Seahorse Chocolate - "Left Of The Dial" 78% (bar) - Feb. 6, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Seahorse Chocolate
"Left Of The Dial" 78% (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Seahorse Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #9 of Unique Chocolates Theme Week. Part of what made yesterday's and today's Seahorse Chocolate bars unique was the opportunity to experience how tasty well-executed cacao blends can be. That, and the references to music.*

Today's "Left of The Dial" 78% dark chocolate (bar) was created by Seahorse Chocolate (Bend, OR). The bar was made with a blend of cocoa(s) "from The Caribbean and The Americas."

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, fruit (citrus, banana bread). Flavor notes brought a deeper dive into rich, creamy dark chocolate with balanced, tart lemon and sour cherry fruit notes.

I enjoyed the rich dark chocolate and tart fruit flavors in this 78% dark offering. The skillfully executed cacao blend with naturally sweet fruit notes (and the organic sugar choice) yielded a hearty sophisticated, dark chocolate, with a vibrant tropical soul--and that tasted more like a 70% chocolate.

Maker's tasting notes: "Reminds Us of: "Tart Cherry, Lemon Zest, Searching The Bins For Records Steeped in Obscure Deliciousness"

Ingredients: "Cocoa Beans, Organic Sugar"

Allergen-related information: Vegan, Gluten Free 

*Years ago I featured a Chocolate and Music Theme Week on this blog. Many chocolate makers have more than one creative talent, and several either play (or played) an instrument, are (or were) in a band, or are keen appreciators or music -- often as they make chocolate. Music can deepen one's appreciation for nuances and layers of what can please the palette as well as the soul. 

Seahorse Chocolate - "A.M. Gold" 69% (bar) - Feb. 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day 

Seahorse Chocolate
"A.M. Gold" bar
Good ++ 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Seahorse Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Unique Chocolates Theme Week, including chocolates with unique origins, flavor inclusions and themes. 

Today's "A.M. Gold" 69% dark chocolate (bar) was created by Seahorse Chocolate (Bend, OR). The bar was made with a blend of cacaos "from The Americas and Pan Asia."

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (drinking chocolate, balanced forest/earth and fruits (dates and berries, citrus)), subtle brown sugar, and faint toffee with nuts.

I liked the rich, natural sweetness (bright fruit notes) and complexity of flavors in this 69% cacao bar. Flavors were skillfully blended and realized using just two ingredients. 

I also enjoyed the playful maker's notes (below) evoking a time, a place--and music.*

Maker's tasting notes: "Reminds us of: Macrame, Nougat, Listening to Smooth Hits While Riding in The Back Seat of A Minivan On Your Way Home From Practice"

Ingredients: "Cocoa Beans, Organic Sugar"

Allergen-related information: Vegan, Gluten Free

*Years ago I ran a Chocolate and Music Theme Week. And I was even cheeky enough to ask (already very busy) chocolate makers if they'd ever thought of pairing specific chocolates with songs--perhaps one(s) they'd written themselves. 

Chocolate makers have strong creative and technical skills--perfect for making craft chocolate (or specialty/craft coffee, beer, wine, etc.) where multiple skills come into play. I'm grateful for this every time I'm able to enjoy the end products of such multi-talented folk.

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Colombia Belize Blend (bar) - Sept. 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate 
70% Colombia Belize Blend (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's 70% Colombia and Belize Blend (Batch 318.2) (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes for this two-ingredient bar included: sweet dark chocolate (tart, ganache); tart, sweet fruit  and spice (apple and berry cider); and faint coffee.

Texture: rich and chocolate-y with a very slight fruit (granular) astringency. (This could have also been a result of shorter conch time(s) to maximize/preserve the inherent fruit/berry flavors in the cacao.)

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (torte, ganache, fudge cake) and tart sweet berries (ripe blackberry, olallieberry*, black raspberry and ripe blueberry cobbler).

I appreciated the range of rich, sweet, fruit-forward, berry dessert and faint, crisp apple cider flavors that the makers were able to showcase with just two ingredients. It was the perfect chocolate for late summer/early fall. 

Maker's tasting notes: "...fudgy and fruity combo of chocolate covered berries..."

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts."

* The following definition for olallieberry (a cross between a blackberry and a European red raspberry) perfectly described today's multi-berry taste. "Olallie" is a word for berry that was used by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. So you're actually saying "berry berry."

Zotter Chocolate - Opus 5 - Cuvee 72% Dark Chocolate (2023 Edition) - May 8, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter Chocolate
Opus 5 - Cuvee 72% Dark Chocolate (2023 Edition) 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Zotter, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Virtual Caribbean Cruise Week.

Today's Opus 5 - Cuvee 72% Dark Chocolate (2023 Edition) was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter US LLC (Fort Myers, FL).

This "island hopping" bar was made using a blend of five cacaos from Madagascar, Sao Tome, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Belize. Zotter describes this cuvee as having "Caribbean flair...and a harmonious, and at the same time incredibly exciting aroma profile." 

Each cacao variety was individually roasted (with their own roast profile), and then combined together, and the chocolate was conched for 20 hours.

Aroma notes for this 72% chocolate included: bittersweet chocolate; faint, fleeting molasses; diffuse fruit (cherry, faint salted lime). 

Texture: smooth texture with a very faint, barely detectable astringency/fruit tannic acidity toward the finish.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (with very, very faint aromatic wood) and  a complex and delicious fruit blend (dark, ripe-sweet berry; sapote; dried tropical fruits; elderberry juice/sangria with a little squeeze of citrus, and warm spice).

Maker's tasting notes: "...The intense fragrance and flavor of speculoos, spices, and citrus fruit take center stage. In the nose, you'll experience especially festive accents of spiced shortbread and almond marzipan, enhanced by strong notes of orange and lime. On the palate, you'll initially perceive a mildly roasted flavor or biscuits, almonds, and cream, which eventually culminates in a spritz citrus fruit aroma (oranges, limes, and grapefruit) with herbal and mildly spicy characteristics. The finish gracefully fades into subtly roast accents and gentle notes of wood.

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass**, Cane Sugar**, Cocoa Butter** (** = Organic and Fair Trade)

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

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)

Askinosie Chocolate - Super Dark Blend Tanzania + Ecuador 88% (bar) - June 24, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
Super Dark Blend - Tanzania + Ecuador 88% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 333 calories in 2/3 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

Bienvenidos (welcome) to the first day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Super Dark Blend Tanzania + Ecuador 88% dark chocolate (bar) was made by Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO).

The aroma of this 88% marriage of two bold cacaos had true chocolate (faintly savory, fudge brownie), light spice (molasses, star anise, cinnamon), light, fleeting well-balanced green, and faint leather and vanilla-tobacco notes--flavors that were all present throughout the tasting experience as well, along with deep, fudge-y, satisfying dark chocolate flavor.

This flavorful ultra-dark bar might make a good pairing with a whiskey, or the basis for brassy brownies with cocoa nibs. 

Askinosie founder and CEO, Shawn Askinosie, featured the farmers in Tanzania and Ecuador (on the bar's packaging) and expressed gratitude to them for making this blend possible.

Ingredients: Mababu, Tanzania cocoa beans (Trinitario); Del Tambo, Ecuador cocoa beans (Arriba Nacional); Organic Sucanat cane sugar; cocoa butter (made in the Askinosie factory with Mababu beans); Organic vanilla bean.

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat."

Middlebury Chocolates - 100% Dark Chocolate bar - May 7, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Middlebury Chocolates 

100 - one hundred percent dark chocolate bar

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #6 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's smooth 100% one hundred percent dark chocolate bar from Middlebury Chocolates (Middlebury, VT) was very approachable for an ultra-dark bar.

It had slight green and deep cocoa notes in the aroma, and was well executed and even—with no "off" flavors. The maker's Tasting Notes read: "Creamy, Bold and Intense."

This 100% bar contained a "thoughtful blend of Dominican Republic, Tanzania and Guatemala" Direct Trade cacao beans; and all three of the major cacao varieties were represented: Trinitario, Criollo and Forestaro.

Like most successful chocolatemakers, the folks behind Middlebury Chocolates are dedicated to the details of their craft. Information supplied on the bar packaging, contained a wealth of information about some of the steps taken to create a great bar:

• Fermentation: 4-7 days; Mostly sun dried
• Roast Level: Medium
• Refined: 72 hours at 100 degrees F
• Conched: 24 hours at 145 degrees F

Dick Taylor - Brown Butter Nibs and Sea Salt bar - Oct. 31, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor 

Brown Butter Nibs and Sea Salt bar

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $8.50 (plus shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Dick Taylor, online order

Happy Halloween to all, and welcome to Day #10 of South American Chocolate Week.

Trick or treat...Today's Brown Butter Nibs and Sea Salt bar, made by Dick Taylor (Eureka, CA), was definitely a decadent Treat.

The makers described their handsomely-dressed bar as follows: "Browned butter from Humboldt Creamery paired with our 73% Northerner blend* (and) hand-sprinkled with roasted cacao nibs and sea salt."

The works: rich butter, crunchy cocoa nibs, a touch of sea salt, all in one bar. And best of all, it was based on the company's very well-executed Northerner blend of cacao, grown in Madagascar and Brazil.

See also last week's review of the Dick Taylor Northerner Blend bar without flavor inclusions. I'd prefer the plain version of this bar for my morning dose of dark; but this Brown Butter and Nibs bar would be great for special occasions.

Guittard - Nocturne 91% bar - May 27, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Guittard
Nocturne 91 percent Blend No. 09 bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 168 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $missing information for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Dark Blends Theme Week.

Today's Nocturne 91% bar (Blend No. 09) from Guittard (Burlingame, CA) was surprisingly smooth and pleasant for an ultra-high percentage bar. It was not bitter and had very subtle red fruit and nutty notes.

The tasting notes describe the base extra dark chocolate as "elegant," and I think that fits. It wasn't brash or jarring. It had refined character. For those that think they don't like ultra-dark chocolate, you might give this one a try.

This extra dark chocolate bar was a true citizen of the world. It was made of a "multi-bean blend" of cacao (beans) that had been grown in regions across the globe, including: Central America, South America, South Pacific, West Africa, Caribbean and Indian Ocean; and it contained all three of the major varieties of beans: Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo.

This Nocturne 91% bar was part of a line of chocolate bars from Guittard, that range from 45% cacao to 100% cacao blends.

Guittard - Soleil de Autumn 45% bar - May 26, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Guittard
Soleil d' Automne 45% Cacao Blend No. 30 bar
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 176 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $missing information for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Dark Blend Bars Theme Week.

Today we push the edge of the envelope for what's considered dark chocolate with this Soleil d' Automne 45% Cacao (Blend No. 30) bar from Guittard (Burlingame, CA). Technically, 45% can still be considered dark chocolate, although perhaps "dark milk" might be a better description.

If you like milk chocolate, this dark milk bar (part of a line of Guittard blend bars with cacao % content ranging from 30% to 100%) might be to your liking.

Today's bar had a pleasant milk chocolate aroma with a hint of toffee popcorn. This chocolate managed to be creamy and sweet (without being overwhelmingly so) and had more authentic fine chocolate flavor than many other similar lower percent dark milk bars*.

Tasting notes listed on the packaging read: "Milk chocolate with notes of caramel apple and creme fraiche dairy."

This Guittard bar was made with a blend of Criollo and Forastero varieties of cocoa beans that were grown in West Africa and Indian Ocean regions.

*Many popular, high-volume commercial milk chocolate bars contain less than 15% cocoa solids.

Guittard - L'Harmonie 64% Cacao bar - May 25, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Guittard
L'Harmonie 64% Cacao bar - Blend No. 29
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $missing information for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Dark Chocolate Blends Theme Week.

Today's L'Harmonie 64% Cacao bar (Blend No. 29) from Guittard (Burlingame, CA) was an upbeat* dark bar with subtle floral and fruit (apple, banana, apricot, light tropical) and with a faint hint of floral green tea.

Tasting notes printed on the packaging read: "Semisweet chocolate with floral aromatics and tart fruit notes."

The L'Harmonie bar incorporated cacao from Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The varieties of cacao that were selected from these three regions included the three primary members of the cacao holy trinity: Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo beans.

*This dark chocolate bar was lighter, sweeter and more carefree (if dark chocolate can be carefree) than most of this week's ultra-dark bars. Stands to reason, as there was more sugar in this bar than other dark blends sampled so far this week.

Guittard - Clair de Lune 85% bar - May 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Guittard
Clair de Lune 85% bar - Blend No. 49
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 2/5 bar
Cost: $missing information for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #3 of Dark Chocolate Blends Theme Week.

Today's bar was the first of several dark chocolate blends created by Guittard (Burlingame, CA). Guittard has been making chocolate in the San Francisco area* since the 1800s.

This Clair de Lune 85% bar (Blend No. 49) was described as "bittersweet chocolate with subtle cherry notes," and was prepared with no added cocoa butter. I also found this to have bittersweet, tart and sour cherry/red fruit or berry notes. For an ultra-dark bar, it was well balanced overall.

While we don't know the exact origins, we know that this Guittard blend contains Forastero, Trinitario and Criollo varieties of (non-GMO) cacao beans that were grown in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.


"The art of chocolate making begins on the farm." This sentence was printed on inside of the wrapper/packaging. So true.

Many steps are involved in making great chocolate, but without the right beans to begin with from the farmer, great chocolate is all but impossible. Blending may help tone down sharp notes or balance "flaws" but even blending techniques have their limits.

Guittard has years of experience arriving at the right flavor profile(s) for wholesale and retail chocolatiers as well as consumers; and this line of blend bars will be interesting to taste.

*Guittard has a distinguished history in the San Francisco Bay Area. The founders of Guittard—and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company (now owned by Lindt and Sprungli)—came from Europe to the Bay Area in the 1800s. Many people were drawn to San Francisco in the mid-1800s after the discovery of gold. Fortunately, company founders at both companies found it more profitable to sell chocolate than to pan for gold themselves. Wise choice. Guittard is also still being managed by descendents of 

SOMA - Blend Crazy 88 bar - May 23, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA Chocolatemaker
Blend Crazy 88 bar
Good ++
Weight: .765 oz. (21.6 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $11.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Dark Blends Theme Week.

Today's Blend Crazy 88 bar was crafted by SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada) using a blend of cacao beans from 5 different origins: Venezuela, Ecuador, Jamaica, Peru, and Java.

The resulting chocolate was a smooth blend of beans with a sweet, pleasing rich chocolate aroma and a very light spice and fruit note. The makers honored this five origin bar by making this chocolate "almost as a 100% bar, with no added vanilla or lecithin," and that enabled a more pure tasting experience.

The tasting notes for this dairy-free, dark chocolate, vegan, award-winning* bar suggested: "nuts, citrus, a tingle of green bananas," and that the chocolate was "creamy and strong with a floral base."

SOMA has great designs imprinted on their bars. I imagined the collection of chocolate hieroglyphics (cacao flower, cacao pod, exotic bird with high-top tennis shoe, Canadian Maple leaf, etc.) being carved into stone, and being unearthed hundreds of years from now. What will they make of our veneration of chocolate?

*The Blend Crazy 88 bar won: International Chocolate Awards: Americas 2016 - Silver

SOMA Chocolatemaker - Arcana 100% bar - May 22, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

SOMA
Arcana 100% bar
Good ++
Weight: .76 oz. (21.6 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $13.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the dark side, and Day #1 of Dark Chocolate Blends Theme Week.

Today's Arcana 100% bar from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada) was made with cocoa beans from three different origins (Madagascar, Ecuador and Venezuela).

The name "Arcana" conjures up images of mysteries that can't be readily explained, and the secrets in nature that alchemists pursued. Blending is probably a bit like this—acquainting oneself with the deep mysteries of each batch of cocoa beans, and finding just the right mix of complementary flavors.

The aroma of this ultra-dark bar had floral, marshmallow and green banana notes (reminiscent of Ecuador); and it was (as is often the case with 100% bars) almost deceptively light. Ah, the brain thought, I am about to bite into a sweet rich chocolate. Then after the first bite, the brain had to hit the re-set button. It had trouble understanding that there was no sugar in this bar.

The melt and texture were smooth (and seemed to grow creamier toward the end.) The taste was almost dull for a few seconds but incredibly deep and dark. There was no sugar or fruit (Madagascar, where are you?) to balance and brighten things up. Then there was a bitter then sour (tart berry-fig balsamic?) taste, which was interesting even if it was a bit somber. (It certainly had the depth and a complex flavor arc associated with Venezuela.)

The aftertaste, was much calmer and more subdued. It lingered for quite awhile, with the same floral notes that were present in the initial aroma. And then the brain thought, hmmm. I think I'd like to take another bite.

SOMA Chocolatemaker - Little Big Man bar - Sept. 14, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

SOMA Chocolatemaker
Little Big Man bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.1 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.2 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 167 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Ecuador Theme Week, and Day #1 of Nibs Theme Week.

I can't think of a better bar for Chocolate Banquet's 10-year anniversary week. This Little Big Man bar from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada) has so many great stories to be told.*

First, I feel very glad to be living in a world with so much great craft chocolate. Second, while a trip to Canada would be beautiful this time of year, there's a place right down the street from me where I can buy SOMA and other chocolates from dozens of different places. This still amazes me.

The chocolate makers at SOMA (David, Cynthia and team) have consistently been making creative and high-quality offerings as long as I've been writing about chocolate. Several years ago, I remember parking myself in their shop inside an old, brick whiskey factory, and buying pine-infused and olive oil truffles, and working with a very kind and patient employee at the counter to create a custom sundae, probably with nibs, and finally buying other chocolates that they carried from around the globe. I only left because they were closing.

Today's bar, sealed in a silver pouch, had its own unique story. On one side of this 73% dark blend bar (made with cacao beans from two continents: Ecuador and Madagascar) was a map of the Toronto waterfront that could serve as a treasure map for walkers. You've reached your destination when you arrive at SOMA. (Both walking and chocolate are both close to my heart.)

The bar's relatively low sugar content allowed for great cacao aroma and flavor to shine through: earthy, dark and very slightly nutty, with some surprise licorice (liquorice) sparkle.

But, wait, we're not done yet. On the other side of the bar was a smattering of cacao (or cocoa) nibs, bits of cocoa bean, that added crunchy texture and another dimension of cacao flavor.

*Little Big Man is also the name of a stage play and movie about storytelling.