Mandala Chocolate - "Cloud Forest" 62% Cacao Organic dark chocolate (bar) - June 28, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Mandala Chocolate
"Cloud Forest" 62% Cacao Organic dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 302 calories in 1/2 bar (151 calories in 1/4 bar (1 serving))
Cost: $10.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Earth, Mountains, Forests & Gardens Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Mushrooms Theme Week.

Today's "Cloud Forest" 62% Cacao Organic dark chocolate (bar) was from Mandala Naturals, LLC (Barnardsville, NC) and hand-crafted in Asheville, NC.

Aroma and flavor notes included smooth dark chocolate; gently fragrant herbs (similar to mint and lavender); very faint warm spices (cinnamon spice blend); and very faint lucuma (mild vanilla). 

Texture: smooth texture and melt

I enjoyed this bar. The diverse flavor blend was balanced, harmonious and slightly cooling--not unlike a cloud forest.

I wasn't able to taste the (Reishi and Chaga) mushrooms in this chocolate. There wasn't any mushroom powder graininess, or umami/earthy flavor, that would have given their presence away.

I appreciated the thoughtful sourcing and use of organic ingredients; the lack of additives; the company tagline "Cacao as Nourishment, Not Confection"; and the fact that the first ingredient listed was (heirloom) cacao*, followed by coconut sugar that wasn't too sweet. 

Ingredients: *Cacao, *Coconut Sugar, *Carob, *Sprouted Brown Rice Powder, *Lucuma, *Baobab, *Ginger, *Cinnamon, *Maca, *Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero), +Reishi, +Chaga, *Cardamom, *Turmeric, *Black Pepper, Celtic Sea Salt (TM) (* = Organic; + = Organic & Wildcrafted)

Allergen-related information: (None found on package.)

*While not specifically stated on packaging for this bar, the cacao used to make this bar may have come from Maya Mountain Cacao--a centralized fermentary/cacao processing facility in Punta Gorda, Belize--a source mentioned on the company's website.

Primo Chocolate - "Forest Bath" 68% Dark Chocolate With Smoked Maple & Salt (bar) - June 27, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Primo Chocolate
"Forest Bath" 68% Dark Chocolate with Smoked Maple & Salt (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate & Earth, Mountains, Forests & Gardens Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & Mushrooms Week. 

Today's "Forest Bath" 68% Dark Chocolate with Smoked Maple & Sea Salt & "Adaptogenic Chaga" Mushrooms (bar) was from Primo Chocolate.

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in/from Ecuador

Aroma and flavor notes included: roasted cacao; faint, earthy rubber tree (initially), mushroom; and maple flavor. 

I enjoyed the flavor more than the initial aroma. I really enjoyed the rich chocolate (with very faint fruit); authentic maple; and the smoke-y and umami notes from the mushrooms, hickory smoke and the sea salt. I liked the idea of using crushed Vermont Maple candies to sweeten this 68% dark chocolate.

Texture: relatively smooth with an even melt. (The chaga mushroom (extract) was completely incorporated into the dark chocolate. 

Ingredients: Cacao Nibs, Organic Panela (Cane Sugar), Vermont Maple Candies, Hickory Smoke, Chaga Extract, Seneca Lake Sea Salt 

Allergen-related information: (No information that I could find in this area on the label.)

Chocolove - Dark Chocolate Marzipan Filled Trees - June 26, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Chocolove
Dark Chocolate Marzipan Trees 
Good++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 7.05 oz. (200 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 3 trees
Cost: $10.49 for 1 package of 19 pieces
Purchased from: Farm Fresh, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate & Earth, Mountains, Forests and Gardens Week. 

Today's package of individually-wrapped Dark Chocolate 55% Marzipan Filled Trees were brought to you by Chocolove (Boulder, CO).

Thankfully "Earth" includes many wild places and open spaces with trees. (Chocolate Banquet would not exist without cacao trees.) Today's tree-shaped chocolates were a lovely reminder that both cacao trees and almond trees were used to make these treats.

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate and sweet almonds/almond flavor (marzipan).

Texture: a smooth, firm dark chocolate shell, with a softer, white marzipan filling.

I enjoyed the little dark chocolate tree shapes, and the authentic chocolate and almond flavors and balance. Marzipan is meant to be sweet, and this was no exception. But, there was enough dark chocolate to keep the sweetness from being too overwhelming. 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin and/or Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla), Marzipan (Sugar, Almonds, Natural Almond Flavor), Invert Sugar, Tapioca Syrup, Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin 

Allergen-related information: Contains Almonds, Soy. Made in a Facility That Also Processes Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, and Other Tree Nuts.

Sisters A. Chocolate - Bean-to-Bar 81% Cacao Dominican Republic Cherry & Juniper (bar) - June 25, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Sisters A. Chocolate 
Bean-to-Bar 81% Cacao Dominican Republic Cherry & Juniper (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.14 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 178 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ Missing Information
Purchased from: Oceana Market, Pacifica, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Mountains, Forests, and Gardens Theme Week. 

Today's Bean-to-Bar 81% Cacao Dominican Republic Cherry & Juniper (bar) was from Sisters A. Chocolate. The company was founded in Lutsk, Ukraine, by two sisters: Olena and Oleksandra.

Aroma and flavor notes included: hearty cacao/dark chocolate, fruit (dark ripe cherries, cacao fruit pulp, dark berry) and faint wood, light pine, and barely detectable earth.

For an 81% cacao chocolate, this satisfying bar was quite smooth in flavor. Rich in taste but relatively low in bitterness and acidity.

Texture: creamy, soft (almost pillowy) dark chocolate with intermittent crunchy bits (candied/crushed juniper berries (and possibly cacao nibs)).

I really enjoyed the well-executed (balanced) yet hearty complexity, authentic flavors, and the natural (low) sweetness level from the ("sublimated") cherries--that provided rich, dark fruit flavor. I also appreciated the thoughtful sourcing and short list of ingredients.

Ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, freeze-dried cherry, juniper

Allergen-related Information: (No allergen information found on label)

Beato Chocolates - In the Garden 38% Milk Chocolate with Black Sage Oil (bar) - June 24, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Beato Chocolates
"In the Garden" 38% Milk Chocolate with Black Sage Oil (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.43 oz. (40.5 g.) / 2.86 oz. (81 g.) in total bar
Calories: 257 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Earth, Mountains, Forests & Gardens Theme Week.

Today's In the Garden 38% Milk Chocolate with Black Sage Oil (bar) was created and distributed by Beato Chocolate (a woman-owned and artist focused business) "anti-established" in Ojai, California. 

"In The Garden" is a collaboration between Beato Chocolates and GARA Skincare. (Artwork for this bar: Beatrice Wood.)

"Foraged in the hills of Central, CA and distilled by GARA skincare in Ojai, CA, black sage is known for its calming, relaxing and nourishing properties."

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet chocolate and herbs (mint, sage)

Texture: smooth, creamy milk chocolate

I appreciated the sage flavor; the creamy texture; and the focus on art and artists. 

The black sage (oil) flavor tasted authentic and harmonized nicely with the sweet milk chocolate. It helped balance the strong sweetness. (The first ingredient listed was sugar.) Too sweet for me; but those with a sweet tooth will likely enjoy this chocolate. I liked everything else about this bar.

Ingredients: Evaporated cane sugar, cacao beans, organic full cream milk, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, black sage oil

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. 

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate - Seasonal Release Winter Wilderness 65% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 23, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Seasonal Release Winter Wilderness 65% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate & Earth, Mountains, Forests and Gardens Theme Week. This week's Earth theme embraces mountains and forests of all types--from tropical cacao rain forest farms to pine and redwood forests.

Today's Winter Wilderness 65% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) was crafted by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (in Eureka, CA-- a Northern California city often considered a "gateway" to nearby redwood groves/forests*).

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, refreshing rosemary (sweet pine-y menthol), faint citrus, mint and other "tree" notes (maple, sweet pine/fir). There was also an almost ginger-like zing in the first bite or so (as my brain sorted out the flavors). 

This tree-forward blend, sweetened with maple sugar, successfully conjured up a brisk walk in the woods on a cool, crisp fall day with pine-scented fresh air. Originally designed as a Seasonal Release for the winter holidays, this chocolate could be enjoyed in any season.

Texture: smooth with an even and satisfying melt

I enjoyed this seasonal bar. Authentic rosemary blended with the maple, peppermint, citrus and fir tree; and the fun lingered into a long, happy finish. It was like a walk through an aromatic forest in the northern woods.

Ingredients: Cacao*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*, Maple Sugar, Orange Oil, Peppermint Oil, Siberian Fir Oil (*Organic) Cacao Solids: 65% minimum.

Allergen-related information: "Processed on shared equipment with milk, tree nuts, wheat and peanuts."

*The local Eureka zoo even includes an elevated redwood tree walkway--touted to be the longest such walkway in the Western U.S.

Primo Chocolate - Shadow Panther 92% Chocolate with Wild Vanilla Bean (bar) - June 22, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Primo Chocolate
Shadow Panther Mysteriously Dark 92% Chocolate With Wild Vanilla Bean (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Earth, Mountains, Forests and Gardens Theme Week--part of a month long series on chocolates related to the elements: earth, water and fire.

Today's Shadow Panther Mysteriously Dark 92% Chocolate With Wild Vanilla Bean (bar) was from Primo Chocolate. 

The vanilla beans in this bar were "sourced directly from a biodynamic forestry project in Chiapas, Mexico: the native origin of vanilla." 

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark, relatively smooth-flavored ultra-dark (92% cacao) chocolate and warm, aromatic vanilla. Vanilla casts a warm, heavenly and naturally sweet halo over the darkest of chocolates. And so it was here. It emitted pure rays of vanilla sunshine, throughout this ultra-dark chocolate.

Texture: relatively smooth

I enjoyed the uplifting vanilla and the balanced ultra-dark blend, and appreciated the thoughtfully sourced short list of single origin ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao Nibs, Organic Panela (Cane Sugar,) Cocoa Butter,

Allergen-related information: Contains Coconut. "Made in a facility that also processes nuts"