Auro - Don Papa Masskara Rum 60% Dark Chocolate w/ Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar) - Aug. 18, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Auro 
Don Papa Masskara Rum Infused 60% Dark Chocolate w/ Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 312 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Spirits Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Don Papa Masskara Rum Infused 60% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar) was produced by Filipinas Oro de Cacao, Inc. (dba/aka Auro Chocolate) (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines).

The cacao used to make this tree-to-bar chocolate was from the Saloy Estate on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

Aroma and flavor notes included: a warm blend of chocolate; honeyed spirits (sweet rum, vanilla marshmallow, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, very faint smokey-sweet tobacco); and very light, balanced citrus and chili. 

Texture: smooth chocolate with a satisfying melt + barely detectable very tiny buttery, crunchy toffee bits.

I really enjoyed the harmonious complexity; the orchestra of flavors played very well together. Lots of elements to enjoy, without any one flavor inclusion being too dominant. 

This chocolate was sweet, but the overall sweetness had a lot of attractive depth (muscovado (brown) sugar, honey, citrus, rum) vs. a wall of flat and buzzy white sugar).

Maker's description: "the finest cacao...infused with Don Papa Masskara--a premium, pot-distilled rum infused with honey, calamansi and chili labuyo..."

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, organic muscovado sugar, cacao butter, cane sugar, honey, baking soda, dried calamansi, natural calamansi extract powder, soy lecithin (as emulsifier), dried chili powder, rum"

Allergen-related information: Contains Soy. "This product is manufactured in a facility that processes other products which may contain milk, oats, tree nuts and peanuts."

Bahen & Co. Chocolate Maker - Honeycomb & Hibiscus Organic Milk (bar) - April 21, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Bahen & Co Chocolate Maker
Honeycomb & Hibiscus Organic Milk (bar)
Good++

Weight: 1.32 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Oceana Market, Pacifica, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Honeycomb & Hibiscus Organic Milk (bar) was from Bahen & Co. Pty Ltd (made in Margaret River, Western Australia).*

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark milk chocolate with very balanced slight roasted earth; small, slightly crunchy bits of honey comb, and very gentle levels of salt and fruit/floral (hibiscus).

Texture: smooth, creamy dark milk chocolate with small bits of crunchy honeycomb.

I really enjoyed the maker's choices with this bar. It was a well-executed blend of flavors and textures ranging from smokey/umami balanced by the milk in the milk chocolate--that had a balanced, subtle cocoa complexity. 

More subtle elements included the hibiscus and salt. I enjoyed finding the tiny upticks of hibiscus. And the salt was a barely detectable accent element that rounded out the flavor blend.

I really appreciated the fact that this wasn't too sweet (thank you) or salty -- allowing enjoyment of more nuanced, quality flavors (cacao, hibiscus bits, honey) with minimally addictive salt-sugar-fat levels. Some of the best dark milk chocolates teeter on the edge of more-ish.

Maker's description: "Salted honeycomb, a combination of forest honey & ocean salt, paired with organic red hibiscus flowers. A delicious blend, complementing the creamy and rich notes of our organic milk chocolate."

I also appreciated the relatively short list of organic and quality ingredients.

Ingredients: "Organic cacao beans, organic raw sugar, organic milk, organic cacao butter, honey, bicarbonate soda, salt & hibiscus."

Allergen-related information: Contains Honey & Milk. May Contain Traces of Nuts.

*I was delighted to find a bar from Western Australia.

Tavi - Honeycomb Orange 72% cacao dark chocolate (bar) - Jan. 9, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Tavi Chocolates 
Orange Honeycomb 72% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 (40 g.) oz. / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 222 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate & Citrus Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Tavi "Orange Honeycomb 72% cacao dark chocolate orange blend with honeycomb crunch" (bar) was manufactured by Vast Company SAS in Bogota, Colombia, and Imported by Tavi Chocolates Essoel, LLC (Miami, FL).

Founded by siblings Sofia and Esteban Varela, Tavi is a family-owned business focused on chocolates made in Colombia (using premium cacao(s) grown in Colombia) blended with creative designs and flavors.

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate with warm, malty and faint orange notes.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate studded with light and airy, crispy-crunchy honeycomb candy (that did contain some real honey).

Flavor notes included: smooth-tasting chocolate, sweet and crunchy honeycomb candy; subtle, authentic orange; and faint honey.

I liked the overall harmonious blend of flavors and textures. There was just the right amount of orange powder that -- when combined with a hint of vanilla -- added warm and appealing accent flavors to the smooth dark chocolate. 

I also appreciated the light and crispy honeycomb candy (that was not too sticky sweet or overwhelming), and the choice of 72% cacao. (Anything less than 72% might have been too sweet for me, a dark fan.)

Ingredients: Bittersweet Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecit(h)in, Vainilla (sic)), Sugar Cane, Natural Orange Power (sic), Honey.

Allergen-related information: "Produced on Equipment That Also Processes Products Containing Milk, Peanuts and Other Tree Nuts."

Honeymoon Chocolates - Chocolate Covered Raw Honeycomb - June 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolate Covered Raw Honeycomb
Organic Tanzanian Cacao + Raw Honeycomb
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3.0 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $14.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Honeymoon Chocolates, online order

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

Today's Chocolate Covered Raw Honeycomb made with Organic Tanzanian Cacao + Raw Honeycomb was from Honeymoon Chocolates (St. Louis, MO).

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (balanced earth, fruit) and faintly floral honey.

Special preparation for this especially decadent treat included having water and wet and dry towels on hand, and enjoying this dark chocolate covered thick, chewy, waxy, honeycomb--flowing with liquid honey--leaning over a sink. That helped make cleanup a snap. 

I enjoyed the fact that this substantial confection was made with just two, high-quality ingredients (raw honeycomb and organic Tanzanian cacao)

The bulk of this sweet confection was a honeycomb full of honey and should be enjoyed as such. Thankfully I could still taste the dark Tanzanian cacao/chocolate, which broke into shards around the edges when I cut this piece in half. It was a good counterpoint to all that 'comb.

Ingredients: Honeycomb, Organic Tanzanian Cacao

Allergen-related information: (No additional information found on container.)

Gnaw Handcrafted Chocolate - Bee Happy Milk Chocolate with Honeycomb & Crunchy Caramel (bar) - Feb. 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Gnaw Handcrafted Chocolate
Bee Happy - Milk Chocolate with Honeycomb and Crunchy Caramel (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 1.725 oz. (49 g.) / 3.45 oz. (98 g.) in total bar
Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift (Thank you Megan!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (Cost Plus/World Market store)

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Golden Sugars Theme Week.

Today's Bee Happy 34% Milk Chocolate with Honeycomb and Crunchy Caramel (bar) was from Gnaw Handcrafted Chocolate (Norwich, U.K.).

Aroma notes for this bar included: sweet milk chocolate (chocolate candy bar), caramel and faint nuts (faint peanut caramel, very faint toffee almond nougat). Note: there were no peanuts or nut ingredients in this bar.

The texture was a blend of smooth, sweet milk chocolate and softly crunchy caramel (honeycomb toffee) bits and sweet caramelized sugars.

This 34% cacao (candy bar sweet) milk chocolate had prominent caramelized sugar flavors, consistent with the aroma notes mentioned above, including sweet milk chocolate, crunchy and smooth caramel and toffee bit(s) flavor; very faint/implied hints of honey-ed nuts; and very faint sweetened breakfast cereal. (Again there were no nut ingredients listed.)

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa liquor, honeycomb (sugar, glucose syrup, baking soda, rice flour), caramel pieces (glucose syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), salted butter (milk, water, salt), soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavoring.

Allergen-related information:  Contains dairy/milk (milk powder, butter). (No other printed information found on label.)

Ritual Chocolate - Honeycomb Toffee 75% Cacao (bar) - Apr. 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Ritual Chocolate
Honeycomb Toffee in Dark Chocolate 75% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 162 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Trees and Bees Theme Week. Once again we pay homage to bees and honey this week, in the form of honeycomb toffee.

Today's Honeycomb Toffee in Dark Chocolate 75% Cacao (bar) was from Ritual Chocolate in Park City, Utah--also known as the beehive state.

Are you a dark chocolate fan who is not fond of sugar, much less toffee? Fear not. This 75% cacao (Belize) dark chocolate had a rich, ultra-dark, roasted, chocolate flavor. Its balanced bitterness off-set flecks of house-made, sweet, honeycomb toffee. 

Rather than the traditional, three-dimensional chunks of airy, crunchy sugary, honeycomb toffee, there was a thin projection of toffee pieces onto the back of this ebony-colored bar, that winked at us like shining sugar stars in the night.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, honeycomb toffee (organic cane sugar, raw honey, baking soda)

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat

Theo Chocolate - Honey Bee Confection Collection - part 1 - Apr. 9, 2021

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Honey Bee Confection Collection
1.) Honeycomb Chocolate - Good - Good +
2.) Honey Cashew Praline - Good +
Weight: 1.51 oz. (42.8 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total box of 7 pieces
Calories: 226 calories (estimate) in 3 pieces
Cost: $13.99 for 1 box of 7 pieces
Purchased from: Farm Fresh to You, CSA box delivery service, add-in item

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Trees and Bees Theme Week. Bees create honey, and that is a good thing.

Today's 7-piece, "Honey Bee Confection Collection" was from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). The company offers a wide variety of fairly traded chocolate bars and confections. 

Confections can be very sweet. Nuts, salt and savory items, and unsweetened chocolate can help balance pure sugar sweetness. Happily, Theo and many other chocolatiers understand this.

I tasted two chocolates (of four) from Theo's Honey Bee assortment today. (The other two will be featured tomorrow.) 

The first "Honeycomb Chocolate" piece was a long rectangle of sweet, crunchy honeycomb candy, blanketed in a thick layer of rich, flavorful dark chocolate--darker and more flavorful than most candy-quality chocolate. This darker, velvety chocolate saved me from sugar overload. Thank you Theo Chocolate meisters.

The second piece was a "Honey Cashew Praline," molded in a honeycomb shape. Multiple steps in the making process insured a tasty treat. "Cashews (were) candied in honey, whipped into decadent praline, (and) enrobed in creamy milk chocolate." Nuts and milk, and likely a little salt, helped balance this second tasty sweet.

Bees and other pollinators offer many benefits to all of us. Theo Chocolate's packaging reminded us to "give a buzz" about bees, and suggested checking out two bee-related organizations: pollinator.org (San Francisco, CA) and survivorbee.com (Seattle, WA). The latter is dedicated to improving the health of bees through local community education.

Ingredients (listed for all four confections): Organic, fair trade cane sugar; organic, fair trade cocoa beans; organic cream; honey; organic cashews; organic, fair trade cocoa butter; organic corn syrup; glucose; organic milk powder; organic orange zest; water; organic butter; organic egg whites; orange blossom water (distilled water, orange blossom); baking soda; salt; bee pollen; gelatin; saffron.

Allergen-related information: "Contains tree nuts (cashews), milk, and eggs. Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, other tree nuts, wheat and sesame."

Rick Jordan Chocolatier - Honey Foam chocolate - Apr. 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Rick Jordan Chocolatier
Honey Foam chocolate
Good 
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 275 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $6.50 + shipping
Purchased from: Rick Jordan Chocolatier, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Trees and Bees Theme Week, featuring a professional, honey-forward version of a traditional sponge toffee (aka molasses puffs, sea foam, honeycomb candy).

Today's Honey Foam chocolate confection was from Rick Jordan Chocolatier (Creve Coeur, MO).

At the heart of this dark chocolate covered confection was a generous and precise slab of light, airy and crunchy honey candy. The air spaces in this "honey foam" were very uniform (not always true for first time attempts in a home kitchen). And a re-sealable package helped it keep its shape and texture.

Traditional "honeycomb" confections are made with hot caramelized sugar (sugar, or brown sugar, corn syrup and/or honey) and baking soda. The more acidic (lower pH) sugar content foams up when the more basic (higher pH) baking soda is whisked into this sugar/honey mixture.**

Rick Jordan's use of honey as the primary ingredient* was a novel treat. His Honey Foam had  light, uniform, rigid, sponge-like texture and very sweet flavor. 

While the sugar level was undeniable, the light, even texture helped cushion the sweetness, as did the smooth, 70% cacao chocolate, and sodium content from the baking soda.

I could not make out the flavor nuances of the honey in today's chocolate. However, it might be more obvious in a side-by-side tasting with traditional "honeycomb" chocolate (with more sugar, and less honey content).

*Ingredients: honey, sugar, glucose, baking soda, 70% dark chocolate

**On the pH scale a food or beverage with a score that is under 7 is considered acidic, and any item scoring higher than 7 is considered basic. (The average score for honey is 3.9 and baking soda is an 8.)

La Belge Chocolatier - Dark Chocolate Spicy Honeycomb bar - Aug. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Le Belge Chocolatier, Inc.
Dark Chocolate Spicy Honeycomb bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cavallo Point Mercantile shop, Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Spicy Honeycomb bar was created by Le Belge Chocolatier (Napa, CA), located in the heart of Northern California wine country. The company is known primarily for their chocolate truffle collection(s).

This interesting and appealing dark chocolate bar was peppered with tiny crunchy toffee and honeycomb bits, and was suffused with a subtle, saucy hint of chipotle chili powder.

ChocolateBet: September 23, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Preston's
Milk Chocolate Honeycomb candy
Very Good
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Preston's, Burlingame, CA


On the way up to San Francisco I decided to pull off the freeway in search of chocolate in the Burlingame area. I visited three different places.

First, I asked a very nice man at an Italian deli where I might find chocolate, and he directed me to Shaw's on El Camino. Shaw's used to have a few different locations, including one on El Camino in the Mountain View/Los Altos area.

The second place I stopped at was Nuts for Candy, which specializes in "Nostalgic Candies" - chocolates and candies, gifts, toys, and ice cream. I had a very nice conversation with a man named John there, who knows his chocolate/candy. I mentioned that I loved living in an area where there were still many regional chocolatiers still in business, and he listed off local brands in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Scharffen Berger, and Annabelle Candy.

The last chocolate stop was Preston's on Broadway in Burlingame. And I had my chocolate of the day here: 1 piece of milk chocolate honeycomb candy. It was Very Good.