Jangala Cacao & Selva - Worm Salt - Mexican Traditions 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 10, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Jangala Cacao & Selva
Worm Salt - Mexican Traditions 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 98 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate & Mexico Theme Week; and Day #2 of Chocolate & Salt Theme Week.

Today's  Jangala Cacao & Selva Worm Salt* 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Jangala Frutos De La Tierra S. de R.I. de C.V. (San Cristobol de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico) in southern Mexico.

The company's "Mexican Traditions" family of chocolates contain Mexican cacaos and traditional flavor inclusions.

The cacao used to make this bar was "fermented Criollo-Trinitario Cacao from Soconusco, Chiapas." And the maguey worm salt was from Mitla, Oaxaca.*

Aroma notes included: slightly savory dark chocolate with very faint fruit and chili pepper.

Flavor notes for this flavor rich chocolate included: relatively bold/dark but balanced chocolate, peppered with tiny flecks of red hot chili pepper and powdered/ground worm salt. (One bar is 7 grams of protein; but it will be a spicy ride.) 

I appreciated the opportunity to try this authentic chocolate, crafted from "tree to bar" using a short list of quality ingredients from Mexico. 

Maker's tasting notes: Chocolate / middle Spicy / Red fruits

"Organic Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, maguey worm salt

Allergen-related information: None listed on package.

* Worm salt, (Sal de gusano), a Oaxacan spice, is made with salt, toasted and ground maguey worms and chili powder. (The worms are moth larvae found in agave plants that are used to make mezcal.) This salt is described as having a unique umami flavor; and it is often enjoyed with mezcal.

Don Bugito - Dark Chocolate Crickets with Amaranth Seeds - Mar. 3, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Don Bugito
Dark Chocolate Crickets with Amaranth Seeds
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .44 oz. (11 g.) / .88 oz. (22 g.) in total package
Calories: 36.5 calories in 1/2 serving 
Cost: $8.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Il Parco, in the Presidio, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Crickets with Amaranth Seeds were from Don Bugito* (San Francisco, CA).

This cricket-based, planet-friendly protein snack was made in California, but was inspired by "Mexican Prehispanic cuisine and Native American ingredients."

Aroma notes for these small rounds included: very faint dark chocolate, vanilla, and seed cookie.

The texture was fairly smooth (soft, lightly crunchy chew followed by chocolate melt/mouthfeel, with subtle fiber from amaranth seeds -- and I'm guessing from toasted cricket pieces as well.).

Flavor notes included: chocolate; mild, toasted amaranth seed; and very faint vanilla. There was not any insect or other savory protein (cricket-like) flavor I was aware of--even though crickets were listed as the number one ingredient. (Note: I did have a fairly bad cold on this day.)

Ingredients: "Toasted Crickets, Amaranth Seeds, Semisweet Chocolate (cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), Sea Salt"

Allergen-related information: "If you are allergic to shellfish, this product may not be right for you. Made in a facility that processes milk, eggs and peanuts."

*Don Bugito is a woman-owned company that sells edible insect snacks. The company was founded in 2011 by Monica Martinez. 

Zoe's Chocolate Co. - Peanut Butter Love Bugs - Feb. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Zoe's Chocolate Co. 
Peanut Butter Love Bugs
Good + - Good ++
Weight: (unknown)
Calories: (unknown)
Cost: $11.00 + shipping for 1 box of 2 pieces/bugs
Purchased from: Zoe's Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Peanut Butter Love Bugs were from Zoe's Chocolate Company (Frederick, MD).

Aroma notes for these heart-shaped pair of ladybug-like Love Bugs included: chocolate and peanut butter (peanut butter cup).

A thin, velvety coat of dark chocolate--decorated with an attractive, rose and pink hued (colored white chocolate) pattern--surrounded a smooth, sweet peanut butter center.

Flavor notes included: a blend of classic, chocolate and peanut butter cup flavors.

I liked: the appearance and classic peanut butter cup flavors. The love bug confections, designed to look like festive ladybugs, were cute. I was less excited about the long list of ingredients that included artificial colors. But, overall these were tasty treats.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla), Milk Chocolate (sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla), White Chocolate (sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla), Organic Peanuts, Salt. Decorations: Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Full Milk Powder, Sunflower Lecithin (emulsifier). Titanium Dioxide, Rice Starch, FD&C Blue #1, Blue #2, Red #3, Red #40, Yellow #5. 

Allergen-related information: Contains: Peanuts, Milk. "Made in an environment where peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, dairy and eggs are used"

Lindt - Bugs and Bees - Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp novelties - Sept. 4, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lindt
Bugs and Bees - Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut and Crisp Filling
Good
Weight: .68 oz. (10 g.) / 1.7 oz. (50 g.) in total package
Calories: 105 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $4.49 for 1 package of five pieces
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Hazelnut Theme Week.

Today's individually-wrapped bees and beetles were composed of smooth, sweet milk chocolate with slight crispy texture and a touch of hazelnut flavor.

These Milk Chocolate Bugs and Bees with Hazelnut and Crisp Filling were distributed by Lindt USA (Stratham, NH).

Years ago I featured a Chocolate and Insects Theme Week. These "bugs" were much cuter and tastier than some of the real chocolate covered insects I tried that week.*

*Some of these chocolates in this theme week were insect-shaped and not true insects; the real insects were chocolate covered, or eaten as part of a dish with chocolate or cacao. A few of the insects were awful-tasting; but some were just fine. All in the name of research.

Palmer - "Bee Mine" - Milk Chocolate bee - Mar. 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

R.M. Palmer Company
"Bee Mine" Milk Chocolate
OK+
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories for 1/3 package
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Walgreens, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the last day of a short, 4-day Spring Celebration Series, featuring different chocolate critters.

Today's "Bee Mine" hollow milk chocolate item was distributed by R.M. Palmer Company (Reading, PA). Originally created for Valentines Day, this holiday novelty item had been squirreled away in my chocolate vault just for such an occasion.

Loved the concept of having little honey-flavored bees inside a bigger chocolate bee. Very clever design. OK chocolate.

I hope that the abundance of rain, green grass and wildflowers we're receiving in California this year will be good for our (real, non-chocolate) honeybees, which seem to be having a rough go of it.

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

Chapul - Chaco Bar Peanut Butter and Chocolate - Nov. 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chapul, LLC
Chaco Bar - Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Good
Weight: 1.9 oz. (54 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Markets, Mountain View, CA

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

Well, it's time to try a bar with something different.

Today's energy bar contained brown cricket protein powder. Fear not. There was no identifiable cricket flavor or texture in this Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chaco Bar from Chapul (Salt Lake City, UT).

What I could taste was the first two ingredients: slightly fruity, chewy, moist dates, and honey. The bar contained a blend of dates, organic raw honey, chocolate, peanuts, oats, cricket flour and flax seeds.

Many living things rely on insects for valuable protein and a complete set of amino acids. Humans too—and not just the ancient Greeks and Romans, who also ate bugs. There are insect markets in Cambodia and in other Asian countries. Fried grasshoppers (chapulines) are on the menu in Mexico.

And American Indians included roasted cricket flour in their diet. The name for this particular "Chaco" bar was inspired by the Chaco people, a "pre-Colombian civilization in the Colorado River Watershed."

John and Kira's Mint Ladybugs - Oct. 8, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

John and Kira's
Garden Mint Ladybugs
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) for box of 9 pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 3 pieces/ladybugs
Cost: $29.00 for a 1 box of 9 pieces (3 different flavors)
Purchased from: John and Kira's (online order)

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

I continued to sample another flavor (Garden Mint) in the 9-piece Chocolate Ladybug Medley box from John and Kira's (Philadelphia, PA) that I'd ordered recently. Last week I tried the yellow, honey lavender ladybugs and really enjoyed this flavor combination. (I'll finish up the raspberry red ladybugs in the near future.)

Kids of all ages will like the bug facts printed on the cardboard underneath each chocolate... Ladybugs may fly 100 miles for food, and hibernate under leaves during the winter. Ladybugs also come in different colors. 

Each of today's green ladybug shells (made with 62% Valrhona dark chocolate) were filled with a creamy, natural mint infused flavorful ganache, with tiny sparkle notes of coffee (in the chocolate) and cucumber (in the mint filling). All very pleasing.

As part of their mission statement, the folks at John and Kira's source ingredients* from small family growers/farmers/producers and urban gardens.

*Note: to those avoiding gluten and artificial ingredients, these ladybugs do contain some glucose syrup, and some artificial FDA #'d colors.

Honey Lavender Ladybugs - Oct. 5, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

John and Kira's
Honey Lavender Ladybugs
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $29.00 for 1 9-piece box
Purchased from: John and Kira's (online order)

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Honey Theme Week.

This morning was filled with scrumptious chocolate bugs from John and Kira's (Philadelphia, PA) -- not real bugs of course (although chocolate-covered insects do exist).

Today I enjoyed three fresh, sunny yellow, John and Kira's Honey Lavender Ladybugs -- part of a Chocolate Ladybug Medley (9-piece box of 3 different flavors*). The company blended a touch of lavender with local (Pennsylvania) honey in their creamy, Valrhona chocolate ganache centers.

Thank you to a reader who pointed me to John and Kira's. I love receiving news of chocolates I haven't yet tasted. It reminds me just how abundantly and chocolate-filled this world is, even after seven years of sampling all that I can find.

* The other two flavors were garden mint (green) and signature raspberry (red)

John & Kira's Caramel Honey Bees - Oct. 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

John & Kira's
Caramel Honey Chocolate Bees
Very Good
Weight: 2.66 oz. (75.46 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total box of 9 pieces
Calories: 600 calories (estimate) in 8 pieces
Cost: $29.00 in 9-piece box
Purchased from: John & Kira's, Philadelphia, PA (online order)

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

I've spent time this week lauding the humble but beautifully beneficial honeybee(s). Today's chocolate Caramel Honey Chocolate Bees from John & Kira's (Philadelphia, PA), not only contained honey but were also shaped like bees.

These hand-painted black and yellow bees (with a head on one end and stinger on the other side) were filled with liquid honey caramel centers, and covered with 62% Valrhona dark chocolate. The tasty honey hailed from Draper's Apiaries (Millerton, PA) and paired very well with subtle salt caramel flavors. I found myself licking sticky fingers from eating a whole swarm of these bees.