Lonohana Chocolate - 55% Cacao Jasmine Tea Milk Chocolate (bar) - Apr. 26, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Lonohana Chocolate
55% Cacao Jasmine Tea Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 184 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: Missing information
Purchased from: Missing information

Welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate & Flowers Theme Week and Day #4 of Chocolate & Tea Theme Week.

Today's 55% Cacao Jasmine Tea Milk Chocolate (bar) was from Lonohana Chocolate (Honolulu, Oahu, HI).

Lonohana bars and confections are produced at the company's chocolate factory in Honolulu "using cacao that is 100% Hawaii-grown."

Aroma notes included: sweet, dark milk chocolate with dried fruit (ripe, white grape), very faint floral, and faint nut. (Note: there were no nut ingredients listed.) When I re-tasted this chocolate later, I also tasted light caramel and faint tea notes.

Texture: creamy, rich milk chocolate

I liked the creamy texture; subtle, balanced complexity; short list of quality and organic ingredients; and the single origin Hawaii chocolate. A bit on the sweet side, this bar will please those with a sweet tooth who enjoy some authentic cacao flavor but without any rough edges.

Ingredients: Hawaii-grown cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter infused with organic jasmine tea & organic whole milk powder. 

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. Soy and Gluten Free. "Made on equipment that also processes milk and tree nuts. Produced in a facility that handles coconut, eggs, macadamia, peanuts, sesame, soy & wheat."

Fossa Chocolate - Jasmine Green 51% Drifting Snowflakes (bar) - Apr. 6, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate
Jasmine Green 51% - Drifting Snowflakes (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 271.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Jasmine Green 51% - Drifting Snowflakes (bar) from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore) was part of the company's Tea Chocolate collection.

The cacao used to make this bar was from Hacienda Limon in Ecuador. And the jasmine green tea was sourced via Pekoe & Imp (a collaboration partner focused on specialty, single origin teas).

Aroma and flavor notes included: intoxicating jasmine floral; green tea (clear/clean mineral, botanical); and subtle sophisticated milk chocolate. 

The jasmine green tea floral notes (from the Bi Tan Piao Xue traditional green tea from Sichuan Province in China harvested in spring, layered with jasmine flowers that bloom in summer) lingered into a long and satisfying finish.

This 51% cacao bar was relatively sweet -- think sweet milk tea; but the high-quality tea and chocolate flavors were excellent and well-balanced.The green tea (and to a lesser extent cacao) polyphenols (tannic acid, astringency); and very slight, fleeting bitterness (from cacao and tea) were both well-managed and buffered by the milk in the chocolate and relative high-quality of the ingredients.

Loved the floral and green tea flavors, as well as the smooth texture with a creamy melt and mouthfeel. But, more than that was a glimmer of chocolate magic, where nuanced complexity jumps up to the next level.

With skilled precision, execution and balance, one might be able to surf two ("double up") waves, almost at the same time. This is the sensation I had with this bar. (Surfing in on an elegant catamaran might be a better analogy.) I felt like I was simultaneously sipping an excellent tea and nibbling on a high-quality chocolate. I love floral tea flavors and chocolate magic moments like this.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Jasmine fragrance with lingering umami"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, green tea leaves, jasmine flowers 

Allergen-related information: Contains Dairy. "Produced in a facility that processes nuts." 

 

Intrigue Chocolate - Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) - Jan. 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, clean green herb/green tea, subtle citrus (lemon) and faint, diffuse herb/warm spice.

Texture: The bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a smooth, pleasing texture and melt with barely detectable, almost fully incorporated, very fine, tiny herb (bay leaf)/tea particles that were almost crunchy (not gritty). All these elements worked well together from both a textural interest and flavor perspective.

I enjoyed the choice of 67% cacao dark chocolate. It was smooth and not overly sweet--letting the flavor inclusions shine. 

The jasmine green tea, bay leaf and citrus flavors were well-balanced, complementary and subtle--causing me to lean in with interest to catch the nuanced notes. It was an intriguing chocolate. Not too woodsy or herb-y or lemon-y, just right. 

The choice of Turkish Bay Leaf meant it was a subtler, gentler bay note. (I live in California and our bay laurel trees (a different species) are potent and give some people headaches.*)

The floral (jasmine) notes were hard to pick out, but the "light" refreshing notes that I associate with floral green tea (and bay) were still somehow felt in the mix. (It's the difference between a walk in the woods in May vs. October in the Western U.S.)

Makers tasting notes/description: "...Floral and cool wood aromatics, lightly tannic and mineral, with a bright finish."

Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), jasmine green tea, bay leaf, lemon powder"

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*California Bay Laurel trees (and leaves) have a stronger menthol note to them (think Eucalyptus) than milder, more tea-like, Laurel trees from European/Mediterranean regions. I found this description of the two online:

"Turkish bay leaves are shorter and fatter, more oval-shaped, and may or may not have a point. California bay leaves are longer and slender with a point, like a spearhead." 

Yes, and like a spear, a single California bay leaf goes a long way. Some people like its "nutmeg and camphor notes." I like the flavor punch it gives some items, like vanilla ice cream and certain slow-cooked soups and stews--if used sparingly.)

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.  

Theo Chocolate - Spring Tea Collection - Jasmine Tea Ganache - Apr. 19, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Theo Chocolate
Jasmine Tea Ganache 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .42 oz. (12 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total box of 4 pieces
Calories: .42 oz. (12 g.) in 1 piece
Cost: $10.99 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: FarmFresh to You, online order

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

Today's Jasmine Tea Ganache chocolate confection was part of a 4-piece Spring Tea Collection (assortment) from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA). Each of the four flavors were enrobed in dark chocolate and contained a different tea-infused, ganache filling.

The aroma: rich dark chocolate laced with aromatic jasmine, was exactly as promised.

The silky smooth dark chocolate interior (ganache)--a blend of dark and milk* chocolate--was covered in a firmer dark chocolate shell.

This enjoyably complex, dark confection had a lovely jasmine floral tea flavor from start to finish (thank you)--even though it was surrounded by bold dark chocolate (think Forastero variety cacao) that had balanced earth and dark brownie batter notes--mirroring the image of April flowers springing forth from rich, dark soil outside my window.

A judicious amount of sugar allowed the complementary bittersweet (intense cacao and sweet floral) flavors to shine through. This Jasmine chocolate would be a treat for dark chocolate and botanical/floral fans who normally find confections/filled chocolates too sweet.

According to Theo Chocolate's website: Cacao for this collection was sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and sugar for this collection was sourced in Brazil.

Ingredients: Organic, fair trade Cocoa beans; organic, fair trade cane sugar; jasmine tea-infused cream (organic cream, organic jasmine tea (green tea with jasmine))* -- and possibly organic whole milk powder, organic butter, organic nonfat milk powder and honey. (For a complete list of ingredients for each flavor in this collection, contact Theo Chocolate.)

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

*Cream in the filling (ganache) served as a "carrier" for the jasmine tea. Flavors are often infused into cream, and then incorporated into chocolates. Cream is much easier to blend with chocolate than water. (Ground cacao beans have a fairly high fat content and are naturally hydrophobic, i.e., they don't easily mix with or dissolve in water. A vat of melted chocolate can "seize up" when water is added.)

Chocolate Maya - Buddha in Jasmin; Ganesh chocolates - July 28, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya

Buddha in Jasmin (sic) tea
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $2.00 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Ganesh
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

These two wonderful and exotic pieces, a Buddha-shaped chocolate infused with jasmine tea, and a Ganesh medallion-shaped chocolate, were from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA).

Both were made with rich, high-quality chocolate; and buddha contained a subtle hint of floral flavored tea.

ChocolateBet: March 4, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 scoops of ice cream, in a cup
Polly Ann Ice Cream
1.) Jasmine Tea ice cream - Very Good
2.) Bumpy Freeway ice cream - Very Good
Weight: 8 oz. (226.4 grams) (estimate)
Calories: 500 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.25 total
Purchased from: Polly Ann Ice Cream, in San Francisco, CA

Polly Ann Ice Cream offers several exotic and interesting flavors of ice cream. And if you have trouble deciding, someone behind the counter can spin a wheel and choose a flavor for you. (Wouldn't a "wheel of indecision" be handy for other life decisions?) However, this evening I didn't need the wheel, as I knew just what I wanted. This week I've been combining chocolate with flowers in some form. It took a combination of two different flavors to make this happen. The Jasmine Tea ice cream was a very tasty and refreshing floral flavor. And the Bumpy Freeway (very similar to Rocky Road) ice cream was good was well.

I didn't see any dogs come in for their free ice cream cone while I was there; but the sign did say that that dogs needed to be accompanied by a human being to collect on this offer.

Extra bonus this evening: a free sunset over the Pacific Ocean (see image), visible from Polly Ann's.

ChocolateBet: March 21, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Jade Chocolates
Genmai (35% cacao milk chocolate bar with roasted brown rice, green tea, jasmine tea)
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (58 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 (estimate - check this)
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, in Menlo Park, CA

Jade Chocolates (San Francisco) offers several Eastern-inspired flavors. I found this carefully and artfully wrapped Genmai bar (one of three different Jade bars on display) at Draeger's, a high-end local market with a large collection of fine foods and higher-end chocolates.