The Conscious Bar - 75% Cacao Orange Blossom (bar) - May 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

The Conscious Bar
75% Cacao - Orange Blossom (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $81.90 for 7-bar variety pack
Purchased from: online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week.

Today's 75% Cacao Orange Blossom (bar) was distributed by The Conscious Bar LLC (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and orange (oil).

The texture was relatively smooth. (The dates were fully integrated with the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate and orange (fruit, extract, blossom).

Once again, I appreciated the short list of organic ingredients, and the 75% dark chocolate and date blend in The Conscious Bar's 7-bar variety pack I've sampled this week. (The chocolate was naturally sweet, but too sweet; not too bold or blah.)

The orange oil was pleasant, and even complex (floral). In general orange is a flavor that harmonizes well with dates and chocolate; but it may be a bit strong for someone who is hunting for (fruit, floral or other) inherent nuances present in the cacao.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Dates, Organic Cacao Butter, Pure Orange Oil

Allergen-related information: "Made In A Facility That Handles Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, And Tree Nuts." 

The Conscious Bar - 75% Cacao Almond Sea Salt (bar) - May 16, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

The Conscious Bar
75% Cacao Almond Sea Salt (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $81.90 for a 7-bar variety pack
Purchased from: The Conscious Bar, online order 

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

Today's 75% Cacao Almond Sea Salt (bar) was distributed by The Conscious Bar LLC (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (very slightly fruity, dark ganache) and nuts (almonds).

Texture: Smooth chocolate interspersed with a generous, uniform constellation of crunchy almond bits. (Note: the dates were fully incorporated into the chocolate.)

Flavor notes included: chocolate (smooth, dark; chocolate-y), with roasted almond texture and flavor, faint fruit (date), and a judicious pinch of sea salt. 

The balance of flavors and the sweetness levels in this week's bars (by The Conscious Bar) have been just right (for me at least) this week. 

The natural sweetness from the dates is enough to be very pleasant. The chocolate is smooth, but still with some complexity in terms of flavor(s)--almonds in today's case. And, their 75% dark chocolate choice is not so bold that it will scare milk chocolate fans.

I also appreciated the use of a short list of quality, organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Almonds, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Dates, Sea Salt.

Allergen-related information: "Made In A Facility That Handles Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, And Tree Nuts."

The Conscious Bar - 75% Cacao Smooth Dark Chocolate (bar) - May 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

The Conscious Bar
75% Cacao Smooth Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $81.90 for a 7-bar variety pack
Purchased from: online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week.

Today's 75% Cacao Smooth Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by The Conscious Bar LLC (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes included: pleasant, flavorful dark chocolate with subtle sweet green and fruit (ripe, dried, dark, sweet berry, date), and very faint (barely detectable coconut-like sweet herb)

Texture: Pleasing, rich, smooth texture: creamy with a very faint thick, natural, paste-like quality (dates).

Flavor notes included: smooth, rich chocolate flavor with well-balanced, rich dried fruit notes (date, dark sweet berry, and very faint (and fleeting) stone fruit (light peach or nectarine). 

This was a well-executed dark chocolate and dates bar--that was (as promised) very smooth, with some depth/complexity but no spiky or unexpected flavors. The choice of 75% cacao seemed just right. It wasn't too sweet, nor was it too bold.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Dates, Organic Cacao Butter.

Allergen-related information: "Made In A Facility That Handles Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, And Tree Nuts." 

The Conscious Bar - 75% Cacao Roasted Hazelnut (bar) - May 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

The Conscious Bar
75% Cacao - Roasted Hazelnut (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $81.90 for a 7-bar variety pack
Purchased from: online order

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

Today's 75% Cacao Roasted Hazelnut (bar) was distributed by The Conscious Bar LLC (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (roasted cacao, very faint fruit), and faint toasted nut and barely detectable roasted grain (popcorn). 

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with softly crunchy nuts (hazelnut bits). (No date particles detected; dates were fully integrated with chocolate; thank you!)

Flavor notes included: smooth, dark chocolate, permeated with a dark roast cacao and nut flavor and occasional fleeting flickers of fruit (dark, ripe, berry jam and date). 

The slight roastiness made this dark bar seem a little "darker" than its other Conscious Bar 75% cacao chocolate siblings (which tasted more like 68%-70% cacao chocolate. (Other factors that can make different chocolates taste "darker" include cacao origin(s), cacao variety(ies), and cacao bean roasting profiles; and these were not listed on the label.) All the bars were relatively smooth and well-executed. 

I enjoyed this balanced and gluten-free chocolate, made with a short list of Organic ingredients. And the flavors meshed well together. 

When both fruit and nut ingredients have been skillfully integrated into a dark chocolate, the end result can be particularly satisfying. Rather than popping out and competing with each other, a harmonious blend of these three ingredients can seem to (pleasingly) amplify naturally occurring notes found in cacao.  Thank you to the makers for their skillful integration of dates and chocolate in all their bars I've tasted so far.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Dates, Organic Cacao Butter

Allergen-related information: Contains hazelnuts. "Made In A Facility That Handles Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, And Tree Nuts." 

The Conscious Bar - 75% Cacao - Toasted Coconut Flakes (bar) - May 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

The Conscious Bar
75% Cacao - Toasted Coconut Flakes (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $81.90 for a 7-bar variety pack
Purchased from: online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week.

Today's 75% Cacao Toasted Coconut Flakes (bar) was distributed by The Conscious Bar LLC (Miami, FL).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, light floral (vanilla, coconut), date, and very faint sweet, green nut.

Texture: The dark chocolate base was relatively creamy, and interspersed with authentic, chewy flecks of coconut. The coconut flakes were just about the right size--thin enough to have an almost delicate, authentic melty-chew (i.e. they weren't too dry or tough, or slathered in sugar/syrup -- thank you!).

Flavor notes included: smooth but gently flavorful 75% dark chocolate melded effectively with authentic coconut flakes. The background date sweetness (there was no added sugar other than dates) tasted authentic and did not overwhelm: the dates seemed to be well incorporated into the chocolate, with no trace of date texture/graininess. There was a pleasant faint, sweet nutty note throughout (likely from the coconut) that I liked. 

I enjoyed this nicely balanced and well-executed, gluten-free chocolate, made with a short list of Organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Coconut Flakes, Organic Dates, Organic Cacao Butter

Allergen-related information: "Made In A Facility That Handles Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, And Tree Nuts." 

Mindright Inc. - Nootropic-Infused Protein Bar - Chocolate Sea Salt - May 12, 2024

Chocolate of The Day

Mindright Inc.
Nootropic-Infused Protein Bar - Chocolate Sea Salt 

Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Missing information (store in Palo Alto, CA)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week.

Today's Nootropic-Infused Protein Bar - Chocolate Sea Salt - was distributed by Get Mindright Inc. (Orange, CA). 

The company offers a line of gluten free superfood snacks and protein bars--including several flavors with chocolate or chocolate chips. (This bar contained 10 grams of protein.) And, you guessed it, this bar was sweetened with chocolate chips, coconut sugar and...dates.

Aroma notes for this chocolate sea salt bar included: dark chocolate, ripe sweet dark berry, date and very faint coconut and sweet vanilla.

Texture: soft chewy; fudge-y; smooth with some very faint, slightly hearty-grainy texture (could be from date paste, pea protein, fiber (vegetable), powder (cocoa) or other nutraceuticals/nootropic ingredients**). The latter textural aspect was not objectionable, unless you were expecting silky smooth dark chocolate. 

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate (dark ganache, chocolate chips), dried fruit (date, berry), faint sweet coconut and faint nut (almond); and faint sweet, green floral (vanilla). The quantity of sea salt seemed just right--enough to balance the sweetness a bit, but not enough to dominate any other flavor(s).

Ingredients: Prebiotic vegetable fiber, almond butter, almonds, pea protein, coconut sugar, dates, chocolate chips (unsweetened chocolate, cane sugar, cocoa butter), cocoa powder, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors, vanilla flavor, Nootropic Blend: (MCT Oil Powder, Magnesium Aquamin (tm), Whole Coffee Fruit Extract (Cognatiq*), sea salt.

Allergen-related information: Contains tree nuts (almonds), coconut (sugar). "Manufactured In A Facility That Processes Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soy, Wheat, and Milk."

*COGNATIQ is a trademark of VDF Futureceuticals, Inc. Pat. FCPatent.com.

** Added food items with nutritional/health benefits (including certain naturally-occurring minerals, vitamins)--that, in today's case, are thought to have specific brain-benefitting properties.

Gnosis Chocolate - Elderberry Dark Velvet Bar - May 11, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Gnosis Chocolate
Elderberry Dark Velvet (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) / 3 oz. (84 g.) in total bar
Calories: 232 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $20.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Dates Theme Week, featuring date-containing and date-sweetened chocolates.

Today's Elderberry Dark Velvet (bar) was created by Gnosis Chocolate (Astoria, NY).

Described as a Botanical Truffle Style Bar, the aroma notes for this thick, filled chocolate included: dark chocolate and fruit (ripe dark berry, date).

Texture: dark chocolate couverture surrounded a softer, fruitier filling. The chocolate had a very faint graininess (from added mushrooms/date perhaps?).

Flavor notes included: rich, sweet, fruity dark chocolate; dark, sweet berry (elderberry) and date; and a very, very faint smoky/umami earth (mushroom-like flavor) in the finish.

The overall dark chocolate and berry/date flavors were authentic and the bar had a natural berry and date fruit sweetness--that was balanced by well-executed, smooth, flavorful, (raw) dark chocolate. I also liked the lack of a sugar buzz (blood sugar spike) after eating this.

Ingredients: raw cacao beans*, elderberries*, medjool dates*, yacon syrup*, virgin coconut oil*, coconut sugar*, Paul Stamets Mycommunity Immunity Mushroom Blend (chaga, maitake, reishi, cordyceps, royal sun blazei, enokitake, mesima, lion's mane, turkey tails, oyster, artist's conk, oregon ganaderma, agarikon, amadou, shiitake, birch polypore, split gill polypore). * = organic

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut (oil, sugar). (No allergen information listed on package.)