TCHO - "Lemon Twist" Dark Chocolate With A Lemon Filling, Sea Salt & Extra Virgin Olive Oil (bar) - Jan. 1, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

TCHO
"Lemon Twist" - 67% Cacao (Shell) With A Lemon Filling, Sea Salt & Extra Virgin Olive Oil (bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 220 calories in 2 bars (2/3 package)
Cost: $4.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: TCHO, online order

Happy New Year to you all! And, welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate & Citrus Theme Week. 

Like chocolate, lemons are tremendously versatile when it comes to flavor pairings. They both can go sweet or savory; and, happily, they both harmonize well with each other.

Today's bright "Lemon Twist" -- a package of 3-individually-wrapped "67% Cacao (Shell) With A Lemon Filling, Sea Salt & Extra Virgin Olive Oil" (bars) from TCHO Ventures Inc. (Berkeley, CA) offered upbeat holiday + citrus cheer.

Aroma notes for these bars included: dark, very slightly earthy chocolate and citrus (lemon). 

Texture: firm, dark chocolate-y exterior with a slightly softer, fondant-like lemon filling. The olive oil added smoothness and subtle flavor depth.

Flavor notes included: a blend of balanced bitter and sweet, with dark, slightly earthy 67% chocolate, tart-sweet and very slightly bitter lemon; and a nice light touch of salt to balance the bitter and the sweet. A tiny hint of vanilla added sweet warmth.

I liked the cheery, authentic and balanced lemon and chocolate flavors; and I appreciated TCHO's decision to use organic, fair trade and gluten-free ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*+, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*+, Gluten Free Oat Flour* (Oat Flour*, Natural Vitamin E), Freeze Dried Lemon Powder*, Extra Virgin Olive Oil*, Sunflower Oil*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Sea Salt), Turmeric*, Citric Acid, Lemon Oil*, Vanilla Beans*

(* = Organic, + = Fair Trade Certified (TM); Over 53% Fair Trade Certified (TM) Ingredients)

Allergen-related information: May contain tree nuts.

*I've been enjoying the lemon tree in my yard for almost 20 years now. 

The Organic House - Clementine 70% Cacao Thailand Chanthaburi (bar) - Dec. 31, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House
Clementine 70% Cacao Thailand Chanthaburi (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 30 g. of bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cacao, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Thailand Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & Citrus Theme Week.

Today's Clementine 70% Cacao Thailand Chanthaburi (bar) was from The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada).

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate, sweet citrus (orange, sweet, ripe tangerine), and brown sugar.

Texture: smooth textured chocolate with a smooth and creamy melt. The citrus fruit (clementine) was fully incorporated into the chocolate.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, multi-dimensional sweetness (brown sugar/coconut flower nectar, subtle citrus fruit candy and the diffuse, faint tropical fruit notes from the Chanthaburi cacao). This bar had all the sweetness of citrus fruit without strong sour or bitter notes. 

I enjoyed the flavorful, balanced, complexity in this chocolate and the warmth of it on a winter day (the upbeat citrus, the unprocessed ("brown") sugar, and just a hint of toast in there with the cacao and fruit.

Maker's tasting notes: "Smooth chocolate with a light sweet orange finish, accompanied with notes of tropical fruits and toasted brown sugar." 

Ingredients: "Organic cacao beans, Organic coconut flower nectar, Organic cacao butter, Organic clementine."

Allergen-related information: "May Contain: Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Oats, Pistachios."

 

Fjak Chocolate - Thai Chilli (bar) - Dec. 30, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Fjak Chocolate
Thai Chilli 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / ~2.11 oz. (~60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175.2 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's "Thai Chilli 70% Dark Chocolate" (bar) was from Fjak Chocolate AS (Eidfjord, in the scenic Hardangerfjord area of Norway). This dark bar was made from bean-to-bar in Norway, using cacao beans from Chanthaburi, Thailand.

Aroma notes for this bar--from Fjak's Limited Edition "World Flavours" series--included: dark chocolate and savory vegetable (spicy chili pepper).

Texture: The well-tempered bar broke with a snap (in a cool room); and it had a smooth dark chocolate texture, melt and mouthfeel. (The chili was fully incorporated into the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate with very faint fruit and spicy hot chili suffused--evenly (thank you)--across the bar. Flavors lingered into the attractive finish.

I enjoyed the short list of thoughtfully sourced organic ingredients as well as the authentic chili flavor nuances and its consistent distribution throughout the chocolate (no pockets of surprise heat). One of my favorite chili chocolate bars in years. Perfectly balanced chili and chocolate flavors. (In the Goldilocks zone. "Not too this. Not too that. Just right.")

Maker's description: "...By lacing...Thailand cocoa beans...with the aromatic heat of Thailand's most emblematic flavour of Bird Eye chilli, we find ourselves somewhere between the colourful street food markets of Bangkok and the lush green cocoa plantations of south east Thailand. Boom!"

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Chilli*, Min. 70% cocoa. (* Organic NO-OKO-01)

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, dairy and gluten free"

Rhyme & Reason Chocolate Co. - 72% Dark Chocolate Chanthaburi, Thailand (bar) - Dec. 29, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Rhyme & Reason Chocolate Co.
72% Dark Chocolate Chanthaburi, Thailand (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate & Thailand Theme Week. 

Today's 72% Dark Chocolate Chanthaburi, Thailand (bar) was from Rhyme & Reason Chocolate Co. (Greensboro, NC). 

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate-y, dark chocolate with lots of fruit (ripe, tart-sweet cherry, mango, cacao pulp, faint pineapple); very faint botanical/green/vegetable (potato); and barely there toasted bread.

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap (in a cold room). It was an integrated blend of smooth and slightly stoneground cacao/dark chocolate, that resolved into a smooth melt in the end. (Note: As is often the case in winter, this chocolate was much smoother and more velvety in a warm room.)

I enjoyed the fruity notes and deep, dark chocolate brownie flavors in this 72% cacao bar, and the way all these flavors were allowed to shine from just two ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar 

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility which also handles milk, peanuts, and tree nuts"

 

The Organic House - Thailand 70% Cacao Chanthaburi (bar) - Dec. 28, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

The Organic House
Thailand 70% Cacao Chanthaburi (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 198 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cacao, online order

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

Today's Thailand 70% Cacao Chanthaburi (bar) was from The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada).

The cacao came from Thai-inter cacao, a women-owned and operated family farm in Chanthaburi in eastern Thailand, near the Cambodian border.

Aroma notes included: relatively smooth, dark chocolate with warm, authentic brown/maple sugar.

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a snap, and it had a smooth, almost creamy texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: refreshingly tasty, very faintly roast-y, dark chocolate and subtle tropical fruit (mango, cacao pulp, sweet pineapple) sweetened with brown/coconut flower nectar sugar. Nice finish with a little warm spice that lingered with the cacao, fruit and brown sugar notes. This bar was high in flavor, and relatively low in bitterness.

(Sadly, this bar was sold out when I checked The Organic House site today.)

Maker's tasting notes: "Tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, passion fruit) and toasted brown sugar" 

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, Organic coconut flower nectar, Organic cacao butter

Allergen-related information: "May Contain: Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Oats, Pistachios"

Rhyme and Reason - Midnight Raspberry 70% Chanthaburi Thailand (bar) - Dec. 27, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Rhyme and Reason Chocolate Co.
Midnight Raspberry 70% Chanthaburi Thailand Dark with a Pop of Raspberry (bar)

Good ++ 

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate & Thailand Theme Week. 

Today's Midnight Raspberry 70% Chanthaburi* Thailand with a Pop of Raspberry (bar) was from Rhyme and Reason Chocolate Co. (Greensboro, NC).

I'm enjoying a virtual vacation in Thailand this week, via chocolate. Christmas isn't necessarily a traditional religious holiday in Thailand; but there have been plenty of Christmas holiday lights and decorated trees in Bangkok--and at least one Thai Santa (with children dressed as elves).**

Aroma notes included: smooth, slightly roast-y, dark chocolate; tart sweet red fruit (red raspberries, black raspberry, pomegranate molasses); faint, authentic brown sugar; and almost undetectable spice (diffuse warm spice, black licorice).

Texture: This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap, and had a smooth, thick and creamy melt (in a cool room).

Flavor notes: relatively smooth, slightly-roasty, dark chocolate and satisfying red raspberry, flavors that lingered into a pleasant finish.

I enjoyed the classic (almost always works) blend of (Thai) dark chocolate + authentic, concentrated (freeze-dried) raspberry fruit; being able to fully enjoy the raspberry flavor without the berry seeds (thank you!); and the fact that this dark chocolate bar wasn't too sweet (thank you again). I also liked the maker's choice of a less processed sugar that gave the chocolate a faint brown sugar warmth.

Ingredients: "Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Freeze Dried Raspberries, Cocoa Butter"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility which also handles milk, peanuts, and tree nuts"

*Chanthaburi is a city and province located in Eastern Thailand, near the border with Cambodia. The climate is tropical with large amounts of rainfall in the wet season.

**Thank you YouTube. Where a chocolate-centric tourist like me can experience places, sights and insights in Thailand, and in so many other places worldwide. 

Compartes Chocolatier: Thailand Sticky Rice with Mango & The Margarita Bar (bars) - Dec. 26, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Compartes Chocolatier
Mango Sticky Rice Chocolate 36% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes, online order

Compartes Chocolatier
The Margarita Bar - Dark Chocolate Margarita Lime 73% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.3 oz. (37 g.) / 2.6 oz. (74 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Compartes, online order 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Rice Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Thailand Theme Week, through the lens of a virtual holiday vacation in Thailand.

Today's two bars were from Compartes Chocolatier (Los Angeles, CA). They join the long list of fun flavored and elegantly clad bars from Compartes featured over the years.

The first of the two bars -- The White Lotus - Mango Sticky Rice Chocolate 36% Cacao (bar) -- is a reference to "The White Lotus" (HBO series). Season 3 was filmed in Thailand. 

White chocolates are occasionally enjoyed here on Chocolate Banquet, but without cocoa solids they don't count. So the "Mango Sticky Rice Chocolate" white chocolate bar was paired with "The Margarita Bar" dark chocolate bar from the same chocolatier.

Together, these two bars launched virtual visits to several restaurants and cafes in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, including those with tropical fruits and mango with sticky rice items (K. Panich, Bangkok), and a visit to one bar with a very creative Thai-inspired take on a Margarita-style cocktail, garnished with an edible gold chocolate.

The White Lotus 35% White Chocolate (bar)

Aroma notes for this bar included: tropical fruit (pineapple, mango), sweet rice cereal, vanilla caramel,  and very faint coconut.

Texture: creamy, caramel-hued white chocolate with softly crunchy crisped rice 

Flavor: sweet, fruity, slightly tangy, with rich caramel and vanilla; very faint (barely detectable) coconut

This bar evoked the smells of days at the beach with tropical juice-drinks, caramel candies, and coconut suntan lotion as a child, as well as mango and pineapple fruit salads and popsicles.

Ingredients: White Chocolate (Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Whole Milk, Soy Lecithin as an Emulsifier, Vanilla), Mango, Rice, Coconut Milk.

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk, Soy. "Made in a facility that handles dairy, peanuts, wheat, egg, soy, tree nuts."

The Margarita Bar 73% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Today's "The Margarita Bar" 73% dark bar was a fitting tribute to a popular cocktail that likely originated in Mexico in the late 1930s.

Are there Margaritas in Thailand? Yes, there are, particularly in larger cities catering to tourists and ex-pats. I was impressed by a talented bartender (Nopadon Thamsongla, aka "Bomb") at the "Margarita Bar" in Bangkok who has mixed up some amazing drinks, including a Margarita-like cocktail garnished with a golden (gilded chocolate) nugget.*

Aroma notes for this Margarita 73% chocolate bar included: dark chocolate, tart-sweet citrus (lime), faint vanilla, and faint spirits (tequila).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a constellation of tiny, crunchy salt crystals.

Flavor: smooth, rich dark chocolate, gentle and authentic lime, sparkles of sea salt and faint spirits.

I enjoyed the authentic dark chocolate and lime flavors--and the use of salt to add flavor, evoke a Margarita and balance the sweetness. The ingredients were well-balanced; the vanilla and tequila were not too overwhelming (thank you); and all the elements harmonized nicely together.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Soy Lecithin as An Emulsifier, Vanilla), Tequila, Lime, Sea Salt 

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, Gluten Free" "Made in a facility that handles Dairy, Peanuts, Wheat, Egg, Soy, Tree Nuts"

*As part of this week's virtual visit to Thailand, I watched (videos of) a very talented bartender in the "Margarita Bar" in Bangkok. One featured a cocktail garnished with a golden (gilded chocolate) nugget.*

The video explained that this golden nugget was filled with a garnet-colored dehydrated concoction of pomelo, soy sauce and agar agar that was coated with chocolate, and then covered in edible gold to accompany what might have been a pomelo Margarita.