Gaston Chocolate - Tree to Bar Dark 70% Chocolate Kava (bar) - Jan. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Gaston Chocolat
Tree to Bar Dark 70% Chocolate Kava (bar) 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2.4 oz. (68 g.) in total bar
Calories: 189 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from friend (thank you Toni!)
Purchased from: N/A gift 

Welcome to Day #6 of the Chocolate and Vanuatu Series.

Today's Tree to Bar Dark 70% Chocolate Kava (bar) was from Gaston Chocolat (Port Vila - Efate, Vanuatu).

Aroma notes included: subtle dark chocolate and faint, slightly green/botanical.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate and kava*-- that had a slightly sour, then bitter, followed by a slight tingling (tongue-numbing) sensation. 

Texture: broke with a hard snap and had a light (weight) feel and relatively creamy melt. The kava was fully incorporated into the chocolate, so there was no fibrous texture from the kava. (Kava beverages sometimes have thread-like particles from the crushed roots of the plant.)

This slightly peppery, slightly bitter flavor blend kava and chocolate was fun to try. (Thank you again to friends who generously shared chocolates they found on their Vanuatu vacation.)

Health Note: This chocolate bar contained 15% kava, and was labeled as suitable for ages "18+ Only." Why? Kava can have mild sedative and narcotic effects. I didn't notice any effects. But, be advised, this chocolate may not be for everyone. (There are also potential health risks associated with regular/prolonged kava use; and there have been bans on kava in several countries.) 

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Kava (15%)

Allergen-related information: No information found on packaging -- but this bar was labeled 18+ (years of age) Only, because of the kava.

*Kava (Piper methysticum) likely originated in northern Vanuatu. It has been selectively cultivated by farmers there for 3,000 years, and is a sterile cultivar propagated (cloned) from a wild ancestor (Piper whichmanii). The root of this plant is usually crushed and prepared with water, i.e. served as a beverage, sometimes in a half coconut shell. It can be found in several Pacific islands, including Hawaii.

Hava Kava Hut - Coconut Ginger Kava bar - December 14, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Hava Kava Hut
Dark Chocolate Coconut Ginger Kava bar
OK+ - Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) total bar
Calories: 187 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00
Purchased from: Sweet Paradise Chocolatier, Hawaii

Today at lunch, I drove to the San Francisco Bay shore. It was the week of "King" tides in California, the highest of the high tides this year (2012). Some paths, benches and signs at the water's edge were temporarily underwater.

It was cold and gray. Even so, I imagined that this seawater might be flowing toward us from Hawaii. Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week. As I contemplated this notion, I nibbled on a Dark Chocolate Coconut Ginger Kava bar from Hava Kava Hut (Kailua Kona, Hawaii), available through Sweet Paradise Chocolatier (Hawaii).

I cannot tell a lie, this bar tasted like it might have come from a soapy flavored plant made into a soda, and then infused into a 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar. Kava root is often ground up and served in half coconut shells, and is thought to create a mellow state of mind (and to help counter motion sickness). Kava flavor has been described as "dirty dishwater" and worse. Visitors to Hawaiian kava cafes often order their kava with POG (pineapple, orange and guava juice). The organic dark chocolate, ginger, coconut and vanilla in this Hava Kava chocolate bar helped cover up this taste.

So, did I feel more relaxed? Not that I could tell. But, the bar, made with kava from Vanuatu (an island nation in the south Pacific ocean), did help me enjoy a walk in the baylands, and a trip to a local zoo after that, where I visited with a happy bobcat and a peacock (not in the same cage). OK, maybe I was more relaxed.

ChocolateBet: February 24, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Yes Cacao
Gaba 13 bar
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) total bar
Calories: 179 calories (guesstimate)
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Yes Cacao (Justin Frank Polgar)

I ate this surprising Yes Cacao Gaba 13 bar for breakfast early this morning. And I felt rather calm and relaxed afterward, even as I hurtled myself out the door and into my car to drive to the office. Who was driving? A more relaxed and focused version of my normal commuter self. Maybe it was the Turmeric and Coriander? Or, the Kava? Or, the Blue Lotus? There were thirteen interesting ingredients in all. Or the lovely blue skies and trees in bloom outside? Who can say. I did enjoy nibbling on this rich tasting (it contained cocoa butter and coconut butter) chocolate bar as my morning meal.

Yes Cacao owner, Justin Polgar, also known as a minister of chocolate, advises that people make a wish before biting into one of his Yes bars. Or, you could engrave your wish on the bar with a toothpick, in the area within the decorative border, before you take a bite. I'll have to try that next time.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 22, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Wow Wee Candy Bar
Wow Wee Maui's - Kava Chocolate Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 grams) for 1 bar
Calories: 260 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $1.95
Purchased from: Lava Java, in Kihei, on the island of Maui, Hawaii

Interesting concept - Kava in a chocolate bar. Kava is supposed to make you relaxed. (The warning label on the wrapper recommends not eating more than one of these chocolate bars per day; and also recommends against driving heavy machinery if you're eating too much Kava.)

I didn't notice any dramatic effects from eating one of these. But, then again, I just came back from vacation, and I was feeling refreshed, clear-headed and productive just from the break; so it was hard to isolate any kava effects.

The milk chocolate base in this bar was OK, but the tiny flecks of kava did impart a certain texture that may taste fibrous or gritty to some.