Intrigue Chocolate - Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) - Jan. 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, clean green herb/green tea, subtle citrus (lemon) and faint, diffuse herb/warm spice.

Texture: The bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a smooth, pleasing texture and melt with barely detectable, almost fully incorporated, very fine, tiny herb (bay leaf)/tea particles that were almost crunchy (not gritty). All these elements worked well together from both a textural interest and flavor perspective.

I enjoyed the choice of 67% cacao dark chocolate. It was smooth and not overly sweet--letting the flavor inclusions shine. 

The jasmine green tea, bay leaf and citrus flavors were well-balanced, complementary and subtle--causing me to lean in with interest to catch the nuanced notes. It was an intriguing chocolate. Not too woodsy or herb-y or lemon-y, just right. 

The choice of Turkish Bay Leaf meant it was a subtler, gentler bay note. (I live in California and our bay laurel trees (a different species) are potent and give some people headaches.*)

The floral (jasmine) notes were hard to pick out, but the "light" refreshing notes that I associate with floral green tea (and bay) were still somehow felt in the mix. (It's the difference between a walk in the woods in May vs. October in the Western U.S.)

Makers tasting notes/description: "...Floral and cool wood aromatics, lightly tannic and mineral, with a bright finish."

Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), jasmine green tea, bay leaf, lemon powder"

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*California Bay Laurel trees (and leaves) have a stronger menthol note to them (think Eucalyptus) than milder, more tea-like, Laurel trees from European/Mediterranean regions. I found this description of the two online:

"Turkish bay leaves are shorter and fatter, more oval-shaped, and may or may not have a point. California bay leaves are longer and slender with a point, like a spearhead." 

Yes, and like a spear, a single California bay leaf goes a long way. Some people like its "nutmeg and camphor notes." I like the flavor punch it gives some items, like vanilla ice cream and certain slow-cooked soups and stews--if used sparingly.)

Intrigue Chocolate - Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) - Jan. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 388 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. 

Today's Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) was created by Intrigue Chocolate, a small batch maker and specialty chocolatier (in Seattle, WA). Their chocolate maker also is a chef, and the 100s of bars and truffles (different flavor-infused chocolates) he's created have been inspiring and enjoyable to taste.

The word "tea" includes many infusions of leaves, herbs and spices--even plants like hops (or hop flowers), that are known for their distinctive bitter flavors they add to modern beers. (Their use in Germany can be traced back almost 1,300 years ago. And the Vikings used hops as well.)

Closer to home in the U.S....Wild hops growing in the Americas were used by indigenous peoples "to flavor drinks, and as a remedy for nausea, indigestion and inflammation"* -- before the arrival of Europeans.

Does that qualify hops as an ingredient in an herbal or medicinal "tea"? Close enough for me. 

(Disclosure: I'm a regular consumer of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Hop Splash (water), Hoplark's HopTea and other hop waters (that use hops and carbonated water--that's it, no alcohol). And I enjoy different varieties of hops; so I was pre-disposed to like this bar already.)

Today's Hops and Clover Honey (bar) from Intrigue Chocolate was also the first chocolate I recall tasting with authentic and prominent hops flavor. Great way to start the New Year with something new.

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cocoa, ganache, very faint vanilla and warm spice); hops (faint citrus (citra hops), faint bitter and menthol (evergreen/pine/Doug fir tips); and faint honey (warm, floral, sweet).

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate (hops and honey flavors were fully incorporated into the chocolate).

Flavor notes included: sweet, dark chocolate with a quick uptick in bitter hops that gradually receded back into honey-ed chocolate. For some who are most sensitive to bitter flavors, one bite may be enough to satisfy one's curiosity. 

Others (like me) who enjoy hops--and well-orchestrated ebbs and flows of nuanced and unabashed bitter and sweet--in a well-executed chocolate like this will appreciate the flavor teeter-totter ride to the end and will happily wait between bites as the hops finish gradually fades away. 

I loved the opportunity to try hops, honey (and a tiny bit of vanilla) + chocolate together in one bar, and the bold, yet balanced and authentic hop flavors. 

As with any well-made chocolate, eat this slowly so you can really appreciate it.

Intrigue Tasting Notes: "The lingering citrus and pine notes of the hops are softened by a familiar dark sweetness." 

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), honey, hops

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*Source: Philadelphia Orchard Project

 

Fossa Chocolate - Yuan Yang Chocolate - Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar) - Dec. 31, 2024

Chocolate of The Day  

Fossa Chocolate
Yuan Yang Chocolate*
Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 288 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. Happy New Year's Eve to all. Today's chocolate is a great bar to kick-off a new year. It's an elaborate fusion of cultures and history distilled into a deliciously complex chocolate.

In the last decade, I've seen (and tasted) more tea and coffee beverage blends--ranging from "dirty** chais" and "dirty" Earls" (Earl Greys) to raspberry (herbal tea) flavored lattes. While this is a relatively new trend in the U.S., tea and coffee blends have a long history.*

Today's Coffee Jasmine Creme (bar) from Fossa Chocolate Pte Ltd (Singapore) has taken a Yuan Yang*-inspired coffee + tea beverage a step further--by introducing this unique blend to a wider audience outside of Asia, via chocolate. (Thank you Fossa Chocolate.)

To make this bar, the chocolate maker(s) collaborated with "Smitten Coffee Roasters' Ethiopian coffee (and) Drifting Snowflakes Jasmine Green Tea curated by Pekoe & Imp." To make the dark milk chocolate base they used Peruvian cacao from (Puerta Pulache, Piura, Peru).

Aroma notes and flavor notes for this blend were as promised: chocolate, coffee, jasmine and cream -- with notes of rich, coffee toffee candy and floral coffee (and jasmine tea) with cream. The jasmine is particularly fragrant when you first open the packaging.

Texture: very creamy and smooth. If there was any slight tea astringency, it was neutralized by the milk.

I really enjoyed this sophisticated, harmonious blend of high-quality, thoughtfully-selected flavors -- from floral, aromatic start to the creamy, satisfying finish. Note: If you like tea and chocolate, Fossa offers some wonderful bars in this area. (My favorite Fossa Chocolate bars contain nuanced and authentic oolong teas.)

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Warm nutty coffee aroma with delicate notes of jasmine and cream"

Ingredients: "Cacao butter, cane sugar, cacao, milk powder, tea leaves, coffee beans"

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk.) "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."

*Yuan Yang is the name for a popular beverage in Hong Kong and Singapore that's a blend of coffee, tea, milk and sugar. (The origin story for this coffee + milk tea blend points to it being first served in Hong Kong as far back as 1952.)

**The term "dirty" here in the U.S. refers to the addition of a shot of coffee or espresso to a tea beverage/latte. 

This name "dirty" likely was inspired by the "dirty martini"-- a drink often credited to a New York bartender in 1901. In this cocktail, olive(s) and juice were/are muddled into a vodka or gin martini, giving the alcohol a slightly cloudy or "dirty" appearance.  

ChocolateSpiel - Earl Grey (bar) - Dec. 30, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

ChocolateSpiel 
Earl Grey (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (27 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Etsy.com, ChocolateSpiel, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Earl Grey (bar) was from ChocolateSpiel (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; very faint pepper and spice; and barely detectable sweet orange.

Multi-colored, overlapping splashes of colored cocoa butter "paint" gave this bar an attractive/festive appearance.

Texture: smooth, relatively creamy with occasional bites of whole almonds. The almonds added textural interest.

Flavor notes included: chocolate (smooth, dark ganache), subtle bergamot (the flavoring in Earl Grey tea), and lightly salted almond.

The skin-free (possibly marcona) almonds on the back also added some flavor depth. It reminded me of tea cookies/snacks -- small butter cookies with large Marcona almonds in the centers that you might enjoy with tea. And the judicious touch of salt balanced out the sweetness.

I liked the sweet and salty plus floral/bergamot tea notes; they all harmonized well together; and I really enjoyed the lingering earl grey flavor into the finish.

Ingredients: Cocoa, almonds, sugar, cocoa butter, earl grey from Key to Teas, salt, colored cocoa butter (Yellow 3).

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanut, gluten, tree nuts."

Intrigue Chocolate - Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (28) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Raspberry + Black Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA), in collaboration with Aluel Cellars (Seattle, WA) - the supplier of Aluel's 2021 "Coat of Arms" flagship Bordeaux-style red wine.

Origin story: The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Uganda (Region: Rwenzururu - Semuliki Forest (Type: "Mostly Trinitario and Amelonado"; Year: 2024). (Batch No.: 000000091024). The tea used to flavor this chocolate was Assam black tea.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate (dark ganache with ripe red fruit (authentic red raspberry, red grape); slight roast-y black tea and warm spice (fragrant allspice*, very faint red licorice).

Texture: smooth and relatively buttery.

Sweetness level: sixty-percent cacao is normally a bit sweet for me (I'm a dark fan). And the raspberry (and red wine) gave it a rich, sweet, bright red berry/fruit boost, while the black tea and cacao provided a balanced, grounded base. I enjoyed the nuances of flavor. This bar had a slight mulled wine taste to it--making it a pleasing winter warmer (and likely a good Valentines Day bar as well).

I enjoyed Intrigue's similar but a bit bolder cousin--Smoked Tea + Allspice bar (featured yesterday) a smidge better. I tend to like smoke-y, almost umami flavors, and I liked that the Jamaican allspice had a chance to shine a bit more in yesterday's bar. (I'll never enjoy plain old grocery store allspice again after tasting the allspice in that bar.) Both tea bars were very tasty.

Like other chocolates from Intrigue, I appreciated the short list of high-quality ingredients, the lack of emulsifiers or other additives, and the use of raw cane sugar. 

Makers tasting notes/description: "...Aluel's (red wine) has a deep fruity complexity, and plays well with the red berries, sweet earthy tea, and subtle spice in this chocolate bar."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, freeze-dried raspberry juice, Assam black tea, Jamaican allspice."

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. 

*Allspice (dried, unripe berries that grow on trees) is native to the Americas (West Indies [Caribbean island nations], Central America and Mexico). The earliest drinking chocolates and confections in the Americas included ground cacao beans, flowers, spices (such as allspice), peppers, honey and/or other local flavor inclusions--but not cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg or ginger--spices brought to the New World by spice traders much later.

Intrigue Chocolate - Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 28, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Smoked Tea + Allspice 60% Cacao (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA), in collaboration with The Pathfinder - Hemp & Root, a patented distilled non-alcoholic spirit.

Origin story: The cacao used to make this chocolate was from Ecuador (Region: Costa Esmeraldas, Muisne Canton (Type: Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids). (Batch No.: 000000111524). The smoked black tea used to flavor this chocolate was Lapsang Souchong.

Aroma and flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate (roast-y, dark ganache with dark ripe berry/almost dark cherry); slight roast-y/smoke-y black tea and warm spice (allspice, cinnamon). (Note: there was no cinnamon, just high-quality allspice in this bar; but that allspice tasted like a whole spice blend in and of itself--thus the name, all-spice.)*

Texture: relatively smooth--with a subtle tea astringency.

The blend of all the flavors full-bodied, wonderful and especially satisfying on a winter morning. I liked many things about this bar. First, this blend was thoughtfully conceived and well executed. And the very slightly smoke-y, sweet flavors all harmonized very nicely.

If you think you've tasted allspice before (hidden in some tame, grocery store apple pie spice blend maybe?), think again. The Jamaican allspice* in today's bar took things to another level, and added a layer of natural sweetness.

Sweetness level: 60% cacao is normally a bit sweet for me, but the rich, authentic tea and spice flavors balanced the sweetness. The chocolate was sweet, but not too sweet for dark fans.

Like other chocolates from Intrigue, I appreciated the short list of high-quality ingredients, the lack of emulsifiers or other additives, and the use of raw cane sugar.

Makers tasting notes/description: "..."We used the deep aromas of Lapsang Souchong (smoked black tea), balanced by the sweet spice complexity of Jamaican allspice, and the cherry/bourbon notes of this cacao to create the perfect pairing..."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, smoked black tea, allspice."

Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging. 

*Allspice (dried, unripe berries that grow on trees) is native to the Americas (West Indies [Caribbean island nations], Central America and Mexico). The earliest drinking chocolates and confections in the Americas included ground cacao beans, flowers, spices (such as allspice), peppers, honey and/or other local flavor inclusions--but not cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger--spices brought by spice traders much later.

Fossa Chocolate - Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin Pekoe & Imp tea (bar) - Dec. 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fossa Chocolate 
Mu Zha Tie Guan Yin - Pekoe & Imp Tea Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 276.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

If you like oolong teas and dark chocolate, you will love this 62% dark bar--made using "fruity and floral" Peruvian cacao (from Puerta Pulache, Piura).

Aroma and flavor notes included: beautiful, authentic, faintly roast-y, traditional oolong tea and smooth dark chocolate. Oolong tea has elements of both green and black tea, but is in a class by itself.

The tea notes lingered into a pleasing, subtle, clean, astringent, green/floral tea finish that lasted for at least 30 seconds after the last bite of chocolate.

Texture: Very smooth (creamy, fudge-y) with a buttery melt. 

I loved the refreshing, faintly floral tea aroma, flavor and finish, and the short list of (four) ingredients. The Peruvian cacao seemed a perfect match with the oolong tea.

Maker's tasting notes: "Aroma of sweet toasty caramel and floral notes with a warming finish"

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cacao butter, tea leaves

Allergen-related information: "Produced in a facility that processes nuts & dairy."