Moka Origins - Mexico Dark Chocolate Revival Cacao 60% Cacao (bar) - Mar. 20, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Mexico Dark Chocolate Revival Cacao 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) total bar
Calories: 190 in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate & Mexico Theme Week.

Today's Mexico Dark Chocolate Revival Cacao 60% Cacao (bar) was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA). The company sources both coffee(s) and cacao(s) from select farms and growing regions. They've long focused on fair prices for farmers; and they also support tree-planting efforts and farmer training initiatives.

While I might have preferred a slightly darker, less sweet (70% cacao) version of this bar, I really enjoyed and appreciated the wonderful and nuanced fruit notes in this well-executed 60% chocolate. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: white/wine grape juice; very subtle ripe dark berry; and gently roasted nut (pecan). 

Together, the aroma and flavor notes had a floral elegance to them; i.e. I felt the same satisfaction I've gotten from smelling heirloom roses -- only with fruit notes. Very appealing and in the "just right" zone. 

There was no lingering acidity or bitterness--in short, what one might expect from a fine, heritage/Criollo cacao.

The cacao used to make this bar was from Revival Cacao. Their impressive mission: to revive "4,000 years of cacao history" in Mexico. They work with farms in Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca, including Agua Escondida in Comalcalco, Tabasco--where they got their start.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Dark chocolate with notes of blackberry, grape & pecan"

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

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, almonds, and other tree nuts."

Moka Origins - Mexican Spice Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao (bar) - Mar. 6, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Mexican Spice Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's, Palo Alto, CA  

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

Today's Mexican Spice Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao (bar) was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

This dark milk chocolate contained the Hispanic chocolate spice trinity of chili, vanilla and cinnamon. The first two of these spices are native to the Americas. 

The third, cinnamon, arrived in Mexico from Spain (via European traders, spice merchants). However, cinnamon has become so well integrated into modern life in Mexico, that it's hard to remember when it wasn't part of the cuisine.**

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in Ghana, making this Mexican Spice Milk Chocolate bar an international ensemble. 

Aroma notes included: roasted, smooth, sweet dark chocolate, warm spices and vanilla.

Texture: uniformly smooth with a thick, creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with vanilla, chili (with small upticks in chili pepper (cayenne pepper) heat) and warm spicy cinnamon. This winter warmer was a drinking chocolate in bar form. 

Ingredients: *organic cocoa beans, *organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar, organic milk powder, organic cayenne pepper, organic vanilla bean, organic cinnamon 

*Fair Trade Certified by Fair Trade USA/Over 58% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients

Allergen-related information: "Contains: milk." ..."Made in a facility that handles milk, eggs, wheat, soy, almonds, and other tree nuts."

** While Mexico does grow some of their own cinnamon (much of it in the State of Veracruz), both the United States and Mexico have been large importers of cinnamon for some time. 

Moka Origins - Cherry, Dark Chocolate Tanzania 72% Cacao (bar) - Nov. 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Cherry - Dark Chocolate Tanzania 72% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Cherry - Dark Chocolate Tanzania 72% Cacao (bar) was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

Moka Origins began its operations (Moka Farm) in Cameroon (the 4th largest cacao producer, in West Africa) in 2015. The founders gained experience working with cacao farmers, setting up a training center to encourage sustainable farming practices, and planting thousands of cacao trees.  

The "Trinitario, Neo-Nacional" cacao used to make the chocolate was grown in Tanzania, produced by Kokoa Kamili*, and obtained from sourcing partner Meridian Cacao.

Aroma notes included: subtle, bittersweet dark chocolate; dried tart-sweet red fruit (dark, sweet cherries, fleeting fig,); and faint spice and tart-green (oxalis, wood sorrel, citrus).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with plump, chewy dried cherries.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with a balanced bitterness; faint woodsy-earth; very faint brown sugar; and authentic dark, sweet, concentrated, complex, and authentic cherry flavors that lasted into the finish. 

The blend of bold 72% dark chocolate and dried cherries made for a flavorful match.

Maker's tasting notes: cherry, raspberry, citrus

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic dried cherries (organic cherries, organic cane sugar, organic sunflower oil), organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles milk, eggs, wheat, soy, almonds, and other tree nuts."

*Kokoa Kamili is located in the Mbingu Village in the Kilombero Valley (Morogoro Region) in Tanzania. This centrally located fermentation facility buys wet (freshly harvested) cacao beans at a premium price (the "highest price paid in Tanzania") from "more than 4,000 smallholder farmers in this region." Kokoa Kamili also offers training on how to "increase quality and yield rates" and distributes cacao seedlings to farmers. 

 

Moka Origins - Uganda Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Semuliki Forest (bar) - July 27, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Uganda Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Semuliki Forest (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA 

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

Today's Uganda Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Semuliki Forest (bar) was created by Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA). The company offers small-batch, single origin chocolates and coffees, as well as drinking chocolates.

The (Forastero variety) cacao that Moka Origins used to make this Uganda bar was from Latitude Trade Company (a fermentation facility in Uganda). Latitude pays cocoa farmers 10% above market price for freshly harvested ("wet") cacao (beans with cacao fruit pulp). An estimated 50% of these 1,002 smallholder farmers are women.

Aroma notes for this bar included: subtle red fruit (diffuse red berry, red apple), smooth, creamy dark chocolate, and very faint warm spice.

This Organic dark chocolate had a smooth texture with a velvety melt and mouthfeel.

Flavors were similar to the aroma (i.e. faint red fruit and true chocolate). As is usually the case, the chocolate tasted even more chocolate-y (ultra-dark chocolate pudding/mousse) than the aroma. The taste also revealed a pleasant, faint (but bright), sweet green (floral green tea, kiwi) note. 

Minutes after the last bite, I tasted a very faint, slightly fruity/jammy finish (red berry and red apple--with a whisper of cherry, fresh nectarine and apricot--the kind of fruit plate that would be equally at home paired with a sip of high-end champagne or a graham cracker). 

This bar will please dark chocolate lovers who love a nice smooth, flavorful chocolate with sophisticated texture, flavor depth, and complexity (that may include a genteel fresh fruit finish). Nothing too wild or too cluttered; but like an elegant black dress in your closet, it's certainly not boring either.

Maker's description: "Rich dark chocolate with tasting notes of red berry and chocolate ganache"

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

Allergen-related information: "Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free. Made in a facility that handles tree nuts."

Moka Origins - Sea Salt Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Ghana (bar) - Jan. 29, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Sea Salt Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Ghana (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Sea Salt Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Ghana (bar) was made, from bean-to-bar, by Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA). The company specializes in single origin, small batch chocolates (and coffees).

The balanced bouquet of aroma notes of this chocolate included: dark chocolate (ultra-dark chocolate torte), fruit (berry, and later, faint ripe kiwi), a fleeting, pleasant botanical floral spice (green tea + vanilla, white pepper), and a very faint, fleeting salt and black pepper potato (chip) note.

Flavor notes included: flavorful dark chocolate (ultra-dark chocolate torte), fruit (red berry, currant), sea salt, and very faint, green, floral black pepper and earth.

The well-tempered bar broke with a snap, and it had a smooth melt and creamy texture with micro crystals of sea salt.

Similar to yesterday's Ghana-grown cacao 58% dark milk chocolate (Moka Origins sibling), today's Ghana 72% dark chocolate sea salt bar was crafted using a blend of Amelonado and Trinitario cacao beans, from ABOCFA--an Organic and Fair Trade certified cacao co-operative that maintains "complete traceability for its cacao and their farmers." (Sourcing partner: Uncommon Cacao.)*

Maker's description: "Dark chocolate finished with hand-harvested sea salt"

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Kosher flake sea salt. (Over 67% Fair Trade Certified Ingredients) USDA Organic certified; Fair Trade Certified by Fair Trade USA

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free, vegan, soy free." "Made in a facility that handles dairy, gluten, coconut, and tree nuts."

*Historically, most of the cacao exported from West African countries like Ghana has not been fair trade certified (or organic certified) and has been "mostly untraceable." 

The ABOCFA cooperative in Suhum, Ghana, is one of only four certified Organic cacao providers in Ghana, and it supplies cacao from 13 local farming communities ("hamlets"). The co-op trains farmers on best practices to optimize quality (harvesting, fermentation, drying), to help ensure farmers receive a fair (higher) price for their cacao.

The organization can also provide more information to potential cacao buyers in other countries such as the U.S., which in turn can be supplied to customers. 

For example, we can read on the packaging that the cacao used to make this Moka Origins bar was from "Suhum, Ghana. Located in the Eastern Region of South Ghana, West Africa, with coordinates: 6.0413 degrees N., 0.4550 degrees W..." Cacao was grown at approximately "610 feet above sea level." And we also know that cocoa trees were likely "intercropped" (i.e. grown with) "palm trees, plantains, coconut and cassava plants."

It also should be noted that Moka Origins founders have spent time in Africa, and in fact have a farm in Cameroon (west-central Africa). They are dedicated to "ethically sourcing coffee and cacao" and supporting farmers and the environment.

Moka Origins - Dark Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao Ghana (bar) - Jan. 28, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
Dark Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao Ghana (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sigona's Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Milk Chocolate 58% Cacao Ghana (bar) was made, from bean-to-bar, by Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA). The company specializes in single origin, small batch chocolates (and coffees).

The aroma of this chocolate was one of subtle, sweet dark milk chocolate, with a very faint clean mineral note.

The well-tempered bar broke with a snap, and it had a smooth melt and creamy texture.

The flavor had notes of slightly tart (faint, diffuse fruit) and milk chocolate flavor with faint molasses spice notes. The Ghana-grown cacao used to make this bar was a blend of Amelonado and Trinitario. 

This well-executed bar was refreshingly flavorful and relatively complex for a milk chocolate bar.

Maker's description: "Creamy dark chocolate made with organic A2/A2 milk from Alexandre Family Farm."

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic milk powder, organic cocoa butter. (Over 40% Fair Trade certified ingredients. Fair Trade Certified by Fair Trade USA.)

Allergen-related information: (Contained milk.) "Gluten free, soy free" "Made in a facility that handles dairy, gluten, coconut, and tree nuts."

Moka Origins - Tanzania 72% Dark Chocolate, (bar) - May 1, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
72% Tanzania Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (67.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 372 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 (plus shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Moka Origins (online order)

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

Today's Tanzania 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

If you want to experience a warm, flavorful, sweet dark chocolate embrace, try this bar. It had an inviting aroma with warm spice (cinnamon, cloves), and freshly baked dark chocolate cake notes. The melt and texture were smooth.

The flavor had a warm and bright sweet taste, with fruity (red apple, peach, nectarine, red berry) and true chocolate (devil's food cake + rich, hot drinking chocolate) flavor and finish. 

This Tanzania cacao-based chocolate was low in bitterness; and the choice to bump up the cacao percentage (from 70% to 72%) was a good one. This bar was naturally bright and fruity; and a lower percentage of cocoa solids might have resulted in chocolate that was too sweet.

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

Allergen-related information: gluten free; vegan; soy free; made in a facility that handles tree nuts.

Moka Origins - Lemon Ginger Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (Uganda) bar - June 8, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Moka Origins
Lemon Ginger Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (Uganda) bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories; 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Moka Origins, online order

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

Today's Lemon Ginger Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (Uganda) bar was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA). Moka Origins works with cacao and coffee farmers in Africa and the Dominican Republic to source beans for their chocolate and coffee  offerings. 

This ginger-forward bar had robust natural-tasting sweet spicy flavor from a generous helping of candied ginger pieces/shreds on the back of the bar, and lemon citrus flavor notes. The base dark chocolate (made with Ugandan cacao) was smooth and flavorful and complemented the flavor inclusions. And the touch of lemon was just right. (I enjoy a touch of lemon peel in coffee and/or chocolate now and then.) 

If you adore ginger and dark chocolate, this would be a great bar to sample. Some may like their chocolate with slightly less ginger and lemon to better taste the nuances of the cacao. Others will find this bracing blend of quality flavors very satisfying. 

Moka Origins - Organic Toffee Almond Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) - May 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Moka Origins
Toffee Almond Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Moka Origins, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate, Caramel and Toffee Theme Week.

Today's Toffee Almond Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) was made by Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

Moka Origins was founded in 2015 with a focus on small batch chocolate and coffee. The founders, Ishan Tigunait and Jeff Abella, gained farm and community development experience in Cameroon. This initial project expanded to ethically sourced coffee and cacao partnerships in Uganda and elsewhere in cacao-producing countries, and chocolate making and coffee offerings in Pennsylvania.

Their organic Toffee Almond bar tasted fresh, and was a satisfying blend of smooth, almost creamy 72% cacao dark chocolate (Uganda cacao) with dark dense flavor and traces of balanced acidity and earth notes; authentic flecks of toffee--made with real unsalted butter and kosher salt; and pieces of roasted organic almonds.*

People don't believe me when I tell them I've been eating a different chocolate every day (usually grouped into theme weeks) for almost 14 years, and I don't really care for sugar. Once a year I generally run a theme week featuring chocolates that contain caramel and/or toffee. And most of them are too sweet for my taste; but I continue to search for favorites in this category.

Today's Moka Origins bar was perfect for those who don't want to feel overwhelmed by sugar. The toffee flecks in the dark chocolate offered sparkles of warm caramelized sugar, without hitting a wall of sweetness. The judicious flecks (combined with the specific chocolate) allowed one to actually taste the flavor nuances in the chocolate underneath, generally impossible with most chocolates with caramel fillings or toffee inclusions.

*Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic toffee (organic cane sugar, organic unsalted butter, Kosher salt), organic cocoa butter, organic roasted almonds.

Moka Origins - Gola Rainforest, Sierra Leone 85% (bar) - Nov. 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Moka Origins
Dark - Gola Rainforest, Sierra Leone 85% (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (33.9 g.) / 2.4 oz. (67.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Week.

Today's Dark Gola Rainforest, Sierra Leone 85% (bar) was made by Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

This bold, ultra-dark chocolate had a smooth, even texture and melt—and flickers of earth, smoke and deep, opaque chocolate flavor. Think roasted nuts over fire that includes fennel* and licorice kindling.

*I happen to like fennel, so this is not necessarily a criticism. Even the dried wood/sticks from the fennel plant (the whole plant is edible) retain a polite fennel/black licorice aroma, with a touch of light vanilla and maple.

Moka Origins - Blueberry Brazil 72% Cacao bar - Oct. 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Moka Origins
Blueberry Brazil Cacao 72% bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Blueberry Theme Week.

Blueberries add a touch of rich, dark berry fruit and a light earthiness to chocolate. Some chocolates would seem more well-suited to this partnership than others. For example, cacaos with natural nutty, fudgey, berry or citrus flavor notes may complement this fruit nicely, or not. We'll see.

Today's Blueberry Brazil Cacao 72% bar was crafted by small batch bean-to-bar maker(s) from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA) and was Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO. The company also has roots in coffee, and grows crops on a plantation in Cameroon. Their connections with farmers, community and partners help enable good product and ethical sourcing. (Sadly their Cameroon bar was sold out this week, but they offer several other single origin bars.)

This thick, soft fudgey and relatively mild* dark chocolate (made with organic Brazilian cacao) had small bursts of moist, dark berry flavor from organic dried blueberries, and the pairing was sweet, rich and harmonious.

The fact that blueberries + chocolate offerings are numerous (it was easy to find several bars for this theme week) speaks to cacao's natural pairing with fruits and berries, as well as the reputed health properties and antioxidant content found in cacao and blueberries.**

*The blueberry fruit may have masked some of the other finer chocolate flavor nuances, but it seemed like good, high-quality, balanced dark chocolate.

ORAC Scores - Blueberries and Cacao

**Blueberries have been shown to contain high levels of antioxidants.

Polyphenols found in berries (and other whole fruits and vegetables) have been proven to be beneficial for human health in several studies. Polyphenols are antioxidants believed to reduce the oxidative stress that takes place naturally over time in humans and other animals. 

In the 1990s, certain fruits (and vegetables) started being evaluated on their ability to reduce oxygen free radicals (and by inference their damage) using the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale. 

Cultivated blueberries scored very high (prunes and raisins scored even higher) on this scale. Wild fruits have performed well, if not better. (Wild blueberries scored close to 9,000 according to one report). And these inky purple-blue berries have been the subject of many health studies in the past 20 years. Results reported have included, e.g., positive effects on memory, mobility and heart health in older individuals. 

No disrespect to blueberries, but reports of ORAC score for 100 grams (about 3.5 oz.) of cacao nibs went as high as 62,100; and the score for (processed) cocoa powder was 26,000 in the results I could find online. (Scores for cacao varied quite a bit, in part due to the degree of processing that had occurred.)

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