Trader Joe's - Sea Salt & Nibs Organic 63% Dark Madagascar (bar) + 60% Dark Chocolate Sticks with Crispy Rice - Sept. 15, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

Trader Joe's 
60% Dark Chocolate Sticks with Crispy Rice (Colombian chocolate)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1 serving (about 6 pieces)
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

Trader Joe's

Sea Salt & Nibs Organic 63% Dark Madagascar (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 2.64 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Theme Week -- featuring chocolates (and many local (West Coast) companies) that allowed me to eat a different chocolate every day for 20 years.

60% Dark Chocolate Sticks with Crispy Rice

Today's Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate baton-style "sticks" were made with Colombian cacao in Colombia, and "Distributed and Sold Exclusively" by Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).

Aroma and flavor notes included: bold but balanced dark chocolate (dark, dense chocolate-y, slightly bitter), dried fruit (fig, date), vanilla, and faint, very slightly malty rice.

Texture: The crispy puffed rice embedded in the dark chocolate added textural interest and a satisfying crunch; and--along with the vanilla--the rice helped balance the bitterness in the dark chocolate.

Ingredients: "Unsweetened Chocolate, Sugar, Puffed Rice (Rice, Sugar, Salt, Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Natural Vanilla Flavor"

Allergen-related information: None found on packaging. (Pareve)

Sea Salt & Nibs Organic 63% Dark Madagascar (bar)

Like the above chocolate, this was made "in country" (in Madagascar, using Madagacar cacao), and distributed and sold exclusively by: Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA). 

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (cocoa, cacao nibs) with diffuse fruit, light earth and cream/yogurt. (Note: there were no dairy ingredients.)

Texture: creamy and softly crunchy cacao nibs

Ingredients: "Organic Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Cocoa Nibs, Organic Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Sea Salt."

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

Chocolate Sourcing

Twenty years ago (2006), searching for a new chocolate every day was challenging, particularly if you were looking for single origin bars and allergen-free chocolates. 

Transparent cacao supply chains and sourcing were a key part of the new wave of bean-to-bar chocolates. Where did your chocolate come from exactly? 

Chocolate Banquet was also having "sourcing" challenges on the customer side. There were exciting moments trying to find chocolates without having to drive 100 miles to feature every day. The clock was ticking rather loudly on some of those early days. But, I needn't have worried back in 2006. We were entering the golden days of the chocolate renaissance.

Some of the most reliable local chocolate sources in the San Francisco Bay Area included Trader Joe's markets, the few specialty chocolate shops, and the expanding chocolate sections in high-end specialty markets. Hunting for new chocolates (and chocolate field trips) were (and continue to be) part of the fun. 

Happily, starting in 2010, there was also The Chocolate Garage* in Palo Alto, CA, and other chocolate community venues followed as the number of bean-to-bar craft chocolate offerings grew.*** And in the last decade (especially during the Covid years) several online chocolate "shops" opened.

Today I'm featuring two "new" chocolates from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) from the Chocolate Vault.** (The dark chocolate sticks are still currently available at the local Trader Joe's; the dark chocolate Madagascar bar is not.)

*Thank you to Sunita de Tourreil for creating The Chocolate Garage in 2010 and for supporting craft chocolate makers and connecting those makers with happy customers. Sunita has continued her chocolate adventures with Happy Chocolate Experiences (Palo Alto, CA).

**The Chocolate Vault is a "cool, dry place" at Chocolate Banquet headquarters.

*** These third spaces were a resurgence of the chocolate houses from centuries ago, places where chocolate lovers and communities could come together, enjoy chocolate and socialize. Dandelion Chocolate's and Ghirardelli's cafes in San Francisco are still going strong as I type this.

Scharffen Berger - 70% Cacao dark chocolate + almonds + toffee + sea salt (bar) & 41% Cacao milk chocolate + toasted coconut + coffee (bar)

Chocolate(s) of The Day

Scharffen Berger

70% Cacao dark chocolate + almonds + toffee + sea salt (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend

41% Cacao milk chocolate + toasted coconut + coffee (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: N/A - gift from a friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend 

Welcome to Day #7 of the Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Theme Week--celebrating 20 years of sampling a different chocolate every day in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

Chocolate makers featured in this celebration week include some of the early bean-to-bar craft chocolate makers in the San Francisco Bay Area (if not the U.S.). Arguably the first of the new wave of chocolate makers in the 1990s was Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, a company once based in South San Francisco, then Berkeley CA.

Founded in 1996 by a sparkling winemaker, John Scharffenberger, and Dr. Robert Steinberg, the company set the stage for chocolate makers to come. They listed the cacao percentage on their packaging, and helped educate customers, chefs (and future chocolate makers) on why such information mattered. They also offered great, educational tours in their Berkeley facility.

Times change in chocolate, as in all things. The pioneering company name survived an acquisition by Hersheys in 2005, the closing of SF Bay Area locations in 2009, a private buy-back in 2020...and (so far) an acquistion by 1-800-Flowers.com in 2024. (There were still selected retail stores selling their chocolates when I wrote this post.)

The first Scharffen Berger chocolate featured on Chocolate Banquet was a chocolate truffle, on Sept. 24, 2006, followed by several different bars over the years. I'm hoping today's two bars won't be the last.

70% dark chocolate + almonds + toffee + sea salt (bar)

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (with balanced fudge and light earth), nut, vanilla, sweet toffee, and almond. 

There was enough sea salt to help balance out the sweetness of the toffee and it also complemented the chocolate and almonds. Vanilla added a touch of mellow/warm sweetness.

Texture: This well-tempered bar was a blend of a smooth dark chocolate with a creamy melt and crunchy bits of nuts and toffee. 

I liked the light cacao complexity in this bar; the balance of sweet and salty; the fact that cacao beans were the first ingredient; and the lack of wheat/gluten.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Almonds, Toffee (Cane Sugar, Butter [Cream, Salt], Rice Syrup, Soy Lecithin, Salt), Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Vanilla Bean.

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

41% milk chocolate + toasted coconut + coffee (bar)

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich, dark milk chocolate with coffee, vanilla and faint brown sugar.

Texture: smooth creamy milk chocolate that was chock full of ground coffee--and that coffee worked surprisingly well. The coffee bean roast and grind choices were just right--not too harsh or gritty.

This chocolate might be a little sweet for dark chocolate lovers; but it worked with the coffee. The generous amount of ground coffee helped balance the inherent sweetness of the sugar, coconut and vanilla.

I liked the creamy texture, delicate and not-to-strong coconut, the ground coffee, and the authentic vanilla (bean) that also wasn't too strong.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Milk, Toasted Sweetened Coconut (Coconut Flakes, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt), Cocoa Butter, Skim Milk, Ground Coffee Beans, Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla Bean.

Allergen-related information: Contains: Coconut, Milk. Produced in a Facility That Also Processes Other Tree Nuts.

Endorfin Chocolate - Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar) + Coracao Confections Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 13, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Endorfin Chocolate
Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA

Coracao Confections
Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate Shell (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar

Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: Free sample bar
Purchased from: Coracao Confections, Richmond, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Week, featuring two different chocolates each day this week--from chocolate makers whose bars have appeared on Chocolate Banquet for many years.

Today's chocolate duo: 1.) Endorfin Foods Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar) manufactured by Coracao Confections (Richmond, CA), and 2.) Dubai Chocolate, a pistachio and quinoa dark chocolate coated confection of a bar, created and manufactured by Coracao Confections.

Sourdough & Olive Oil 70% Cacao (bar)

Aroma and flavor notes included sweet dark chocolate, with very faint coconut sugar, and crunchy bits of (gluten free) sourdough bread. 

Texture: I really enjoyed the sourdough and olive oil crumbs.

I appreciated the short list of quality and organic ingredients and the choice of caramelized coconut butter. I was also grateful both of today's bars were gluten-free and made with allergies in mind. (It's rare to find other chocolates with bread and pastry ingredients that are also gluten free.)

Ingredients: Cacao*+, Coconut Sugar*, Cacao Butter*+, Caramelized Coconut Butter*, Extra Virgin Olive Oil* and Gluten Free Sourdough Breadcrumbs {(Sourdough starter [water, organic brown rice flour]), organic sorghum flour, organic millet flour, organic tapioca flour, organic psyllium husk, organic olive oil, organic flax meal, sea salt, organic apple cider vinegar} (*Organic ingredient; +Fair Trade Certified)

Allergen-related information: "No Dairy, No Soy, No Refined Sugar"

Dubai Chocolate 81% Dark Chocolate Shell

Aroma and flavor notes included: ultra-dark chocolate; sweet nutty aroma and flavor; buttery caramelized coconut; and authentic pistachio nuts (the number one ingredient).

The coconut ingredients (toasted coconut, coconut sugar and coconut milk) with caramel/caramelized notes complemented the nutty pistachios, added flavor depth and balanced the slightly bitter 81% dark chocolate and quinoa.

Texture: Relatively hearty, very satisfying chocolate, nutty and crunchy textures.

I enjoyed the texture and flavor blend and the opportunity to try a gluten-free Dubai chocolate.

Ingredients: Pistachios*, Coconut Sugar*, Crisped Quinoa*, Cacao*+, Cacao Butter*+, Toasted Coconut*, Coconut Milk Powder* (Coconut Milk*, Tapioca Maltodextrin*), Himalayan Salt, Vanilla Bean* (*Organic, +Fair Trade Certified(TM))

Allergen-related information: Contains Pistachio. Made in a facility processing other tree nuts. May contain shell fragments.

TCHO - Dark Duo & Holy Fudge (bars) - Sept. 12, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

TCHO
Dark Duo - filled bar; 75% Cacao Shell (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 100 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

TCHO
Holy Fudge 75% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total package of 3 bars
Calories: 110 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Banquet's 20th Year Anniversary Theme Week, celebrating a different chocolate every day since September 11, 2006. 

This week features several chocolate makers who are still in business decades after I first met them--including many with connections to the San Francisco Bay Area where Chocolate Banquet got its start. 

The first TCHO chocolate I tasted was a "Nutty" Peru 65% dark chocolate in 2006.

I first visited TCHO in 2006 when the company was in start-up mode on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Years later, in 2014, after successful operations (and great factory tours), the company moved across the Bay to Berkeley, CA. (Thank you to the team for a great factory tour in Berkeley in 2023, when the factory moved to a 100% plant-based line of bars.)* 

Initially, TCHO chocolate "names" were focused on flavor descriptions (fruity, fudgey, nutty, citrus-y, etc.)--flavors inherent in cacao rather than cacao percentage and country of origin. It helped educate people about flavor nuances. 

(TCHO added country of origin to flavor information And, happily, as the craft chocolate movement led to more educated buyers, more chocolate makers soon began including more detailed country of origin and sourcing information in the 2000s.)

Dark Duo

The Dark Duo (filled) bars were made using single origin cacaos from Peru and Ghana. The 75% Cacao shell melted seamlessly with the "center."

Aroma and flavor notes for this truffle bar included: complex, dark chocolate fudge with bright fruit (tropical fruits, red berry); very faint mixed nut butter (almond, cashew, hazelnut); vanilla; and very faint (balanced) earth. (Note: there were no nut ingredients listed.)

The chocolate texture was soft and friendly with a pleasant melt and mouthfeel, and with a slightly softer  center.

Maker's Tasting Notes/Description: "Lush & Fruity Cacao Truffle Filled Fudgy Dark Chocolate" "A Distinguished Cacao Experience"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*+, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*+, Coconut Oil*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Vanilla Beans* (*Organic; +Fair Trade Certified; Over 69% Fair Trade Certified (tm) (Ingredients))

Allergen-related information: May contain tree nuts. 

Holy Fudge 

Aroma and flavor notes for this 75% Cacao (Single Origin Ghana) Organic & Fair Trade bar included: dark chocolate (rich, dark fudge brownie); vanilla; and very faint, balanced citrus with a pleasant fudge-y finish.

Texture: smooth texture and melt 

I appreciated this enjoyable chocolate by itself; and the fact that it pairs well with other items. It would be great in a dessert or a recipe for fudge sauce/cake/pudding/ice cream dish...and of course fudge brownies. The possibilities are endless. 

Pretty sure this chocolate is used in the company's Lemon Twist dark chocolate bar with olive oil--a real crowd-pleaser this year--that I hope will become part of the company's permanent flavor line-up.

Maker's Tasting Notes/Description: "Notes of Crisp Brownie Edges From Ghana's World-Renowned Cacao Farms"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*+, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter*+, Sunflower Lecithin*, Vanilla Beans* (*Organic; +Fair Trade Certified; Over 75% Fair Trade Certified (tm) Ingredients)

Allergen-related information: May contain tree nuts.

*The TCHO brand was sold to Ezaki Glico (maker of Pocky chocolates) in 2018.

Gnosis Chocolate - 1.) Passion + raspberry (bar) + 2.) Black Diamond 100% Cacao Ocumare, Venezuela (bar) - Sept. 11, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

Gnosis Chocolate
Passion + raspberry & aphrodisiacs 70% raw chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (30 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $5.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order 

Gnosis Chocolate
Black Diamond, Ocumare Venezuela 100% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (30 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of "Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration" Theme Week--featuring several chocolate makers that I've been appreciating for 10-20 years.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of this Chocolate Banquet site, where I've recorded my thoughts on a different chocolate each day for 20 years. And, chocolate birthdays are still the best.

This decades-long chocolate adventure was only possible because of the hard work of many great individuals. I continue to be extremely grateful to all the chocolate makers, cacao farmers and fermenters out there in the world. 

I'm happy to feature two bars today from Vanessa Barg who founded Gnosis Chocolate (Astoria, NY). I met Vanessa when she began making chocolate (as an extension of her health practice) and started selling bars in 2008. She and her mom, Aida, have been making chocolate in New York City.

Long-lived endeavors require passion and commitment as well as strength; and the following two bars represent these attributes, along with a little "botanical alchemy."

Passion + raspberry (bar)

Today's thoughtfully executed Passion + raspberry + aphrodisiacs (bar) from Gnosis Chocolate was thoughtfully executed and made with single origin cacao from Ocumare, Venezuela.

Aroma and flavor notes included: authentic, balanced cacao with very faint, deep, still forest and smoke, and gentle tart sweet red berry (red raspberry).

Texture: relatively smooth dark chocolate with a satisfying mouthfeel and melt, with one or two raspberry pips.

I appreciated the thoughtful ingredients, and enjoyed the gentle (date supplied, lower-glycemic) sweetness and authentic raspberry flavor. 

The "aphrodisia" ingredients and reference can also be viewed as inspiring love in a broader, more universal sense, such as an enjoying and appreciating for all life/creatures on earth, and including all things botanical--which indeed will need to be true to continue to enjoy chocolate and other fruits of the forest in the future. (I'm hoping to celebrate 30 years of chocolate in another decade.)

Ingredients: "70% raw chocolate (raw cacao beans*, ground dates*), raspberries*, maca root*, damiana*, rose hips*, horny goat weed*, fo ti*, passionflower*, Love.

Allergen-related information: "Carefully handcrafted in a kitchen that also uses tree nuts and coconut."

Black Diamond (bar)

I associate black diamonds with strength, overcoming challenging circumstances, and being outdoors with chocolate. Having once been a skier, signs with a black diamond shape marked the toughest slopes on a mountain. Skiing down a Black Diamond run was exciting and sometimes resulted in a snow bath. (And these runs were usually followed by hot chocolate or a piece of chocolate.) 

Today's Black Diamond bar seemed perfect to celebrate a 20-year journey made possible by cacao farmers who face many challenges--and many special chocolate makers and entrepreneurs who continue to source great cacao(s) from around the world to craft great chocolate in a changing world.

Like other diamonds, black diamonds are a precious commodity forged in the earth to a particular, lustrous hardness and can be a symbol of strength.

In the Ocumare region(s) of Venezuela, prized heritage Criollo variety cacao beans are sometimes referred to as black diamonds or black gold.

Today's Black Diamond (bar) was crafted using cacao beans from Ocumare, Venezuela. No sweeteners, no additives. Just the essence of cacao (and love).

Aroma notes included: rich, chocolate-y cacao and very faint fruit (tropical fruit, berry) and balanced forest notes.

Flavor notes included: ultra-dark lovely fudge brownie, balanced bitterness (for a 100%er) and faint roasted notes. Like all unsweetened chocolate, your brain reacts to the lack of sweetness for a few seconds, but after a bit of bitter/sour, this chocolate resolved into a very nice clean finish with almost no bitterness at all.

Texture: Buttery, with a rich melt and mouthfeel

I really appreciated the short list of quality ingredients in these two bars; and that these were gluten-free.

Ingredients: "cacao beans from Ocumare, Venezuela, Love."

Allergen-related information: "Carefully handcrafted in a kitchen that also uses tree nuts and coconut."

Zotter - Cheese + Mango Chutney (bar) + Bacon Bits (bar) - Sept. 10, 2026

Chocolate(s) of The Day

Zotter 

Cheese + Mango Chutney Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Zotter 

Bacon Bits Dark Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut Praline (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Savory Chocolate Theme Week & Day #3 of Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Week--featuring two chocolates each day. 

I've been featuring "hand-scooped" (filled) and single origin bars from Zotter on Chocolate Banquet since 2009--relatively early on in this site's history. The fact that I'm still featuring new flavors from them in 2026 is a testament to the huge variety of bars this family-owned and operated company (based in Austria) has produced over the years--including savory flavors like today's two bars.

Cheese + Mango Chutney
Today's Cheese + Mango Chutney was a complex blend of sweet, fruity, slightly savory and chocolatey flavors. A thin layer of dark milk 60% chocolate was filled with cheese ganache (light cheese, nut, fruit (citrus, grappa), warm spice, and mango cream, with a mild chili heat.

The makers managed to successfully fit a whole snack/wine and cheese plate into one bar. This filled bar contained nuts (walnuts, cashews). And a bit of citrus added brightness. The very subtle grappa (Italian grape brandy) contributed a trace of pleasing, concentrated fermented grape, flavor.

Ingredients: Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Cocoa Mass*+, Dry Whole Milk, Milk, Invert Sugar Syrup*, Processed Cheese (3% Cheese, Cream, Water, Acid Regulator: Trisodium Citrate), Mango Puree*(3%), Dry Skim Milk Yoghurt, Dried Mangos*(2%), Glucose Syrup*, Muscaris White Wine (Contains Sulfites), Walnuts*, Dry Skim Milk, Cashews*+, Grappa*, Lime Concentrate*, Dry Sweet Whey, Apple Balsamic Vinegar*, Lecithin (Soy)*, Rice Drink Powder* (Rice*, Sunflower Oil*, Salt), Lemon Juice Concentrate*, Lemon Powder* (Lemon Juice Concentrate*, Corn Starch*, Sugar*), Salt, Dark Brown Cane Sugar*+, Vanilla Bean Powder *+, Star Anise*, Cloves*, Cinnamon*, Chilli "Bird's Eye"*

* = Organic, + = Fair Trade

Allergen-related information: Contains: Milk, Walnuts, Cashews, Soy 

"Manufactured on Equipment That Processes Other Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Eggs, Sesame and Gluten" 

Bacon Bits 

This Bacon Bits Dark Milk Chocolate with hazelnut praline and bacon/pork cracklings bar was a balanced, basket full of sweet, creamy, savory and crunchy flavors and textures.

It was also quite rich (pork cracklings, butter, whole milk and nuts will do that). The salt was very subtle. And the hazelnut praline, chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla and warm spices helped tip the scales toward sweet rather than savory.

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet, creamy and chocolate-y with crispy-crunchy bacon cracklings and hazelnut praline.

Ingredients: Cane Sugar*+, Cocoa Mass*+, Cocoa Butter*+, Hazelnuts*, Dry Whole Milk, Pork Crackings, Dry Skim Milk, Butter (Cream), Salt, Cinnamon*, Lecithin (Soy)*, Dark Brown Cane Sugar*+, Vanilla Bean Powder*+, Cardamom*, Star Anise*, (* = Organic Ingredient; + = Fair Traded; Fair Trade Content in Total: 67%

Allergen-related information: Contains: Hazelnuts, Milk, Soy. "Manufactured on Equipment That Processes Other Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Eggs and Sesame." 

Maeve - Kettle Chips Dark & Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar - Sept. 9, 2026

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Maeve 
Kettle Chips Dark & Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: FarmFresh, online order 

Welcome to Day #12 of Savory Chocolates Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate Banquet Birthday Celebration Week, featuring two chocolates each day.

Today's Maeve Kettle Chips Dark & Milk Chocolate Truffle Bar was from Seattle Chocolate Co. (Seattle, CA).

Aroma and flavor notes included smooth, creamy dark chocolate and even creamier milk chocolate, as well as some glimmers of salt and potato chip(s).

Texture - a thin dark chocolate coating surrounded by a soft and creamy, milk chocolate truffle filling and a tiny bit of crunchy potato chip bit texture. 

I enjoyed this (second of two potato chip chocolate bars featured today. I enjoyed the layering of dark and milk chocolate in this one, and the (for me) just right touch of salt that helped balance the sweetness.

Ingredients: milk chocolate (cane sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter*, cocoa mass*, organic soy lecithin, natural vanilla), organic dark chocolate (cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), kettle chips (potatoes, safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, sea salt), coconut oil, sea salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk and soy.