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 - 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 - Yuan Yang Chocolate - Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar) - Dec. 31, 2024

Chocolate of The Day  

Fossa Chocolate
Yuan Yang Chocolate*
Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 288 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. Happy New Year's Eve to all. Today's chocolate is a great bar to kick-off a new year. It's an elaborate fusion of cultures and history distilled into a deliciously complex chocolate.

In the last decade, I've seen (and tasted) more tea and coffee beverage blends--ranging from "dirty** chais" and "dirty" Earls" (Earl Greys) to raspberry (herbal tea) flavored lattes. While this is a relatively new trend in the U.S., tea and coffee blends have a long history.*

Today's Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar) from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore) has taken a Yuan Yang*-inspired coffee + tea beverage a step further--by introducing this unique blend to a wider audience outside of Asia, via chocolate. (Thank you Fossa Chocolate.)

To make this bar, the chocolate maker(s) collaborated with "Smitten Coffee Roasters' Ethiopian coffee (and) Drifting Snowflakes Jasmine Green Tea curated by Pekoe & Imp." To make the dark milk chocolate base they used Peruvian cacao from (Puerta Pulache, Piura, Peru).

Aroma notes and flavor notes for this blend were as promised: chocolate, coffee, jasmine and cream -- with notes of rich, coffee toffee candy and floral coffee (and jasmine tea) with cream. The jasmine is particularly fragrant when you first open the packaging.

Texture: very creamy and smooth. If there was any slight tea astringency, it was neutralized by the milk.

I really enjoyed this sophisticated, harmonious blend of high-quality, thoughtfully-selected flavors -- from floral, aromatic start to the creamy, satisfying finish. Note: If you like tea and chocolate, Fossa offers some wonderful bars in this area. (My favorite Fossa Chocolate bars contain nuanced and authentic oolong teas.)

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Warm nutty coffee aroma with delicate notes of jasmine and cream"

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

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

*Yuan Yang is the name for a popular beverage in Hong Kong and Singapore that's a blend of coffee, tea, milk and sugar. (The origin story for this coffee + milk tea blend points to it being first served in Hong Kong as far back as 1952.)

**The term "dirty" here in the U.S. refers to the addition of a shot of coffee or espresso to a tea beverage/latte. 

This name "dirty" likely was inspired by the "dirty martini"-- a drink often credited to a New York bartender in 1901. In this cocktail, olive(s) and juice were/are muddled into a vodka or gin martini, giving the alcohol a slightly cloudy or "dirty" appearance.  

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 - 70% Dark Sea Salt bar - July 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd
70% Dark Sea Salt (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.236 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and (Sea) Salt Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Sea Salt bar was crafted in Singapore by Fossa Chocolate.

The texture of this bar was compact and creamy; and the aroma and flavor was very appealing and, well, yummy. You can tell when you're enjoying a bar when you want it all for yourself, even though you almost always share your chocolate with someone else.

Yes, this bar was, as the tasting notes read: "creamy and full-bodied Pak Eddy* 70% dark chocolate,  accompanied by the delicate crunch from hand-harvested sea salt."

Seeing the visible salt on the back, led me to think this might be adorned by a bit more salt that I would care for, but it did not overpower the fine flavor of the chocolate which had fruit, nut, true chocolate and great, subtle fermentation notes.

*The source of the cacao for this organic, gluten free and vegan Fossa Chocolate bar was a single estate in Indonesia run by Pak Eddy (a local term loosely translated as Uncle Eddy). Pak Eddy cultivates, ferments and dries the cacao before sending it to Fossa. The results speak to a successful relationship.