Puna Chocolate Company - Hamakua 70% Dark Chocolate, Single District (bar) - Jan. 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Hamakua 70% Dark Chocolate, Single District (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.50 total bar + shipping
Purchased from: Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, and welcome to Day #24 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s).

Today's Hamakua Kona Regional 70% Kona Chocolate (bar) was crafted by the makers at Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI).

Aroma notes included: balanced, complex, rich dark chocolate with brownie, faint fruit (diffuse tropical - sweet tangerine, pineapple, cacao fruit) and and very faint, fleeting vegetable (sweet potato).

The melt was uniform and smooth with a slightly creamy finish. There were no flavor inclusions in this two-ingredient, single region (Hamakua, Big Island, HI) dark chocolate bar to add texture(s).

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (hearty dark chocolate ganache, brownie; faint, balanced, fleeting earth; medium, balanced acidity (diffuse fruit (sweet tangerine, pineapple, cacao fruit; fruit punch); and very faint vegetable (candied yam, sweet potato).

What I liked about this bar: 1.) balanced, hearty dark chocolate flavors including possible traces of tropical/cacao fruit*; and 2.) tasting dark chocolate from different cacao growing districts/regions on the Big Island of Hawaii from this maker. (Seeing online that a visit Puna Chocolate (store, tour) might be possible in the future.)

Ingredients: Hawaiian Cacao, Organic Sugar 

Allergen-related information: Prepared in a facility that handles milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat

Puna Chocolate Company - Captain Cook Kona Regional 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 23, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Captain Cook Kona Regional 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.50 total bar + shipping
Purchased from: Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha. Welcome to Day #23 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s).

Today's Captain Cook Kona Regional 70% Kona Chocolate (bar) was crafted by the makers at Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI).

Complex and somehow uniquely Hawaiian, the aroma notes for this single district, Big Island 70% bar included: rich, chocolate-y dark chocolate (dark chocolate brownie/torte with very faint, balanced earth, faint fruit (pineapple), very faint sweet botanical (sweet green (sweet tea, banana), very faint floral), and very faint brown sugar and coffee. 

Texture: enjoyable smooth, creamy, fudgey melt and texture with a few almost undetectable, very tiny (presumably cacao or sugar) particles toward the finish of one bite.

What I liked about this bar:  1.) complex, transporting Big Island aroma notes; 2.) dark brownie chocolate-y cacao aroma, texture and flavor carried through to the finished chocolate; 3.) 

Flavor notes included: rich, dark chocolate brownie, and very faint fruit (sweet citrus, pineapple) 

What I liked about this bar:  1.) complex, transporting Big Island aroma notes; 2.) dark brownie chocolate-y cacao aroma, texture and flavor from start-to-finish; 3.) maker choices made for this bar; 4.) Hawaiian Regional Chocolate map printed on the packaging (back side).

Ingredients: Hawaiian Cacao, Organic Sugar

Allergen-related information: Prepared in a facility that handles milk, soy, peanuts

 

Puna Chocolate Company - Cashew and Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Cashew and Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, welcome to Day #22 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

Today's Cashew and Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI). The family-owned company uses Hawaiian chocolate and coffee to craft their bars and beverages.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (brownie with balanced, very faint earth, bread/salted cracker, green and oxalis); and gentle sweet nut (cashew).

Texture: hearty dark chocolate and softly crunchy cashew pieces

Flavor notes included: rich chocolate-y flavor (dark brownie) and salted cashew nut pieces. 

What I liked about this bar: 1.) the choice of this particular Hawaiian cacao/dark chocolate; 2.) the delicious, rich (slightly addicting) blend of dark chocolate and salted cashews; and 3.) the fact that this bar was not overly sweet.

Ingredients: Hawaiian Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Roasted Cashews, Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt

Allergen-related information: Contains cashews. "Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts"  

Puna Chocolate Company - Honey Wine Berry 70% Dark Chocolate Bar - Jan. 21, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Honey Wine Berry 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, and welcome to Day #21 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

Today's Honey Wine Berry 70% Dark Chocolate Bar was created by Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI). The company uses Hawaiian chocolate and coffee to craft their bars and beverages.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate; and sweet berry jam (red raspberry, strawberry and light goji berry).

Texture: well-tempered dark chocolate broke with a snap; red raspberry pieces (including tiny crunchy seeds) added texture as well as bright fruit flavor. There was a slight fruit/wine astringency in the finish.

Flavor notes included: relatively bold, but smooth, dark chocolate; fruity (red wine grape); tart sweet red raspberry fruit jam; and brief flickers of red grape juice and red floral (hibiscus tea with honey). I did not detect any residual alcohol from the wine. 

What I liked about this bar: the blend of satisfying, authentic and harmonious Hawaiian chocolate, fruit and wine flavors; bold but balanced, tart sweet berry and dark earthy fudge brownie flavors.

Maker's Tasting Notes/Description: "...berries are soaked and marinated in the legendary Volcano Winery's fine wine and then dried and pressed into rich Puna-grown Chocolate..." (Hawaii Wine and Chocolate.)..."Together at last!"

Ingredients: Hawaiian Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Raspberries, Honey, "Red Wine. Wine Alcohol and Sulfates...Removed by Evaporation."

Allergen-related information:  Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts

Puna Chocolate Company - Horchata 50% Rich Milk Chocolate Bar - Jan. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Horchata 50% Rich Milk Chocolate Bar 
Good + - Good ++  
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 1.06 oz. (30 g.) total bar
Calories: 80 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, and welcome to Day #20 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

Today's Horchata 50% Rich Milk Chocolate Bar was from Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI). The family-owned company uses Hawaiian chocolate and coffee to craft their bars and beverages.

The packaging of this bar was adorned with a Hawaiian-Latin fusion style tiki head (statue) wearing a dark, embroidered, sombrero, tilted at a rakish angle--a doff of the hat to horchata's interesting heritage.*

Aroma notes included: sweet chocolate, sweet warm spices (cinnamon, vanilla), and sweet rice cereal.

Texture: crunchy crisp rice added texture to the smooth, rich creamy milk chocolate.

Flavor notes included: sweet (and as promised rich) milk chocolate, enhanced with sweet, warm spices (vanilla, cinnamon).

I'm a dark chocolate fan; and this was too sweet for me. Other Puna Chocolate bars I've sampled this week have had really delightful chocolate brownie notes. (I could not taste the cacao in this bar.) However, this 50% bar will likely appeal to those who enjoy sweeter chocolates. 

Ingredients: Whole Hawaiian Cacao Beans, Milk, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Rice, Ceylon Cinnamon, Vanilla 

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes Peanuts, Tree Nuts" 

*Horchata is a popular, rice-based, spiced (vanilla, cinnamon) sweet beverage, typically made with soaked white rice and water (rice "milk")--found in Mexican restaurants or Hispanic markets here in California where I live. 

But, horchata's history and evolution go far beyond this. 

Wild rice plants were domesticated independently in Asia (China) and Africa (e.g. Oryza glaberrima). The first inhabitants of the Americas also cultivated wild rice.

Horchata's European origins likely trace back to North Africa with a "nut" (e.g. chufa) or rice-milk based beverage more than 1,000 years ago. 

The Moors brought it to Spain. The Spanish later brought Horchata to Mexico and Latin America. And while Spanish galleon ships from Mexico passed near Hawaii on their way to/from the Philippines in as early as the 1500s, Horchata appeared on Hawaiian menus much later (likely via Mexico, the Philippines and California.

No surprise, there are Asian versions of horchata and possible fore-runners to horchata as well. Similar rice-based beverages have been enjoyed in Asia (hing-jin-te in Taiwan, khao mak-style drinks in Thailand, and xingrencha and laozao in China). 

And, bringing things full circle, there are horchata boba milk tea flavor(s) (sometimes with ube root or almond milk) now popular in SE Asia and California.

Puna Chocolate Company - Rose Cardamom Pistachio (bar) - Jan. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
Rose Cardamom Pistachio 70% Dark Chocolate Bar 
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, and welcome to Day #19 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

Today's Rose Cardamom Pistachio 70% Dark Chocolate Bar was from Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI). The family-owned company uses Hawaiian chocolate and coffee to craft their bars and beverages.

Aroma notes included: nut (pistachio), floral (red rose), faint strawberry jam cookie, and subtle chocolate (chocolate torte). 

The well-tempered dark chocolate broke with a snap and had a smooth dark texture. The green pistachio bits and magenta rose petals on the back side created a very pretty field of (chocolate) dreams; and the nut bits added light crunchy texture.  

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (chocolate torte, brownie) and light warm spice (cardamom), followed by light pistachio nut. The rose petal flavor was fleeting and very subtle.

Ingredients: Whole Hawaiian Cacao Beans, Cane Sugar, Pistachio, Rose Petals, Ground Cardamom 

Allergen-related information: Contains Pistachios. Manufactured in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts

Puna Chocolate Company - Seasonal Peppermint Paradise Dark (bar) - Jan. 18, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Puna Chocolate Company
(Seasonal) Peppermint Paradise 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.95 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from Puna Chocolate, online order

Aloha, and welcome to Day #18 of Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week(s). 

Today's Seasonal Peppermint Paradise Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Puna Chocolate Company (Kailua-Kona, HI), a family-owned, tree-to-bar company on the Big Island.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (dark chocolate-y brownie) and balanced, authentic peppermint (oil).

Smooth texture and melt interlaced with small flecks of crushed peppermint candy cane(s) on one side.

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (rich fudge brownie, very faint, balanced earth) and peppermint.

What I liked about this bar: 1.) single origin Hawaii cacao and chocolate story; 2.) choice of a rich, dark 70% chocolate for this bar that was smoother (less acidic) than expected, and had dark brownie-like flavor; 3.) peppermint that added authentic tasting sweet mint uplift, but didn't overwhelm the chocolate; and 4.) illustration of the nene (Hawaiian goose) on the outer packaging.

Ingredients: Hawaiian cacao beans, organic cane sugar, peppermint

Allergen-related information: Manufactured in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts