Organic Nectars - Raw Cacao Bar(s) - Jan. 11, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Organic Nectars
Raw Cacao - 85% Cacao bar
Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - part of larger online order already recorded
Purchased from: (online order)

Today's bean-to-bar offerings from Organic Nectars (Malden, NY) were as much about what the makers had mindfully omitted as what they included.

The dark chocolate (85% cacao) Raw Cacao Bar was dairy free, raw, organic (certified), vegan (certified), low-glycemic, kosher confection, and made without refined sugars, gluten or soy. OK, that was a mouthful. Now let's move onto the chocolate.

I sampled two Organic Nectars bars: the company's 85% raw cacao bar, and their Golden White* raw cacao bar. Both bars were sweetened with Organic Nectars organic coconut palm sugar. I also used a recipe on their site for chocolate fondue (for fresh strawberries).

The 85% raw bar made for a nice dark fondue. Not too sweet. Texturally, just about right. It lost a bit of its glossy shine when it cooled down, but remained just pliable enough to hold its shape.

I tend to like white chocolate more when I melt it. The Golden White Chocolate bar was better than most white chocolates I've tasted. When I gently heated it, the resulting fondue was closer to a caramel color and flavor. (It made a good dip for roasted nuts.)

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Weeks.

*Note: I don't "count" white chocolate on my site as a chocolate of the day; white chocolate may include cocoa butter, but not cocoa solids. (Some lower quality white chocolates may not even include cocoa butter.)

ChocolateBet: May 5, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 


Organic Nectars
Raw Cacao Bar
54% cacao
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: Approx. $4.83 per bar ($29 sampler 6-bar pack)
Purchased from: Organic Nectars via Chocolate.com

Organic Nectars 
Raw Cacao Bar
70% cacao
Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: Approx. $4.83 per bar ($29 sampler 6-bar pack)

Today was Day #5 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. Hats off to Organic Nectars (based in Malden, NY, New York's Hudson Valley area) for their line of raw, organic (Organic Certification by NFC) vegan bars made with the company's PalmSweet palm coconut nectar and kosher parve ingredients.

Chocolate Banquet is all about the abundance of good foods available -- even if you, or someone close to you, is "living without" gluten, or dairy, soy, refined sugar, etc. Organic Nectars bars do not contain these ingredients, and are well made with a smooth texture (without being oily), and interesting flavors. Cocoa butter and a touch of non GMO sunflower lecithin are used, rather than soy, to help achieve a pleasant consistency and mouth feel.

The 54% cacao, raw cacao bar, was particularly intriguing, with its smoky, sweet tobacco notes. Normally, higher cacao content bars get all the interesting flavors and any milder notes are often overwhelmed by darker, or heavily roasted bars. So it was a treat to taste some rich flavor notes in a bar with lower cacao content.

The 70% raw cacao bar had a nice snap to it, and was smooth and just slightly richer/darker in taste than the 54% bar, with a much fainter smoky note than the 54% bar.

ChocolateBet: March 21, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Organic Nectars
Nut 'Milk' Chocolate - Raw Cacao Bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.)
Calories: 230 calories
Cost: $ (no info)
Purchased from: (no info)


Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Nut Theme Week.

The Organic Nectars Nut 'Milk' Chocolate Raw Cacao Bar was dairy free, vegan, USDA Organic, and contained no gluten or soy. The nut milk bar was made with organic coconut palm sugar and raw organic cashews, and remained very fresh tasting after even a few months in my chocolate vault.

This bar was eaten on the go, on the way to take a nice long walk in a park by the San Francisco Bay.

ChocolateBet: February 9, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Organic Nectars
Raw Cacao Bar - Raspberry
Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 210 calories for 1 bar (4 segments)
Cost: Approximately $3.99 per bar
Purchased from: Organic Nectars via Chocolate.com

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Raspberry Theme Week. And today's chocolate was a dark chocolate Raspberry Raw Cacao Bar from Organic Nectars.

Making raw chocolates require special care, to ensure a successful texture and mouth feel. My understanding is that a raw food is one that has not been cooked -- heated above 115-120 degrees Farenheit, or heavily processed -- the thought being that essential nutrients and enzymes are lost in these operations. For those adhering to a raw diet, adding raw cacao nibs to salads and other foods is one way to incorporate raw cacao. However, I would also recommend this Organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, raw, vegan, 64% dark chocolate Organic Nectars Raw Cacao Bar. The texture was smooth, and without any heavy, lumpy aftertaste that some raw chocolates seem to have.

This bar is also labeled as being low glycemic; it contains no refined sugar, but rather incorporates organic coconut palm sugar as a sweetener.