, bitterness or tannins. But that too was unlikely, given that these "bolder" aspects were all but missing in this chocolate,

I also appreciated the short list of high-quality (and single origin) ingredients. 

Ingredients: Cacao butter, cane sugar, cacao, milk powder, tea leaves

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy. 

Fossa Chocolate - 54% Dark Milk Earl Grey Lavender (bar) - Apr. 9, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
54% Dark Milk - Earl Grey Lavender (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 284 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

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

Today's 54% Dark Milk - Earl Grey Lavender (bar) was made by Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore).

This 54% milk chocolate was made using "((biscuity) Tanzanian cacao from Kokoa Kamili fermentery Semuliki Forest organic cacao"; and the lavender flowers used were from Germany.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark milk chocolate (drinking chocolate/rich dark creamy cocoa); floral (aromatic lavender); very faint, diffuse tart fruit (apple, citrus); and barely detectable earth, and balanced tea astringency.

Texture: smooth; and creamy. And this chocolate became creamier the longer it was melting my mouth.

I liked: 1.) the short list of quality ingredients; 2.) the authentic lavender floral taste; 3.) If you like floral flavors, specifically lavender, and chocolate, I recommend giving this bar. 

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, milk powder, Earl Grey tea leaves (tea leaves, bergamot oil), lavender flower

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

Fossa Chocolate - Osmanthus & Golden Berries 56% Dark Milk (bar) - Apr. 7, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Osmanthus & Golden Berries 56% Dark Milk (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 251.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $14.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 56% Dark Milk Osmanthus & Golden Berries (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore).

The cacao used to make this bar was from "Paquibato Village in Davao City" in the Philippines. 

Tiny white Osmanthus flowers also contributed flavor to this dark milk chocolate. These fragrant blooms are used to flavor oolong, green, black and herbal teas, and tea blends. The tiny blossoms have a lovely, sweet, apricot-like scent.*

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (bold but balanced), tart sweet fruit (golden berries, sweet, sun-dried tomato, golden raisin, dried apricot), faint floral, and very faint (barely detectable) earth.

Texture: smooth, creamy dark chocolate and chewy pieces of dried golden berries.

As with every Fossa Chocolate bar I've tasted to date, the flavors in this chocolate were very well-balanced, well-integrated and executed, and authentic. Their choices of single origin cacao(s) and teas--as well as fruits, spirits and unique botanicals). Single origin and high-quality ingredients really do matter.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Delicate floral aroma with morsels of fruity berries"

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, dehydrated golden berries, milk powder, osmanthus flower"

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

*Osmanthus is a genus of about 30 species in the Oleaceae family. Osmanthus is sometimes referred to as "tea olive" or "fragrant tree olive" as it is in the olive family.

The Osmanthus used in this bar came from Southern China. (It also grows near where I live in California. Its perfume emanates from a tall green hedge with tiny clusters of ivory-colored flowers. The scent is strong and alluring on some days, and dormant on other days.) 

Fossa Chocolate - Jasmine Green 51% Drifting Snowflakes (bar) - Apr. 6, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Jasmine Green 51% - Drifting Snowflakes (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 271.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Jasmine Green 51% - Drifting Snowflakes (bar) from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore) was part of the company's Tea Chocolate collection.

The cacao used to make this bar was from Hacienda Limon in Ecuador. And the jasmine green tea was sourced via Pekoe & Imp (a collaboration partner focused on specialty, single origin teas).

Aroma and flavor notes included: intoxicating jasmine floral; green tea (clear/clean mineral, botanical); and subtle sophisticated milk chocolate. 

The jasmine green tea floral notes (from the Bi Tan Piao Xue traditional green tea from Sichuan Province in China harvested in spring, layered with jasmine flowers that bloom in summer) lingered into a long and satisfying finish.

This 51% cacao bar was relatively sweet -- think sweet milk tea; but the high-quality tea and chocolate flavors were excellent and well-balanced.The green tea (and to a lesser extent cacao) polyphenols (tannic acid, astringency); and very slight, fleeting bitterness (from cacao and tea) were both well-managed and buffered by the milk in the chocolate and relative high-quality of the ingredients.

Loved the floral and green tea flavors, as well as the smooth texture with a creamy melt and mouthfeel. But, more than that was a glimmer of chocolate magic, where nuanced complexity jumps up to the next level.

With skilled precision, execution and balance, one might be able to surf two ("double up") waves, almost at the same time. This is the sensation I had with this bar. (Surfing in on an elegant catamaran might be a better analogy.) I felt like I was simultaneously sipping an excellent tea and nibbling on a high-quality chocolate. I love floral tea flavors and chocolate magic moments like this.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Jasmine fragrance with lingering umami"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, green tea leaves, jasmine flowers 

Allergen-related information: Contains Dairy. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts." 

 

Fossa Chocolate - Tea Chocolate Uji Hojicha (bar) - April 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Tea Chocolate - Uji Hojicha (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 148.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

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

Today's Uji Hojicha (bar) was part of the Tea Chocolate collection from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore).

This 53% milk chocolate was made using Hojicha roasted Japanese green tea from Kyoto and "Ugandan Semuliki Forest organic cacao."

Aroma and flavor notes included: subtle dark milk chocolate, and lovely roasted (almost malty) and floral tea notes.

Texture: well-tempered chocolate with a thick and luxurious creamy melt and mouthfeel.

I really enjoyed the: 1.) sophisticated, complex tea flavor notes, 2.) very smooth, creamy dark milk chocolate, and 3.) well-executed and almost perfectly balanced chocolate--made with a short list of quality ingredients. 

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Nutty and toasty tea aroma with a creamy mouthfeel"

Ingredients: Cacao, cacao butter, cane sugar, milk powder, tea leaves

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

 

Fossa Chocolate - 65% Dark Spicy Mala (bar) - Feb. 20, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Fossa Chocolate
65% Dark Spicy Mala (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

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

Today's 65% Dark Spicy Mala (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Aroma notes included: chocolate, green peppercorn, warm/upbeat spices, and very faint chili/heat.

This bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a relatively smooth texture with a smattering of light crunchy bits (sesame seeds). 

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, fragrant green peppercorn, and light, warm spices (light cardamom, cinnamon).

This was a wonderful stewpot of well-balanced flavors. I really liked the aromatic top notes of the peppercorn, cardamom and cinnamon and very light umami elements (sesame, soy).

Maker's description: "An incredibly aromatic, spicy and numbing, yet addictive chocolate, inspired by the popular spicy mala stir fry pot dish..."

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, peanut, sesame, soy sauce, dried chilli (sic), Sichuan peppercorn, cardamom, Bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds"

Allergen-related information: Contains: Peanut, Sesame, and (possibly wheat in soy sauce). Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy. 

Fossa Chocolate - 48% Milk Satay Sauce (bar) - Feb. 19, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Fossa Chocolate
48% Milk Satay Sauce (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

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

Today's 48% Milk Satay Sauce (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore).

Aroma and flavor notes included: authentic chili powder, dark milk chocolate, faint nuts, and spices. 

I enjoyed trying this bar, even if the flavors were different than what I was expecting. Where I live in the U.S., satay sauce (a peanut sauce served over meat skewers) has more sweet peanut butter flavor and less chili powder flavor, so that's what I was expecting initially. 

The added milk helped harmonize the spices and made the chocolate closer to the texture of a smooth savory sauce.

I appreciated the short list of quality/authentic ingredients in this chocolate. And I look forward to trying the more spice-forward versions of this sauce when I visit Singapore in the next year or two.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, peanut, milk powder, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, anise, fennel seeds, peppercorn, sea salt

Allergen-related information: Contains: Peanuts, Milk. Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy.

Fossa Chocolate - Tokushima Collection Indigo (bar) & 73% Dark Sake Kasu (bar) - Feb. 11, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Tokushima Collection "Indigo" (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's Market, online order

Fossa Chocolate
73% Dark Sake Kasu (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's Market, online order

Welcome to the last day (Day #14) of Unique Chocolate Theme Week. And today features two special and unique chocolate bars.

Today's Indigo (38% white) and 73% Dark Sake Kasu bars were created by Fossa Chocolate (Singapore). The company offers thoughtfully crafted, well-executed bars, many with special teas and Asian flavor inclusions.

Indigo* (bar)

Aroma and flavor notes included: white chocolate; slightly sweet floral; milky citrus (orange blossom + lemon ice cream); and hard to pin down botanical (sweet, woodsy, tea) notes. These relatively delicate, sweetly complex and creamy notes lingered into the finish.

This truly unique ivory-colored 38% white chocolate--part of Fossa's Tokushima Collection**--was a muted darker green-teal color and had a well-executed, creamy texture with a very slightly textured mouthfeel (from the dried indigo).

I enjoyed the nuances of flavor in this sweet 38% white milk chocolate, and the opportunity to experience my first taste the unique plant behind the beautiful blue indigo color.

Maker's description: "Dried and made into a powder to be blended with 38% white chocolate, the flavor is soft and delicate, reminding us of woods and florals."

Ingredients: Cocoa butter, milk powder, cane sugar, dried indigo

Allergen-related information: Contains dairy. Produced in a facility that processes nuts.

*There are different species of plants known as "indigo"--a member of the legume/pea family--with most associated with Africa, India, South China and Japan. (Indigenous people in the Americas also used similar plants for dyeing materials.) It's also used as a medicinal plant in some cultures. 

Note: I would advise researching the plant/indigo source first, before eating it, particularly if you think you've found it growing in the wild.)

**Tokushima Prefecture is on Shikoku Island, Japan.

73% Dark Sake Kasu (bar)

Aroma notes included an aromatic orchestra of scents: chocolate, lightly sour fruit(s) candy, very slightly bitter, fermented spirits, and umami. 

This was a blend of tasty dark chocolate + slightly umami and fermented sake kasu "candy" squares. The layered, slightly sweet, sour, bitter and fermented (sake) flavors (from two types of kasu*) extended into a long, slightly fermented sweet finish. 

Texture: smooth, creamy dark chocolate interspersed with small, thin, firmly chewy squares of flavored candy.

I like umami flavors with chocolate; and this sake 73% dark bar was authentic and delightful to try. 

This Sake Kasu bar reminded me a little bit of a naturally sweeter (less hoppy) version of chocolates made with beer, malt and hops. It had the richness and depth of flavor(s) found in other bars with fermented spirits.

*Maker's notes: The white kasu comes from Akishika Shozu, a "kiian-zukuri" or "seedling to sake" brewery that makes sake using organic rice grown in-house...And the red kasu comes from the brewing of Inemankai - a one-of-a-kind sake by Mukai Shuo using a strain of red rice that grows in the master brewer's hometown of Ine in rural Kyoto.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, sake Kasu (rice, koji), dextrose

Allergen-related information: Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy. 

Fossa Chocolate - 44% Dark Pulut Hitam (bar) + Vanuatu lunch - Jan. 28, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day 

Fossa Chocolate
44% Dark Pulut Hitam (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 284 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Vanuatu Week. For the last day of this theme week, I enjoyed two items.

Vanuatu Laplap

First I made some "laplap." Also known as the "national dish of Vanuatu," this baked pudding contained yam, green banana, coconut milk and salt. (I also added a little cinnamon, ginger and kumquat zest.) I enjoyed it, and will likely make it again.

The laplap was followed by today's chocolate made with purple rice and coconut palm sugar--inspired by the Indonesian dessert Pulut Hitam (a black/purple rice porridge with coconut palm sugar that is also popular in Singapore and elsewhere).

Pulut Hitam (bar)

Today's 44% Dark Pulut Hitam bar was from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore).

Aroma and flavor notes included: soft cocoa (luscious light cocoa, faint floral and very faint diffuse fruit); aromatic purple rice; faint coconut, cocoa butter and rice pudding notes; and (imagined) pandan leaf.

Texture: smooth, slight creamy starch, quickly followed by a rich, creamy melt and mouthfeel.

The makers successfully channeled the sweet soul of rice pudding in this chocolate, plus the subtle flavors in the cacao, the purple rice and the coconut sugar that we rarely experience with "plain" white rice pudding in the U.S.* 

Ingredients: Cacao butter, purple glutinous rice, cacao, coconut palm sugar, cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut (sugar). "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

*The first rice puddings likely originated in China or India. Today we have many different versions of this dish/dessert around the world (kheer in India; sombi in Senegal; Arroz con Leche in Mexico, etc.)

Most modern American versions use white rice, milk, sugar and often egg. Occasionally we adorn our white rice pudding with raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet citrus peel, or maybe a little spirits (rum, whiskey)); but most of what is sold in stores is ivory-hued, soft, comfort food.

 

Fossa Chocolate - 53% Dark Milk Chrysanthemum Tea Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 10, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate

53% Dark Milk Chrysanthemum Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139 calories in 1/2 bar; (278 calories in 1 bar)
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs & Spices Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week. 

Today's 53% Dark Milk Chrysanthemum Tea Chocolate (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore). They used cacao from the Philippines to make this chocolate.

Aroma notes included: dark milk chocolate; very faint floral tea notes. 

Texture: very smooth, buttery texture with a soft caramel-like melt. (The chrysanthemum buds were fully incorporated into the chocolate.)

I loved the creamy texture, and I was happy to find that despite relatively high levels of sugar I could still taste and enjoy the relatively delicate, sweet floral notes of the chrysanthemum (light, clean, honey-ed, almost chamomile-like floral -- no detectable earthy notes with these flower buds).

I would love to taste this chocolate with a little less sugar (maybe a 60% cacao version?) to taste more of the lovely chrysanthemum tea and the cacao.* 

Thank you to the makers for the short list of high-quality ingredients and the gentle, balanced complexity in this bar. 

Maker's description: "Chrysanthemum is a symbol of longevity and rejuvenation. Brewed as a tea, it is believed to have cooling and cleansing properties...Prized chrysanthemum buds from Zhejiang, China, are blended with with fruity cacao from Rehoboth Estate (Philippines) in a 53% dark milk chocolate, bringing forth an elegant floral aroma and notes of honey with a sweet lingering finish..."

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, milk powder, chrysanthemum flower buds"

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy." 

*General comment: Smooth, sweet chocolates may appeal to more buyers; and the price of cacao has gone way up in recent years; so dark chocolates are more expensive to make. I can appreciate the challenges some makers have in trying to satisfy a variety of customer tastes (especially dark and ultra-dark chocolate lovers) at a reasonable price point, and to be profitable.

Fossa Chocolate - 53% Dark Milk Ginseng Chrysanthemum (Tea) (bar) - Jan. 9, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate

53% Dark Milk Ginseng Chrysanthemum (Tea) (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139 calories in 1/2 bar; (278 calories in 1 bar)
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs & Spices Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week. 

Today's 53% Dark Milk Ginseng Chrysanthemum (Tea) (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore). They used cacao from the Philippines to make this chocolate.

Aroma notes included: dark milk chocolate; faint tea; clean, slightly floral, faint, fleeting olive (oil) (there was no olive oil); and mild root/herb (ginseng).

Texture: very smooth, buttery texture. The chrysanthemum and ginseng flavor elements were fully incorporated into the chocolate, leaving no botanical "grit."

I loved the fine creamy texture and the fact that the ginseng and chrysanthemum flavors seemed to be very harmonious together.

However, I was even happier to find that despite relatively high levels of milk and sugar I could still taste and enjoy the tea-like chrysanthemum (light, clean, honey-ed, almost chamomile-like floral) and ginseng (pleasant root, herb) notes. 

It reminded me of a very special sweet and floral milk tea -- that I've never had before, but now I want to find or make.

Thank you to the makers for the short list of high-quality ingredients and the gentle, balanced complexity in this bar.

Maker's description: "Ginseng chrysanthemum tea has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an immunity booster and a natural remedy to treat fatigue...Blending American ginseng and chrysanthemum buds with fruity cacao from Philippines' Rehoboth Estate makes for a powerful yet comforting aroma..."

Ingredients: "Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, milk powder, ginseng, chrysanthemum buds"

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."  

Fossa Chocolate - Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin Pekoe & Imp tea (bar) - Dec. 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate 
Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin - Pekoe & Imp Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 276.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

If you like oolong teas and dark chocolate, you will love this 62% dark bar--made using "fruity and floral" Peruvian cacao (from Puerta Pulache, Piura).

Aroma and flavor notes included: beautiful, authentic, faintly roast-y, traditional oolong tea and smooth dark chocolate. Oolong tea has elements of both green and black tea, but is in a class by itself.

The tea notes lingered into a pleasing, subtle, clean, astringent, green/floral tea finish that lasted for at least 30 seconds after the last bite of chocolate.

Texture: Very smooth (creamy, fudge-y) with a buttery melt. 

I loved the refreshing, faintly floral tea aroma, flavor and finish, and the short list of (four) ingredients. The Peruvian cacao seemed a perfect match with the oolong tea.

Maker's tasting notes: "Aroma of sweet toasty caramel and floral notes with a warming finish"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, tea leaves

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

Fossa Chocolate - 54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar) - April 6, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Thailand Theme Week--focused on cacao/chocolates from Thailand and chocolates containing Thai-grown and Thai-inspired flavor inclusions.

Today's 54% Dark Milk Lychee Rose (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

The company's description of this bar read: "Creamy and fruity rose infused Tanzania 54% Dark Milk Chocolate topped with chewy dehydrated lychee from Chiang Rai, Thailand, and crunchy cacao nibs."

Aroma notes included: fruit (floral, sweet, lychee), and cocoa/cacao.

Texture: creamy smooth chocolate base and clusters of small, slightly crunchy, cacao nibs.

Flavor notes included: a base of mild dark chocolate (made even creamier and more subtle by added cocoa butter); cacao nibs; delicious pieces of sweet, refreshing, authentic lychee fruit; and floral (rose).

I loved the authentic and balanced flavors and gentle complexity. This was a sweet chocolate bar, but the sugar didn't overwhelm the natural fruit and floral notes. (Thank you.)

Maker's tasting notes: "Delicate rose infused milk chocolate with the sweet aroma of lychee"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, lychee, rose absolute 

Allergen-related information: "Contains dairy. Produced in a facility that processes nuts."

Fossa Chocolate - 70% Dark Mava Ottange Madagascar (bar) - Mar. 14, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd
70% Dark Mava Ottange Madagascar (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 274 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 70% Dark Mava Ottange Madagascar (bar) was crafted by Fossa Chocolate in Singapore.

Fossa is known for small-batch chocolate(s) with different tea inclusions. (Their oolong tea infused bars are especially nice.) Almost all their offerings I've sampled have had a subtle sophistication about them.*

This chocolate was made using cacao from the Sambirano Valley area in northwestern Madagascar, a region known for its cacao. Most of the Madagascar bars this week share this same origin.**

The cacao beans in this bar were from the MAVA Plantation--that encompasses eight different farms, including the Ottange Farm.

The aroma of this vegan, gluten-free bar had a softly sweet, slightly fragrant (hot cocoa, hot drinking chocolate) with faint fruit, floral (neroli), spice, and almost undetectable green notes. 

The chocolate had a uniformly smooth melt and texture and was made using cacao from the MAVA Plantation that contains several different farms, including the Ottange Farm.

The Dance of the Seven Citrus Veils
The taste fulfilled on the promise hinted at in the aroma notes. It was as if I "heard" a dance party happening, on the other side of a set of large wooden doors. And, after the first bite of this chocolate, those doors were suddenly thrown open and I was invited to join the party. 

My senses were suddenly illuminated with a sweet-tart candied citrus peel brightness. Flavors shimmered and shifted around me within a bright hemisphere of light. These flavors were mostly within the citrus spectrum, including ripe tangerine, sweet orange, tangelo, Mandarin orange, Valencia orange, Navel orange and kumquat--and pure sunshine and sugar. 

It was hard to pin down the other more subtle flavor elements in the midst of the dance of a seven citrus veils. But they included a faint flickering of forest/earth and chocolate malted milk powder.

All this fun, from only two-ingredients: cacao and cane sugar. Except for the bright citrus headlights, this is one of the most civilized, and sweetest, Madagascar ride I've taken in a few years. The 70% cacao landed closer to a 60-65% cacao bar on my palette, in part due to its bright sweetness.

Fossa tasting notes read as follows: "orange, malt, roasted nuts."

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar

*Yes, that included Fossa's limited edition "Duck Shit" Dancong Tea Chocolate bar that had a faint, but balanced, grassy flavor note that recalled a marshy area where you might see ducks dabbling. (No actual duck contributions were involved in the making of this bar; so there's no need to be squeamish.)

**Decades ago, cacao from Bertil Akesson's family plantation launched many of the first Madagascar craft chocolate bars in the U.S. Akesson became one of the first well-respected suppliers to provision the new wave of new bean-to-bar makers with single origin beans. 

Other "made in country" bars/chocolates in Madagascar worthy of note include those from Chocolaterie Robert SA.

Beyond Good (formerly Madecasse), a cocoa and vanilla company with direct ties to Madagascar (based in Brooklyn, NY), was started in 2006 by two Peace Corps volunteers. Madecasse chocolate bars were some of the first "Madagascar" bars I can remember sampling when I started Chocolate Banquet in that same year.

Fossa Chocolate - Macadamia and Shitake (bar) - Sept. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Macadamia and Shitake (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 294 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Macadamia and Shitake (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore) and was made using Bolivia Wild Beniano cacao. 

I loved the aroma of this intriguing chocolate, handmade in small batches, with its mix of floral, nutty, umame (baked mushroom) and roasted coffee notes. 

The chocolate had a smooth, relatively creamy texture, accompanied by a circus of tiny, crunchy caramelized nut bits. Macadamia nuts are quite mild and it was difficult to tell what type of nut was there, but they were present. The chocolate notes were complementary and pleasant, but muted somewhat by all the other fun going on.

This was a great, well-balanced implementation of a unique blend of flavors. Extra points for making this sweet and umami melange shine.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, macadamia, cocoa butter, shitake mushrooms, sea salt.

Fossa Chocolate - 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar) - Sept. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito (bar)
Good 
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 66 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar 
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Shrimp and Bonito and (bar) was from Fossa Chocolate (Singapore).

Billed as offering an "umami of the sea" experience, this bar delivered. When you opened this bar, you could see authentic marine life--tiny little dried shrimps nestled amongst the sesame seeds. 

But, the sight of these tiny crustaceans were not the surprise. (I have enjoyed chocolates with smoked salmon as well as dried anchovies and many other umami (savory) flavor inclusions before.) Nor was it the slightly fishy aroma that emanated from the bar--that became much fainter after taking a bite of the chocolate.

Surprise! This bar contained 6 of the 8 major food allergens,* including gluten (wheat flour), although it was not present in visible amount(s). I've been dodging wheat/gluten all my adult life. I like it; it doesn't like me. So, I limited my tasting to a smaller piece of this 70% dark bar, and shared it with others.

The dark chocolate was bold enough that it covered up what might have been a "fishy" flavor. The dried shrimps and bonito fish flecks contributed a bit of chewy texture and a hint of saltiness and no scary fishiness. If blindfolded, it's unlikely I would have been able to identify the specific type of seafood (shrimp, bonito) flavor inclusions.

The bar was not too sweet or too salty (thank you). It was a skillful, balanced, implementation of these unusual flavors. Definitely worth trying if you can get over the fear factor. (Tiny dried shrimps are almost adorable when you become accustomed to them.)

*Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, dried shrimp, seaweed, sesame, soy sauce, lactose, salt, egg, spices, yeast extract, wheat flour.

*Note: "Contains seafood, sesame, egg, dairy, gluten and soy."