Wild West Chocolate - Dark Horse Original Dark 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 1, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Wild West Chocolate
Dark Horse Original Dark - 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (44 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65.2 g.) in total bar

Calories: 260 calories for 2/3 bar

Cost: $21.25 for 3 dark chocolate bars (approximately $7.08 each)
Purchased from: Wild West Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Wild West Theme Week, featuring chocolates with tie-ins to cowboys, outlaws, bears and other wildlife in the Great Outdoors.

Today's Dark Horse Original Dark - 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Wild West Chocolate, LLC (Missoula, MT). The company was founded in 2023 by BJ Howard, a woman whose interests include making a better chocolate ("without the junk") and water preservation.*

Aroma and flavor notes for this Dark Horse 70% bar included: balanced, smooth dark chocolate (chocolate-y; roasted brownie, smooth and very slightly earthy dark chocolate torte); vanilla; and very light fruits (stone fruit (peach), berry and mango).

Texture: pleasing creamy melt and mouthfeel

The sweetness in this bar came not from sugar, but rather from a very thoughtful fruit powder blend. The fruits added gentle and sweetness and subtle flavor depth. (The powders were fully incorporated into the chocolate so there was no detectable change in texture.)

I appreciated the use of organic and fair trade ingredients; the aforementioned well-executed blend of fruits to sweeten this dark chocolate (vs. cane sugar); and the relatively short list of ingredients.  

Ingredients: Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Fruit Blend [Powdered Date++, Powdered Mulberry+, Powdered Peach+, Powdered Mango+], Cocoa Liquor++, Cocoa Butter++, Vanilla Extract+). (+ Organic Ingredients; ++ Regenerative Organic Certified; Cocoa Liquor and Cocoa Butter: Fair Trade Certified 68% of Product.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat and soy."

*I love her interest in solving big problems. Water has been one of the most enduring and challenging issues in the Wild West. (The company donates a portion of profits "from every sale" to the River Management Society.)

And replacing cane sugar in chocolate is no small feat. From what I've tasted so far, the blend of powdered fruits (instead of conventional sugar) in her bars works very well. 

I also admire those makers creating dark milk chocolate bars "sweetened" only with milk powder. No sugar (or artificial sweeteners) were used in either of these approaches, and the chocolates were great.

 

Chocolate Tree - Belize Black 100% Dark Chocolate (No Sugar) (bar) - Feb. 16, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolate Tree
Belize Black 100% Dark Chocolate (No Sugar) (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 177.1 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Central America Theme Week -- a week with several dark bars crafted by small batch makers using cacao grown in Belize.

Today's Belize Black 100% Dark Chocolate Bar was made by Chocolate Tree (Knowes Farm, Scotland), using "ancestral and rare" (Belize) cacao: "Native Criollo (varieties), Upper Amazon Hybrids". 

Aroma notes for this ultra-dark chocolate included: dark chocolate, sweet dried fruits (fig, date, mixed tropical fruits, tart raisin), faint candied yam, and barely detectable sweet green botanical.

Texture: smooth and buttery with a satisfying melt.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, slightly roast-y), tart sweet dried fruits (mixed fruit, fig and citrus marmalade), and brief flickers of warm spice (cinnamon) and sweet-tart lemon in the lingering finish. Low in bitterness for a 100% cacao chocolate (with no added sugar(s)).

I appreciated the company's thoughtful sourcing; the mold/form they used to create the beautiful interlocking birds pattern on this bar (and other bars); the short list of two organic ingredients; and the chocolate-y flavor with diffuse, balanced fruit notes.

Note: I experienced an added bonus from this 100% cacao bar. I wasn't feeling well. A few bites of this ultra-dark bar and my airways opened and my cough disappeared.*

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Figs, Pineapple, Raisins"

Maker's Pairing Suggestions: "Pair With: Single Malt Whisky"

Ingredients: "Organic cocoa beans, organic cocoa butter."

Allergen-related information: "Nuts and dairy are used in our factory." 

*I've found ultra-dark chocolate to be a great bronchodilator.

Nutsola - Dat Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 26, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Nutsola 
Dat Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 350 calories in 1 bar
Cost: Pricing not available for a single bar; (I paid $56.00 for 1 of a box of 8 bars)
Purchased from: Nutsola, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Peanut Theme Week.

Today's Dat Chocolate Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Nutsola LLC (Livingston, NJ).

Aroma notes included: bold (slightly bitter, but balanced) dark chocolate and faint nut.

Texture: relatively smooth dark chocolate and a filling of ground peanuts (peanut butter)

Flavor notes included: bold but balanced dark chocolate with faint umami/savory peanut. Because of the lack of added sugar (dates were used to lightly sweeten this chocolate), this bar tasted like a higher percentage (80%) dark chocolate. 

I liked 1.) the short list of quality (Organic and gluten-free) ingredients, 2.) how the peanut butter balanced and mellowed the dark chocolate); and 3) the hearty chocolate flavor that wasn't too sweet (thank you!). 

Sugar can be valuable to balance bitterness in some chocolates; but I can do without a sugar buzz. (I also enjoy balanced bitter and umami flavors.) Nutsola co-founders, Adam and Michael, created this date-sweetened chocolate with "clean ingredients" and with more fiber "to slow down sugar absorption." The company produces a variety of "no added sugar" bars.

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, Organic Date, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt"

Allergen-related information: "Contains Peanuts. May contain occasional pits. Shares Equipment with Products Containing Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Egg and Wheat."

Sirene Chocolate Makers - Limited Edition No Sugar Milk 60% Dark Milk (bar)

Chocolate of the Day 

Sirene Chocolate
Limited Edition - No Sugar Milk 60% Dark Milk (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 191 calories in (estimate) 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #3 of Unique Chocolates Theme Week.

Today's Limited Edition - No Sugar Milk 60% Dark Milk (bar) was from Sirene Chocolate (Victoria, B.C., Canada).

Why was this bar unique? It contained no added sugar, and yet it was (to my taste) sweet. It was a great opportunity to taste how sweet a dark milk chocolate can be--without added sugar(s). Surprisingly, this was only the third bar I've tried in 18 years like this.

I enjoyed the creamy texture, milk chocolate mouthfeel and melt, the authentic sweetness supplied by the milk and the very slight bitterness toward the finish. The milk mellowed any bitterness (or absence of sugar).

The claims of "no sugar" or "sugar free" chocolates in the past meant artificial sweeteners or some other sweetener sleight of hand. However, today's two-ingredient bar, let us know that the milk (lactose) alone can do the job. I hope I'm able to try more chocolates like this in the future.

Ingredients: "cacao beans, whole milk powder"

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Made In A Nut Free Facility, Soy Free, Gluten Free" 

Mandala Chocolate - Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms, Chai Spices (bar) - Dec. 18, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Mandala Chocolate
Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms and Chai Spices (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 302 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar (when purchased in a 3-pack)
Purchased from: Amazon.com/Mandala Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Chai Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Mushrooms Week.

Today's Organic Appalachian Wild Chai Sugar Free Dark Chocolate with Herbs, Mushrooms and Chai Spices (bar) was handcrafted in Asheville, North Carolina, by Mandala Naturals, LLC (Barnardsville, NC), using 70% stoneground cacao--and without added sugar.*

Aroma and flavor notes included: subtle chocolate and warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, very mild clove and nutmeg), very slightly woodsy sweetness (mesquite, licorice root), and very faint citrus (orange).

This 70% cacao bar included a wild chai blend: spices, herbs and "mushrooms unique to the Blue Ridge Mountains." All these flavors harmonized very nicely. The mushroom flavors were very undetectable. (The 70% cacao and range of spices in this bar makes them easy to miss.)

Texture: nice cacao buttery melt, smooth texture (especially given the amount of added spices and mushrooms).

I loved that this chocolate had an appealing, mild, natural sweetness with no added sugar.*

This bar had more nuanced flavors and a milder taste than most 70% chocolate bars, in part due to thoughtful ingredient selection and the lack of cane sugar.* You realize the effects of processed sugar when it's not there. There are other paths to sweetness.

Ingredients: "*Cacao, *Yacon, *Ginger, *Mesquite, *Maca, *Cinnamon, *Vanilla, *Licorice, *Cardamom, **Chaga, *Peppercorn, *Clove, **Reishi, **Spiceberries, *Nutmeg, *Fennel, *Orange Oil, Celtic Sea Salt (* = Organic, and ** = Organic and Wildcrafted)

Allergen-related information: No information listed.

*And I loved that "zero added sugars" actually meant no sugars and no artificial sweeteners. Instead, sweet-tasting herbs and botanicals (like yacon, maca, cinnamon, licorice, vanilla, etc.) supplied the "sweetness".

Nu-Trail - Cacao Nut Granola - Mar. 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Nu-Trail 
Cacao Nut Granola
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 8 oz. (227 g.) in total package
Calories: 160 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $10.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Outdoors Theme Week -- including granolas, trail mixes, tree-shaped chocolates, and an outdoor spring egg hot cocoa experience.

Today's (gluten-free and keto certified) Nu-Trail Cacao Nut Granola was manufactured for Snacks Generation Inc. (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes for this "no sugar added" granola included: sweet coconut, cacao and very faint (barely detectable) sweet green, botanical extracts, nuts and seeds.

Flavor notes for this crunchy granola included: coconut, nut, cacao/chocolate, seed, and nut.

Ingredients: Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Coconut, Erythritol, Pecans, Almonds, Butter (Pasteurized Cream, Natural Flavor), Unsweetened Chocolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Salt, Natural Flavors, Monkfruit Extract

Allergen-related information: "Contains: Milk, Tree Nuts (Almond, Coconut, Pecan)." "Processed in a Facility That Also Processes Dairy, Wheat, Tree Nuts, Sesame, and Soy."

Taitau - No Sugar Added 46% Milk Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Taitau (Tai Tau)
No Sugar Added 46% Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good 
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 in 1 serving (3 squares)
Cost: $3.39 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Crossroads Specialty Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Lithuania Theme Week.

Today's No Sugar 46% Milk Chocolate (bar) from Taitau (Tai Tau) Exclusive Selection (Lietuva, Lithuania) was imported into the U.S. by B&I Overseas Trading Inc. (Van Nuys, CA).

This bar was made using "premium quality Granada cocoa beans." 

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate, subtle vanilla, very faint light spice (cinnamon), and even fainter spice-wood.  

The texture was uniformly smooth and creamy, almost buttery.

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes, and included: balanced, dark milk chocolate (cocoa, ganache), subtle vanilla, followed by a sizable uptick in erythritol (slight menthol sensation, overly sweet).

I'd hoped this might be a milk chocolate bar without any sweeteners, i.e. where only the natural sugars in the milk supply the sweetness. (I love the few chocolates that offer this experience.) This chocolate may be a welcome offering for those who can't have sugar; but the taste of erythritol (alternative sweetener) was too strong for me to enjoy.

Ingredients: "Cocoa butter, sweetener - erythritol, skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier - rapeseed (canola) lecithin, flavouring vanillin. Contains naturally occurring sugars. Contains at least 46% of cocoa solids, and 22% of dry milk solids."

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk." "This product may contain traces of hazelnuts and wheat gluten." "Excessive consumption may cause laxative effects."

Karuna Chocolate - Date Sugar Dolcificante Ai Datteri Dark Chocolate 80% (bar) - June 15, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Karuna Chocolate 
Date Sugar Dolcificante Ai Datteri Dark Chocolate 80% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 154 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Date Sugar Dolcificante Ai Datteri Dark Chocolate 80% (bar) was from Karuna Chocolate (Velturno, Belzano/South Tyrol, in northern Italy).  

The cacao used to make this bold dark chocolate was from Oko Caribe in El Cibao Region, Duarte Province, in north central Dominican Republic.

Aroma notes included: bold dark chocolate and very faint dried fruit (date and very faint caramelized dried, green banana), and very faint brown sugar.

The chocolate had a creamy, thick melt and smooth texture.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (deep, dark fudge, subtle earth, roasted cacao), faint dried fruit, and very faint sparkles of clean mineral water and barely there dark, bitter stout and dark roasted nuts. Instead of being sweetened with cane sugar, the maker(s) chose to use date powder, giving it a very faint date/brown sugar flavor. 

This made "without added sugar" ultra-dark bar had a balanced bitterness, and a relatively subtle fruit acidity.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans*, date powder*, cocoa butter*; Cocoa min. 80% (* certified organic)

Allergen-related information:  "It may contain traces of nuts."

Zotter - Milk Chocolate Dark Style, no sugar 70% Cocoa/30% Milk (bars) - Jan. 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Milk Chocolate Dark Style, no sugar added (bars)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $7.99 (estimate) for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Zotterusa.com, online order

Welcome to Day #14 of European Chocolate Vacation Theme Week. 

The aroma notes of for this bar included creamy chocolate ice cream, and buttery chocolate cookie (pecan shortbread).

The relatively bold, smooth dark flavor of this bar was blended with a creamy, smooth texture and taste. It was a delicious implementation of a relatively deep, dark chocolate--made without sugar--mellowed by milk that also added enough natural sweetness to be just right. (A judicious touch of vanilla added a little bit of implied baked goods sweetness.)

I would definitely include this bar in a tasting flight (side-by-side chocolate tasting), to introduce people this 70% sugar free dark (with milk) offering with no added sweeteners (artificial or otherwise).

Maker's notes: "...offers an impressive nougat waffle aroma. Intense notes of milk and cream accompanied by a subtle fruitiness..." "...an obvious waffle aroma carried by a mountain of nougat develops after initial notes of lightly salted nuts."

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, dry whole milk, cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean powder.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk." "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, soy, sesame and peanuts." "Fair traded, fair trade content in total: 70%"

Central American Dark Chocolate Honduras Banana Bread - Oct. 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

(Homemade)

Central American Dark Chocolate Honduras Banana Bread

(Modified Honduran Banana Bread recipe)

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) serving

Calories: 165 calories (estimate) for 1 serving

Cost: $N/A - multiple items

Purchased from: N/A - multiple sources

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Central America Week(s), featuring chocolates made with cacao from Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Today's homemade chocolate banana batter bread was based on a Honduran banana bread recipe. I added to this recipe: a blend of 70% cacao chocolate pieces (melted and stirred in) from the five different Central American countries mentioned above.

Aroma notes for this moist, dense bread included rich chocolate, banana (bread), with traces of warm spice and nut. The pecans provided a soft, nutty chew. (Especially fragrant right out of the oven.)

I omitted from this recipe any added sugar or added oils/butter. The 70% cacao chocolates, banana and coconut provided enough natural sweetness for my taste. Eggs, kefir and nuts provided satisfying levels of protein, fat and texture. And banana (flour and fruit), eggs and kefir contributed moisture and cohesion to this gluten-free version.)

Ingredients: Banana flour, (3) eggs, kefir (in lieu of sour cream/neufchatel cheese), banana (dehydrated slices, crushed), pieces of single origin dark chocolate bars (from 5 different Central American cacao-growing countries), pecans, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Allergen-related information: Contained dairy, tree nuts and eggs. (Gluten free, low sugar)

Lindt - Excellence 100% Cocoa Unsweetened Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 9, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Lindt and Sprungli

Excellence 100% Cocoa Unsweetened Chocolate (bar)

Good +

Weight: .85 oz. (25 g.) / 1.7 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the first day of 100% Cacao and Nibs Theme Week, featuring chocolates with pure cacao flavor. 

Today's Unsweetened 100% Cocoa (bar) was distributed by Lindt and Sprungli (USA) Inc. (Stratham, NH).* This ultra-slim bar was packaged in a thin plastic tray (likely to help prevent breakage) and sealed in with a peel-off foil top layer.

Aroma: As with many unsweetened chocolate, the aroma of a 100% bar can be lighter/brighter/sweeter than--or simply at odds with--the taste. In this case a mindful sniff detected deep dark chocolate, subtle over-ripe fruit (prune, apricot, banana), light green (matcha green tea, green floral, fresh cut grass), fleeting caramel and marshmallow, and roasted cacao notes.

Texture: This well tempered bar had an even melt and predominantly creamy texture with some ultra-faint graininess and astringency (puckery dryness as in some red wines, persimmon and pomegranate).

Taste: Today's 100% chocolate was long on dark, deep roasted flavor with bold, well-managed bitterness and acidity. (The added cocoa powder was alkalized--a process designed to bring down sharper, acidic flavors.) 

Lindt's tasting notes read as follows: "100% reveals the strength and richness of cocoa beans. The flavour profile delivers a strong, aromatic cocoa taste complemented by a perfect balance of acidity, bitterness and fresh green notes..."

Ingredients: Chocolate, cocoa powder processed with alkali, cocoa butter

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

Akbal Chocolate Mexicano - 70% Dark Chocolate with Leche de Coco (bar) - Apr. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Akbal Chocolate Mexicano

70% Cacao Chocolate with Leche de Coco Sin Azucar (bar)

Good - Good +

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 110 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend

Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (thank you Julie!)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

Today's 70% Cacao Chocolate with Leche de Coco Sin Azucar (bar) was from Akbal Chocolate Mexicano aka Akbal Chocolates (Playas de Roasarito, Baja California, Mexico). This dark coconut milk bar was sweetened with xylitol rather than sugar.

The bar had a natural coconut aroma. And the relatively sweet, mild 70% cacao chocolate was suffused with authentic coconut flavor.

This tasted quite sweet, but there was no sugar. Nor was there any "off" flavor from the xylitol used as an alternative sweetener. The chocolate did taste a little sweeter than normal (like some sugarless gums). And I might have preferred a wee bit less xylitol/sweetness. But, it still worked as a chocolate bar.

*Xylitol, an alternative sweetener, is lower in calories and does not cause the increases or spikes in blood sugar that can happen when you eat items with cane or beet sugar. Xylitol was first discovered by French and German chemists in the late 1890s. After further research and development in Turku, Finland, Finnish company Jennki introduced a gum sweetened with xylitol (originally derived from birch trees) in 1975. Xylitol-sweetened gums, toothpastes, mouthwashes--and eventually candies, baked goods and chocolates--followed.

Note: Like chocolate, you should not feed xylitol-sweetened items to dogs. Bath can be toxic.

Dogs, cats and other animals (including ferrets, horses and bears) lack our ability to process theobromine, a naturally-occurring stimulant in cacao/chocolate; and ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting, nervous systems problems--and in rare cases, death. Whereas, most humans, rodents and certain birds are able to break down caffeine, theobromine and other plant alkaloids, more effectively. (From an evolutionary perspective, plants may have developed these bitter-tasting alkaloids, in part, as a defense mechanism to prevent animals and insects from eating them.)

Xylitol can trigger a release of insulin in dogs that cause them to become severely hypoglycemic. While xylitol can trigger milder, digestive side effects in humans, it is generally considered to be safe for us; and it may have certain desirable anti-bacterial properties (thus the inclusion in dental hygiene products). As with many new foods, try eating a small amount initially if you're unsure.

Raaka Chocolate - Pure Cacao, Strawberry and Coconut bar - Feb. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Pure Cacao and Strawberry and Coconut bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 244 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: COA Chocolate, Sausalito, CA

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

Today's Pure Cacao, Strawberry and Coconut bar was made by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The 80 percent dark chocolate was made using un-roasted, organic cacao from Kokoa Kamili (Tanzania, Africa), and with no added sugar (thank you!). If you're open to a more intense dark chocolate  experience with a few natural flavor accents, today's vegan, gluten free and soy free, organic Raaka bar is worth trying.

In Chinese, Indian and other Asian cuisines, the five tastes that humans can sense: sweet, sour, salty/savory, bitter and spicy are thoughtfully balanced in each dish. The makers at Raaka achieved at least 3 or 4 of the 5 tastes mentioned above with the kaleidoscope of flavors present in this craft chocolate bar.

No boring, overly roasted, uniformly smooth industrial chocolate here. This chocolate had a smooth melt, and after that it was all mild spikes of different flavors. (Think Christmas "Cactus" with the pink flowers, not prickly cactus spikes.)

This ultra-dark bar might be a little strong or bitter for some. However, I found it full of complementary flavors: the natural sweet tart berry (strawberry) sweetness, a light touch of naturally sweet coconut, and dark, earthy (almost savory) and bitter flavors from the cacao. It was oddly addicting in its own way.

Ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic strawberry, organic toasted coconut, organic cacao butter

Chamisa Chocolate - Bochasweet 71% bar - Sept. 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chamisa Chocolate
Bochasweet 71% bar
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: N/A - no information
Cost: $N/A - sample bar (from Chamisa)
Sent from: Chamisa Chocolate, part of an online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chamisa Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Bochasweet 71% bar from Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM). Founder, Amanda Hatherly, has never been a fan of sweet dark chocolate. She has explored various sugar alternatives, including dates, freeze-dried fruit, and Bochasweet.*

Thank you to Amanda at Chamisa Chocolate for sharing this special bar.

The chocolate was dark and creamy and not too sweet, and had a certain refreshing coolness about it. Like sitting in a cool forest. (Sugar tends to feel "hotter" on the palette.) Dried blueberries added concentrated, natural, moist, berry sweetness. And a sprinkling of chopped almonds added a soft accent crunch.

The bar's natural cocoa finish also had a lingering low level of sweetness I found hard to pinpoint (and likely from the Bochasweet). This sweetness was not unpleasant, unnatural, bitter or "off" in any way. Just a very mild sweet presence. There was a distinct calm feeling with this bar. No sugar rush.

*Bochasweet is a "zero calorie, zero glycemic" sugar substitute made of kabocha extract, that is available from Bochasweet LLC (Las Vegas, NV). Kabocha is a green, pumpkin-like winter squash from Japan.

Fine and Raw Chocolate - Mesquite No Sugar Added (bar); Ginger 67% (bar) - July 28, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Mesquite No Sugar Added 58% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 63 calories (per label) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Ginger 67% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 164 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $25.00 for 5-bar collection set
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Mesquite No Sugar Added 58% cacao and Ginger 67% cacao bars were both made by Fine and Raw Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).


Rounding up cows out on the range conjures up thoughts of hard work, dusty rides through high chaparral and mesquite tree country, and music around a fire. And speaking of mesquite...

Mesquite
...Mesquite wood smoke is used for barbeques. But lesser known is the fact that the beans these trees produce are edible and can be ground into a flour and eaten.

Roasted mesquite beans are said to have notes of slightly sweet vanilla, cream, caramel, coconut and/or chocolate. They were a food source for native peoples in Mexico and the Southwest U.S., who referred to mesquite as the tree of life, because of its many uses.

People continue to use mesquite flour ground from seeds (pods shown at right), bean pod pulp, in items including gluten free pine nut cookies, roasted mesquite bean "coffee," protein drinks/bars, mesquite bean jelly, and, of course, chocolates.

Today's raw Mesquite bar contained cacao and mesquite powder and none of the usual sugar sweeteners: i.e., coconut, cane, maple or birch sugar. Instead this chocolate was lightly sweetened with organic ground lucuma (a South American fruit with a mild sweet flavor and thick creamy, slightly starchy texture).

This Mesquite bar had a surprisingly sweet and warmly spicy chocolate aroma, and a faint trace of light fruit (apple custard), sweet potato and honey notes in the flavor and finish. The three American native plants: cacao, lucuma and mesquite worked well together. This chocolate had a thick, creamy texture and a very slight granularity.

Ginger
If you like ginger, you might like Fine and Raw Chocolate's 67% dark ginger bar, made with organic ginger powder.


The ginger was thoroughly incorporated and not visible to the naked eye. However, it was evident in the aroma and flavor of this bar and lingered into the finish. The melt was even, and the texture was slightly granular.

The added ginger gave the "50% raw and 50% roast(ed)" cacao bar a warm, satisfying zing. Ginger is from Asia originally, but we've adopted it as one of our own.* (Many of us have fond childhood memories of homemade ginger molasses cookies.)

We paired this Ginger bar with a sweet, spicy kick of music from Ginger Cowgirl, (aka Stacy Antonel, originally from the Bay Area, who moved to Nashville in 2017. We wish her well. She's got a great sound. (Photo source: Ginger Cowgirl website.)

*True, ginger is from Asia and not the wild west. However, there are very capable horsewomen—cowgirls in spirit—in Asia too. Just ask someone who has visited Mongolia or ridden in the Mongolian Derby. (Photo Source for image of Mongolian girl riding horse: Daily Travel Photos)

The spice closest to ginger that's native to the Americas and has co-evolved with chocolate historically would likely be allspice. Allspice is not uncommon in Caribbean-adjacent cuisines, local chocolates and drinking chocolate.

The Good Chocolate - 65% Dark Ginger bar - Apr. 1, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Good Chocolate
65% Dark Ginger bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 109 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, San Mateo, CA

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

Today's 65% Dark Ginger bar was made with the company's "Signature Dark" chocolate mixed with granulated ginger (crystallized without sugar). Instead, erythritol, mesquite and stevia were used to sweeten this bar.

The ginger (bits of ginger root and ginger oil) in this dark chocolate tasted authentic. And the bar didn't taste too sweet (thank you).

At less than 100 calories per ounce (88 calories for 1 oz. according to the packaging), this might be a great bar for those either watching their sugar or their weight.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Erythritol, Cacao Butter, Ginger Root, Mesquite Powder, Ginger Oil, Stevia, and Vanilla.

Lakanto - Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar - Jan. 20, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetened
Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 87 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Today's Lakanto Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar (made in the U.S. and distributed by Saraya Canada Co., LTD) was very sweet, and it was sugar free.

For those avoiding sugar, watching glycemic index numbers, or cutting calories, this Lakanto chocolate was sweetened with a blend of monk fruit extract and erythritol (alcohol sugar)—a zero calorie sugar substitute. The company claims their 55 percent bars have 40% fewer calories than other chocolate bars.

The recommended 1/2 bar serving (43 g.) is only 120 calories. I tend to think of calories per oz. and this translates to just 87 calories per 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of chocolate—a low number. Conventional, sugar-sweetened chocolates range from 145 to 175 calories per 1 oz. (This bar also contained some vegetable fiber.)

The Lakanto sweetened chocolate had a very sweet cocoa aroma. Stoneground Arriba Nacional Cacao beans from Ecuador added authentic chocolate flavor to this vegan, dairy free and gluten free bar; but some of the deeper chocolate notes seemed to be muted by the sweetener. The chocolate had a light, lingering sweet finish. And small bits of almonds added some crunchy texture.

Ideally I'd prefer not to give up any of the natural chocolate flavor spectrum so carefully developed in a well-made bar if I didn't have to. However, the Lakanto monk fruit blend represents progress and was a relatively pleasant sweetener and worth trying if you need to be sugar free.

Thoughts on Cane Sugar, Sweeteners and Chocolate
Why do chocolate makers prefer cane sugar for fine chocolate? Cane sugar has been described as a "blank slate" in terms of flavor (or the lack thereof).

Developing a great, unique flavor profile for a bean-to-bar chocolate is a very complex, time-consuming process. And, after all that hard work, sweetener(s) used to make great chocolate need to support the best cacao flavor profile possible and allow the best/most desired features of a given cacao to shine.

Flavor considerations aren't the only reason for sweetener choices. I do get a bit of a rush from the sugar and the theobromine/caffeine in chocolate. I find this is OK in moderation. However, this rocket ride might be undesirable for others; and it's great to know many people are working hard on better tasting, more natural sugar substitutes.*

I notice differences when I eat sugar-free, lower glycemic sweetened, and traditional chocolates. After sampling thousands of different chocolates, I've observed the differences first hand. I feel calmer after eating certain chocolates than others. And sweeteners are part of the reason why.*

*Percentage and type/composition of cacao as well as quantity of chocolate eaten most certainly matter at least as much for most people as the sweetener choice—as do other factors (ranging from how much sleep I've gotten, what my mood is, what other food and drink I've just consumed, etc.) I wouldn't recommend eating an entire high percentage dark chocolate bar with cane sugar before bed-time. I eat my chocolate of the day in the morning, in part for this reason.

ChocolateBet: July 26, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Ethel's Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: .28 oz. (8 g.)/ 4.5 oz. (127 g.)
Calories: 42 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ info not available
Purchased from: Ethel's Chocolate, Henderson, NV

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and "Tout Sweetener" Theme Week.

Despite the "No Sugar Added" description, these chocolate-covered cherries were quite sweet. So, those who cannot have sugar, but like sweet things, shouldn't feel deprived. The cherry in the middle was dried-fruit chewy, but not tough; however, I couldn't taste much of the natural cherry taste.

While white cane sugar is the most common sweetener included in chocolate, I'll be exploring other sweet substances combined with cacao this week, including, but not limited to: honey, maple sugar, raw sugar and -- such is the case  today -- no sugar, and/or artificial sweeteners.

ChocolateBet: June 28, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
2 cookies/1 serving
Aunt Gussie's
Chocolate Chip Almond (sugar free, gluten-free cookies)
Very Good; can't really taste the almonds.
Wt: 29 grams in 2 cookies/6 oz. (170 g.) total box
Calories: 130 calories in 2 cookies
Cost: $6.99 box
Purchased from Piazza's, in Palo Alto, CA

I can't eat wheat/gluten, so it's nice to continue to find gluten-free chocolate-containing items on the shelves of a local grocery store. I didn't see that these cookies were also sugar-free until I got home. (I bought two other flavors of these cookies that were not sugar-free.) The maltitol used as a sweetener doesn't seem to affect the taste, but my stomach is grumbling a bit five minutes after eating these. (Warning label on the box cautions about eating too much maltitol.) I think I'd rather take my chances with a bit of sugar.