Xocolatl Chocolate - 60% Dark Chocolate Love & Happiness Blood Orange & Raspberry (bar) - Aug. 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Xocolatl Chocolate
60% Dark Chocolate Love & Happiness Blood Orange & Raspberry (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.6 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Berries & Cherries Theme Week.

Today's 60% Dark Chocolate Love & Happiness Blood Orange & Raspberry (bar) was made from bean to bar by Xocolatl LLC (Atlanta, GA).

Aroma notes included subtle dark chocolate and faint fruit (berry, citrus, date).  

Texture: smooth, very slightly textured (finely ground, stoneground; or fudge-y cacao ground with freeze-dried fruit particles) mouthfeel--with an even and hearty/satisfying melt. 

The flavors burst forth when I tasted a piece of this 60% bar. Dark chocolate (chocolate-y with very faint, balanced earth notes) was embedded with bright layered fruit: bright red berry (red raspberry) and citrus (orange, blood orange).

I enjoyed the tart sweet refreshing fruit flavors that mingled with this dark chocolate.

Ingredients: Cacao, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Raspberry*, Olive Oil, Blood Orange (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: Made on equipment that processes soy, wheat, peanuts & tree nuts (almond, hazelnut, pecan). 

Spring & Mulberry - Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) - June 12, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Spring & Mulberry 
Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.75 for 1 bar (includes discount for buying 6 or more bars)

Purchased from: Spring & Mulberry, online order

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

Today's Blood Orange Date Sweetened Chocolate 72% Cacao (bar) was created and distributed by Spring & Mulberry (Raleigh, NC).

Aroma notes included: chocolate cookie, sweet dried fruit (date), faint tangy citrus, and even fainter fruit floral (orange blossom) and sweet green herbal.

Texture: relatively smooth with a very fine granularity. (The dates were completely incorporated into the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: similar to the aroma notes above, only with a deeper, fudgier chocolate experience with citrus (orange peel, fruit and very faint orange blossom).

I liked the hearty, balanced chocolate and date flavors coupled with the more delicate, authentic-tasting orange. And I appreciated the short list of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Dates*, Cacao Butter*, Orange Essential Oil* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: Made in a Facility That Also Handles Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Milk, Soy, and Wheat

Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate - 65% Dark Chocolate 60% and Dark Milk Chocolate Blood Orange - Mar. 31, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate
1.) Dark Chocolate Blood Orange 65% (square) - Good +
2.) Dark Milk Chocolate Blood Orange 60% (square) - Good + - Good ++
Weight: .36 oz. (10 g.) / 8.5 oz. (240 g.) in total box of 48 pieces
Calories: 58.3 calories in 2 squares
Cost: $58.50 - $65.00 for 1 box of 48 pieces
Purchased from: Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Blood Orange 65% and Dark Milk Chocolate Blood Orange 60% (squares) were manufactured in Hawaii by Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate Inc. (Lahaina, Maui, HI).

The company offers chocolates made with cacao from Ecuador, and cacao grown locally in Hawaii.

These two individually-wrapped chocolates (squares) were part of an attractively packaged large assortment box featuring both Dark Chocolates and Dark Milk Chocolates--most with flavor infusions. 

Dark Chocolate Blood Orange 65% (square)

Aroma and flavor notes for this creamy smooth dark chocolate square included: relatively bold but well balanced dark chocolate-y chocolate infused with citrus (blood orange) flavoring.

Dark Milk Chocolate Blood Orange 60% (square) 

Aroma and flavor notes for this dark milk 60% chocolate included satisfying dark milk chocolate with citrus (orange) infused flavor. The milk added a creamy texture and helped balance and mellow the flavoring.

Normally I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but the Dark Milk Chocolate version won out by a narrow margin this time.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Natural Flavors. Dark Milk Chocolate also contained Milk.

Allergen-related information: Dark Milk Chocolate contains Milk.   

Ocelot Chocolate - Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ocelot Chocolate
Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from a friend 
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (Thank you Eric)

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

Today's Blood Orange 70% dark chocolate (bar) was from Ocelot Craft Chocolate Limited (Dundee, UK).

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: smooth dark chocolate, authentic orange and very faint vanilla.

Texture: notably creamy/cacao buttery, smooth texture, mouthfeel and melt.

I really enjoyed the texture; the sweetness level seemed well-chosen; and the blood orange oil and subtle vanilla flavors harmonized nicely with the dark chocolate. 

Ingredients: "cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*, blood orange oil (<1%), vanilla extract*. Cacao solids: 70% minimum.

Allergen-related information: "May contain almonds, hazelnuts and milk. 

   

Jooliettes Date Nibbles - Blood Orange Dark Chocolate (covered diced dates) - May 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Jooliettes Date Nibbles 
Blood Orange Dark Chocolate (covered diced dates)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $6.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week(s).

Today's Organic Blood Orange (Organic) Dark Chocolate (Covered Diced Dates) snack was distributed by Joolies Superfruit LLC (Coachella, CA). 

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, relatively strong citrus (slightly floral orange juice) and subtle dried fruit (date). 

Flavor notes included: tart, sweet orange; dark chocolate; and softly chewy date centers. There was a very slight graininess in the texture. They were sweet and satsifying.

This week I've enjoyed the sheer variety of date and chocolate combinations. And many of the dates have hailed from here in California. Medjool dates grown in the Coachella Valley are popular (in) snacks and treats.* 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate* (Unsweetened Chocolate*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Natural Vanilla Extract*), Dates*, Cane Sugar*, Rice Flour*, Orange Juice Powder*, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Tapioca Syrup*, Natural Flavor*. (* Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also manufactures products that contain Milk, Wheat, Peanuts, and Tree Nuts."

*My favorite childhood, date-related memory: sampling a date + nutmeg + vanilla ice cream milkshake on a visit to Southern California on a hot day.) And the smell of freshly squeezed orange juice being made that same visit. It was probably too hot for chocolate. (No A/C in the family car back then.)

 

Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Dessert #3 - Papaya, Banana, Mac Nuts, Blood Orange Dark Chocolate - Jan. 16, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Hawaiian Wildflower Honey Dessert #3
Papaya, Banana, Salted Mac Nuts + Ghirardelli Blood Orange Chocolate dessert
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total dessert 
Calories: 250 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - many sources
Purchased from: N/A - many sources

Aloha and welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

This is the third in a series of small chocolate desserts using Hawaiian wildflower honey and other Hawaii-themed ingredients. The goal of this series: construct and enjoy a series* of tiny blend of beautiful, layered island/tropical flavors in January.

Today's small dessert contained Hawaii papaya, banana, salted macadamia nuts--and 1 square of Blood Orange Dark Chocolate from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (San Leandro, CA). 

This fruit and chocolate tropical treat was topped with salted macadamia nuts and drizzled with delicious Hawaiian Wildflower Honey from Chico Honey (Chico, CA).** 

The pure tropical fruit, wildflower honey and nut flavors were unadulterated, authentic and refreshing. The sea salted macadamia nut pieces added some additional texture and the salt helped balance the sweetness.

In what was certainly an unfair comparison, the Blood Orange Dark Chocolate was fairly uniform, dense (dark roast, Forastero-like variety cacao), almost flat in flavor, when tasted with fresh and flavorful whole fruit and honey, and nuts. 

There was little bright fruit/flavor, and no green or other complex aroma or flavor notes--beyond what one would expect from a reasonably priced, bulk dark chocolate bar with natural flavors and a bit of vanilla. Not bad, and interesting to try. But, it suffered when compared to the single origin Hawaii chocolates tasted so far this month.

Ingredients: Blood Orange Dark Chocolate: Cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, rice syrup, blood orange bits, orange peel, natural flavor, coconut oil, soy lecithin, citric acid, vanilla extract, annatto (color), beet juice (color).

Allergen-related information: Contains soy. May contain milk and tree nuts.

* This week's 6-day Hawaiian Honey series was designed to perk up cold and gray winter days, and falls in the middle of a Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s) -- a "week" that grew until it devoured the month of January. Chocolate virtual travel has a way of doing that, especially if that v-travel is to Hawaii.

**The company sources honey from their own hives in California, Hawaii and Montana. 

Godiva - Dark Chocolate Blood Orange bar - Dec. 14, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Godiva
Dark Chocolate Blood Orange bar
(Chocolat Noir A L'Orange Sanguine) bar
Good
Weight: 1.03 oz. (30 g.) / 3.1 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 147 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Fruit and Nuts Theme Week.

Some chocolate and fruit combinations seem to beg for the addition of nuts, and vice versa some chocolate and nut blends are great with fruit(s).

I felt compelled to pair today's Dark Chocolate Blood Orange bar from Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. (New York, NY) with a small handful of sliced California almonds.

The 50% cacao bar had a smooth and even sweet dark chocolate flavor.* And tiny bits of Italian blood orange yielded a rich, high-end Creamsicle** aroma and provided a sweet, slightly tangy citrus sparkle in each bite.

The almonds, orange and chocolate were tres good together. The nuts helped balance out the relatively high level of sugar.

*The bar was made with cocoa processed with alkali (which tends to result in a smoother, less acidic chocolate).

**A Creamsicle was a frozen Popsicle-like treat with an orange ice covering over vanilla ice cream. Now owned by Unilever.

World Market - Blood Orange bar - Jan. 10, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

World Market
Milk Chocolate Blood Orange with Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.125 oz. (31.8 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories in 3/8 (3 squares) of bar
Cost: $3.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: World Market, Mountain View, CA

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

Today's Milk Chocolate Blood Orange with Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt bar was from World Market (distributed by Cost Plus, Inc., Oakland, CA).

This bar had a mild, natural orange candy aroma, and a flavor and texture spectrum that tumbled out across the tongue—first orange flavor (blood orange oil) in sweet, smooth milk chocolate, followed by crunchy crystals of sea salt, followed by a tiny chewy fleck or two of bittersweet orange peel, mellowed with a hint of vanilla. Overall the flavors harmonized nicely, and I like "layers" of flavor that unfold like this.

It's also an exquisite balancing act to balance layered flavors like this. Too much salt or orange peel in one bite can be overwhelming. On the other hand, flavors that are uniformly ground down together might not work either. So hats off to anyone making inclusion bars like this.

"Hawaiian Alaea Red Sea Salt gets its color from a volcanic red clay used in traditional Hawaiian ceremonies to cleanse and purify."

Today's bar was part of World Market's "The Exotic Collection...of Sea Salt Chocolate" bars, so named because they contain flavor and salt inclusions from around the globe. I love the detailed illustrations that grace the packaging. If you look closely at the label for this bar, you'll see an orange tree (orchard) and some sea symbols around the edges.

The content and images in this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

NibMor - 80% Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar - Oct. 29, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

NibMor
80% Cacao Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar
Good +
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 320 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: "Loop" store* at Shell gas station on Pocket Rd., Sacramento, CA

Happy Day #7 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week, and Day #3 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's NibMor 80% Cacao Sea Salt and cacao nibs bar was full of layered flavors: chocolatey dark chocolate, slightly earthy cocoa nibs, and salty bursts of flavor from tiny sea salt crystals.

Big chocolate holidays like Halloween inspire me with all kinds of chocolate mad scientist ideas.

Today I created a Halloween "mocktail" with blood orange soda and fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice cubes and pour in a martini glass and garnish with lemon peel/slices. (Gin is optional for an adult cocktail.) I suppose you could add cocoa nibs in this drink too, but I just enjoyed the refreshing citrus flavor.

*This "Loop" (Shell) gas station store, was a riverside snack oasis, kind of in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of Sacramento, that carried the most impressive variety of sweet and salty snacks I've seen at a gas station. Single origin chocolate bars, dill pickle flavored potato chips, maple bacon chips, and lots more interesting items.

SOMA Chocolatemaker - June 27, 2015

SOMAchocolate.com

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

SOMA Chocolatemaker

Maya Dome
Good++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $N/A - part of a larger box of chocolates
Purchased from: SOMA Chocolatemaker, Toronto, Canada

Blood Orange Marzipan Pinch
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $N/A - part of a larger box of chocolates
Purchased from: SOMA Chocolatemaker, Toronto, Canada

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Botanicals Theme Week. This is a very easy theme week, and most everything in good chocolate has a flavorful plant origin story -- including the cacao, sugar and flavorings. Citrus peel offers a tangy sweet zing to today's two chocolates.

The glossy Maya Dome from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada) was a version of the company's Maya drinking chocolate -- in domed, truffle form. The smooth ganache (filling) was infused with a tasty blend of chili, ginger, orange peel, allspice and cinnamon.

The second chocolate, a pleasantly plump Blood Orange Marzipan Pinch truffle, was a curved beauty stuffed with classic marzipan. Said marzipan filling was flecked with tiny bits of blood orange peel throughout that helped balance the sweet marzipan.

Patric Chocolate - Blood Orange 66 bar - June 18, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Blood Orange 66 bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 345 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Orange Theme Week.

The Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO) Blood Orange 66 bar was suffused with a lovely, almost floral hint of blood orange essence (essential oil) from Aftelier Perfumes (Berkeley, CA). The base chocolate bar was smooth, almost creamy, and was uniformly flavorful.

If you'd like to order this bar, you should know that today's Blood Orange bar was made especially for The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA)*. So, try checking with them first.

*FYI, Patric Chocolate has moved to a rotating bar release schedule, where a smaller number of bars are released over the course of the year (and these bars usually sell out soon after the announcement is made). They also make bars for partners like The Chocolate Garage. 

B.T. McElrath - Blood Orange Blossoms - Nov. 25, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

B.T. McElrath Chocolatier, Inc.
Blood Orange Blossoms
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) total package of 2 pieces
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 2 piece(s)
Cost: $6.50 total package of 2 pieces (favor size)
Purchased from: B.T. McElrath (online order)

Were it not for the warm and sunny weather, I would have pinned one of these dark chocolate covered Blood Orange Blossom beauties from B.T. McElrath (Minneapolis, MN) to my hat before going out. They certainly would make good table favors.

Filled with fuschia-colored, blood orange and white chocolate ganache, and encased in hand-painted, 70% dark chocolate shells, these flowers were pleasing to the eye and palette, with a subtle sweet, citrus finish.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Flower Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: January 31, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Vosges Haut Chocolat

1.) Blood Orange Campari caramel - Good + - Very Good
Weight: .3 oz. (8.49 g.)/ 5.4 oz. (152.8 g.) total 18-piece assortment box (estimate)
Calories: 45 calories (estimate)
Cost: $29.00 for 18-piece box
Purchased from: Vosges.com (Chicago, IL)

2.) Barcelona Milagro Heart - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.00 1 heart
Purchased from: Vosges.com (Chicago, IL)

Today's two treats from Vosges (Chicago, IL) reminded me of warmer times and places.

The Barcelona Milagro Heart of Love looked like it belonged in a Mediterranean jewelry box. This chocolate embraced hickory smoked almonds and grey sea salt in a base of 45% cacao "deep milk chocolate." I've liked this term since I first saw it in a Vosges catalog several years ago. And deep milk chocolate certainly mixes well with salt, smoked nuts, caramel/toffee, and savory items.

The second item was from a Vosges exotic caramel assortment; the tarte taste from the red hibiscus (flower) powder topping, Campari and blood orange made this dark chocolate-covered caramel more colorful and lively.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate + Hearts and Flowers Theme Week.