Theo and Philo Chocolate - 65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt (bar) - Jan. 14, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory
65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 65% Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt (bar) was from Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory (Manila, Philippines). 

The company produces (Filipino origin) artisan chocolate bars, many with Filipino-inspired flavor inclusions. Look carefully at the imagery on today's attractively packaged bar and you'll see (among the lush green foliage) regal Philippine eagles--one of the largest eagle species in the world.

This bar gave off a subtle dark chocolate, fruit (mango, light aromatic citrus) aroma with a faint savory note. The base dark chocolate had smooth, even flavor and texture, interspersed with chewy fruit pieces (authentic, tangy-sweet mango, with a light lime note). 

The judicious touch of sea salt complemented both chocolate and mango flavors and balanced the sweetness very nicely. 

Ingredients: Cacao beans, sugar, dried green mangoes, cocoa butter, sea salt

 

Theo and Philo Chocolate - 65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi - Jan. 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory
65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi bar
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi (bar) was from Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory (Manila, Philippines). The company produces (Filipino origin) artisan chocolate bars, many with Filipino-inspired flavor inclusions.

The aroma of this bar was lightly perfumed with authentic, bittersweet citrus notes. The flavor was similar--sweet 65% dark chocolate with balanced flavor bursts from slightly chewy bits of tart-sweet Calamansi* citrus rind that lingered a bit into the finish.

Ingredients: Cacao beans, sugar, calamansi rind, cocoa butter

*The Calamansi orange (Citrofortunella microcarpa)--also known as calamondin, Philippine lemon and Philippine lime)--is a semi-tropical, citrus hybrid (think tangerine + kumquat) from the Philippines, SE Asia and China. Fully ripened it is orange in color; although in the Philippines it is also harvested when still green. The skin of this small citrus fruit is thin,  fragrant and quite edible. Calamansi can be used to make orange marmalade, citrus drinks (similar to lemonade), and is used in savory sauces and meat/fish dishes as well.

Theo and Philo Chocolate - Milk Chocolate with Pili Nuts and Pinipig (bar) - Jan. 12, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory
Milk Chocolate with Pili Nuts and Pinipig (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.59 oz. (estimate) (45 g. on label*) in 1 bar
Calories: 240 calories (per label for 40 g.) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.25 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Milk Chocolate with Pili Nuts and Pinipig (bar) was from Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory (Manila, Philippines).

This milk chocolate bar contained a generous helping of pili nut and pinipig** bits, and had a pleasant aroma of a high-end dark milk chocolate candy bar.

initial aroma had a pleasant high end milk chocolate and nut candy bar

slightly chunky smooth and crunchy textures

Ingredients: Sugar, cacao beans, milk powder, cocoa butter, glazed pili nut (pili nuts, sugar, oil), pinipig.

*This bar was labeled as a 45 g. bar. However, the kj and kcal energy information was slightly different, i.e. 1/2 bar serving (120 calories) was labeled as 20 grams (and not 22.5 g.). 

** What is pinipig? Immature grains of glutinous rice that are pounded flat and then toasted. These faintly green flakes were similar to toasted/crisped rice that we see as a flavor inclusion in the U.S., but these seemed to have a bit more flavor depth. (The authentic rice and nut flavors and textures varied just enough to make the flavor experience interesting.) Pinipig is used as a dessert topping and/or component, and is used in beverages and in other dishes, in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia.

Theo and Philo Chocolate - Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame and Nuts bar - Jan. 11, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory
Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame and Nuts bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame and Nuts bar was from Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory (Manila, Philippines).

The relatively soft, sweet dark 65% cacao chocolate provided a great foil for the crunchy fiesta of black sesame seed praline, cashew and glazed pili* nut bits embedded throughout the bar. This satisfying blend yielded layered roasted nut and seed and true smooth chocolate flavors, with a very faint malt note in the finish.

Ingredients: "Cacao beans, sugar, glazed pili nuts (pili, sugar, oil), cashew, cocoa butter, black sesame"

*Today's bar was made using a blend of ingredients from the Philippines; although many of these ingredients likely originated from different parts of the world centuries ago. Cacao originated in Central and South America and was spread primarily by the Spanish (and other Europeans) to overseas colonies with similar tropical climates.

Pili nuts (Canarium ovatum) grow on trees that are native to Northern Australia and nearby islands (Papua New Guinea and "maritime" Southeast Asia). They've also been cultivated in the Philippines for some time. Technically a seed, these nuts can also be found in many Pacific island nations. Their shape is somewhere between an almond and a sheathed pine cone seed that is more pointed at one end. 

Pili nuts are surrounded by a tough shell, probably similar to Macadamia nuts. (Many years ago, I remember seeing tourists driving their car over Mac nuts in Hawaii to crack them--an incident that helped explain their inherent toughness, and high cost.)

Black sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) are native to Asia and have been cultivated for thousands of years. Like cacao seeds (aka cacao "beans"), sesame seeds grow in a fruit pod. 

Cashews (cashew apples) are native to NE Brazil and can be found growing in Central and South America--as well as other tropical climates, including the Philippines. (Nigeria, Vietnam and India are currently the largest producers of cashews.)

Every day I feel fortunate to be able to savor the results of all this botanical migration, in the form of single origin chocolates and/or chocolates with creative flavor inclusions. Chocolate is almost a "universal" food. It's one of those foods (like lemon, breads, certain herbs, nuts) that can successfully be part of sweet or savory offerings, or both at the same time.

 

Theo and Philo - 70% Dark Chocolate bar - Jan. 10, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates 
70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Philippines Theme Week. 

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate bar was from Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolate Factory (Manila, Philippines). The company offers single origin bars as well as chocolate with flavor inclusions inspired by Filipino cuisine.

This 70% bar had a smooth melt and a consistent, true chocolate with light mellow, red fruit (cherry, mild red berry) and faint caramel aroma and flavor notes. The chocolate, made with beans grown in the Davao region (on Mindanao further south from where Manila headquarters are) had low acidity and bitterness and a light, friendly finish. It was sweet, but not overly so.

The maker's description of this bar follows:

"Straight-to-the-point and brutally honest, our 70% Dark Chocolate is a proud no-nonsense heavy-hitter. Just like that dapper lolo you can rely on to dish only the bittersweet truth with suave; this classic bar uses high-quality cacao for rich depth that features notes of cherries and earthiness. This smooth and forever stylish bar smothers you with an addictive sweetness born from the finest of Davao's* cacao beans."

Ingredients: Cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter

*The Davao region, known for its cacao, is located in the southern part of Mindanao island,  located in the southern Philippines--north of the Equator by 6-8 degrees (latitude). Manila, the Philippines capital city, where Theo and Philo HQ is located is further north on the Island of Luzon (closer to 16.5 degrees North (latitude)--still within the band where it's possible 

Auro Chocolate - 77% Dark Chocolate bar - Jan. 9, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Auro Chocolate
77% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 280 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and the Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 77% Dark Chocolate Filipino Origin bar was produced by Auro Chocolate (Calamba, Laguna, Philippines). The rapidly growing company was founded in 2015. Auro Chocolate branded offerings include finished bean-to-bar chocolate, single origin (Filipino) bars, as well as chocolate ingredients (cacao beans, cocoa butter) from farming partners in Mindanao.*

This relatively thick, square bar had a smooth, velvety melt and texture. It had true, uniform, bold chocolate flavor with balanced bitterness and acidity, a very faint vanilla note, and a polite finish. This chocolate was a very approachable ultra-dark bar.

Ingredients: Cacao mass, cane sugar, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural vanilla extract.

*The Republic of the Philippines is made of more than 7,000 islands; however, the island nation is perhaps best known for the largest (and most populous) islands of Luzon (in the north) and Mindanao (in the south). The latter (home to more than 25 million people) is a geologically "younger" mountainous island with fertile, volcanic soils--ideally suited for growing cacao, coffee and many other crops. 

Southern Mindanao (especially the Davao region in SE Mindanao) is known for cacao. Cacao grows best in areas close to the Equator. And Davao City is located at an ideal 7.2 degrees latitude (just north of the Equator). 
 

Auro Chocolate - Regalo Single Estate 85% Dark Chocolate Philippine Origin bar - Jan. 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Auro Chocolate

Regalo Single Estate 85% Dark Chocolate Philippine Origin bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Limited Edition Regalo Single Estate 85% Dark Chocolate Philippine Origin bar was produced by Auro Chocolate (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines) (dba FODC, Inc.).

This two-ingredient* chocolate starred bold, deep dark cocoa/true chocolate and faint sweet brown sugar notes, with supporting players that included: fruit/sugar acidity (dried apple, sweet pink/red grapefruit broiled with brown sugar and imagined cinnamon), slightly fermented chocolate and dried fruit notes. And, in the latter part of the tasting curve, there was a fleeting, faint smoked flavor (smoked dark tea, umami/barbecue) note.

This ultra-dark bar offered a robust and well-executed smoothness. It was a polite, polished and approachable 85% bar.

The Regalo** cacao beans used to make this bar were grown in "the lush, tropical forests of Davao" in the southeastern Philippines. The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "...the Regalo variety has notes of green apple, green tea and pine wood."

*Ingredients: Cacao mass, organic muscovado sugar.  

**The Spanish word "regalo" means gift, present or treat in English.