Ywawika (Origen Cacao) - Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta 50% Coconut Milk (bar) - May 10, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Ywawika (Origen Cacao) 
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta 50% Coconut Milk (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $0 (Part of a $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack)
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week. 

Today's Ywawika Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria 50% Coconut Milk (bar) from Origen Cacao (San Roque, Antioquia, Colombia) was made using organic cacao grown in Niwi UmuKin (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, "Birwa zone") in Colombia by the Arhuaco people.

According to legend, Arhuaco (Tayrona) ancestors would use cacao as a sacred beverage to connect with the Creator. Today the Arhuaco people see themselves as guardians of the land at the "heart of the world."

Aroma notes included: rich, sweet chocolate with subtle condensed cacao fruit (syrup), warm spice (and very faint pepper that dissipated after opening).

The texture was very smooth with a silken melt and mouthfeel. (Thank you coconut milk.)

Flavor notes for today's 50% chocolate included: balanced dark coconut milk chocolate, dried cacao fruit, faint warm spice and authentic, sweet coconut milk--all blending into a pleasant finish.

This dark chocolate was sweet and very low in bitterness, and was low in acidity as well.

I enjoyed the rich chocolate, the smooth texture, and the subtle cacao fruit notes. And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. 

Ingredients: "Organic cane sugar, organic cacao nibs, cocoa butter, organic coconut milk powder"

Allergen-related information: (Contains Coconut.)

Karu - Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar) - May 9, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Karu 
Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1 square of bar (1/4 bar)
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Karu Pure Cacao 100% Cacao Dark Chocolate Single Region Tumaco Colombia (bar) was made in Bogota, Colombia and distributed in the USA and Canada by Tropicalia LLC.

The maker behind Karu is Maria Leja Villarreal, who created her company in Dubai. She specializes in Colombian cacao chocolates.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, with faint, slightly fruity/tangy chili peppers (chipotle) and bell pepper.

Texture: relatively smooth with a slight astringency, but relatively creamy melt and mouthfeel

Flavor notes included: bitter then sour then a fainter, creamier bitter + sour and slight chili pepper/savory (mole sauce) that flowed into a balanced, very long, and ultimately clean (and not that bitter) finish. 

I enjoyed the faint, slightly savory chili/bell pepper/mole notes--and could see melting a square of this chocolate into a barbeque or savory chili sauce or marinade. 

When a maker crafts a bar with 100% cacao, there is no sugar or milk or other ingredients to hide behind. So I always respect this choice that allows us to taste the pure original flavor of cacao. No two origins will taste exactly the same. 

Early on in my chocolate journey I tasted some 100% bars with some "off" flavors that might have been covered up if the bar had been 50% sugar. There were no earthy/moldy botanical or other funky notes in this chocolate.

This single-ingredient bar is not for everyone, and you won't be tempted to eat too much. (I felt happy and satisfied with one square.) But I enjoyed the ride, and kept thinking of possible dishes with this chocolate (vegetable, chili beans, chicken) as well as savory-sweet items (chipotle brownies or spiced chocolate ice cream).

I would include this in a 100%er tasting flight to compare with others single ingredient, single origin cacao bars.

Ingredients: Cacao

Allergen-related information: Produced in facilities processing milk and nuts

Chami Cacao - 70% Cardamom Colombia dark chocolate (bar) - May 8, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Chami Cacao
70% Cardamom Colombia - dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.

Today's 70% Cardamom Colombia dark chocolate (bar) was from Chami Cacao (Pereira, Risaralda, in central west Colombia, with connections in California (Mill Valley, CA) and Tampa, FL). 

Chami Cacao owner and chocolate maker Juliana Grajales P. chose the name Chami for her company as an homage to the Embera Chami indigenous people in Colombia.

Aroma and flavor notes for this 70% Colombia spice bar included: dark chocolate and aromatic, complex spice (ground cardamom).

Texture: stone-ground dark chocolate and cardamom*

I enjoyed the warm, authentic and complex cardamom (bright, warm spice, tropical fruit bubble gum, light earth) spice and relatively smooth 70% dark chocolate flavors that harmonized well together. I was fine with the slightly rough, stone-ground mouthfeel/texture as I felt I was able to enjoy more flavor nuances than if the chocolate had been more highly processed.

And I appreciated the short list of (just 3) ingredients, as well as the biodegradable cassava starch inner wrapper. (It's nice to have some relief from plastic-clad bars.)

Ingredients: Cacao beans, Organic raw cane sugar & cardamom.

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, Soy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free"

*Originally from Southern India, Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) production began to ramp up in Central America over 100 years ago. Guatemala is now the world's leading grower and exporter of cardamom--referred to as "green gold" in that country. Colombia and Costa Rica have experienced increased production in recent years.

Origen Cacao - Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar) - May 7, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week. 

Today's Vegan White Chocolate with Nibs (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). 

Most white chocolates are made with cocoa butter (the fat from the cocoa bean), but not the darker hued cocoa solids.* 

Today's white chocolate bar did contain some cocoa solids--in the form of pieces of cacao beans (nibs).*

Aroma and flavor notes for today's white chocolate with cacao nibs bar included: oats, vanilla and faint cacao. This mild white oat milk chocolate was very low in bitterness and acidity. It reminded me of a vanilla oatmeal cookie with cocoa nibs; but it wasn't that sweet. (Thank you!). The flavor was more oatmeal porridge than cookie.

Texture: relatively smooth white oat milk chocolate interspersed with small, softly crunchy cacao nibs. 

I liked the oat flavor more than I expected. I liked that I could taste the oats (in a less processed oat milk form), without any detectable oat straw/roughage. 

I enjoyed trying this balanced, well-executed white chocolate. White craft chocolate bars today are diverse and interesting, and worth trying. They're a far cry from the overly sweet white chocolates of decades ago, some of which may have contained hydrogenated vegetable oils and no cacao at all.

I also appreciated the short list of quality and organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, oat milk, vanilla, sea salt

Allergen-related information: (No information found on packaging)

*A white chocolate (or any chocolate) is only featured on Chocolate Banquet if it contains at least some cocoa solids.

Cocoa butter, the main constituent of white chocolate, has a long history of being used by indigenous peoples Central and South America for culinary, ceremonial, medicinal (e.g. skin balms) purposes. It's used in the U.S. in the manufacturing of chocolates and white chocolates and confections, as well as vegan butters, and skin care products (e.g. in lotions, creams, lip balms).

Origen Cacao 70% San Roque (bar) - May 6, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
70% San Roque dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week. 

Today's 70% San Roque dark chocolate (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). 

San Roque is in Antioquia--a relatively mountainous department in northwestern Colombia. Agricultural crops (coffee, plantains, avocados, cacao) play an important economic role in the region.

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 70% dark chocolate included: chocolate, dried cacao fruit and faint warm spice. The chocolate + cacao fruit notes extended into a relatively long, pleasant finish.

This dark chocolate was low in bitterness, with medium acidity. 

Texture: well-tempered chocolate with smooth texture

I enjoyed the rich chocolate and hearty (concentrated) cacao fruit notes. And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. 

Ingredients: "Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter"

Allergen-related information: (None found on packaging)

Origen Cacao - 80% Putumayo (bar) - May 5, 2026

 Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
80% Putumayo dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week. 

Today's 80% Putumayo dark chocolate (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). The company name encompasses nested origin stories.

Putumayo is a department (state) in southwestern Colombia that shares borders with Ecuador and Peru. Rich in forests lowlands, this area is sometimes described as where the "Andes mountains meet the Amazon rainforest"--in a region where cultivation of cacao likely began 1,000s of years ago. 

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 80% dark chocolate included: mild chocolate (especially for an 80% cacao bar), with subtle fruit (cacao fruit), and faint warm spice, nut and sweet herb. (These notes were created with just cacao and sugar. There were no nut ingredients.)

This gentle dark chocolate was low in bitterness and acidity.

Texture: well-tempered, this bar broke with a snap and had a smooth melt.

I enjoyed the subtle cacao fruit and other notes in the aroma--and the naturally mild cacao that made it easier to pick out these notes. 

And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. 

Today's bar reminded me of other chocolates made with gentle, aromatic, heritage cacaos (Criollo variety cacaos from Central and South America).* 

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, organic cane sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter"

Allergen-related information: None found on packaging.

*While this bar did not have floral notes, this mild, aromatic cacao reminded me of many heritage roses that still possess their beautiful, complex and delicate scents. The same could be said for heritage and heirloom varieties of fruits, coffees, hops and other plants. Modern varieties bred for disease resistance and vigor seem to lose many of these notes.

Origen Cacao - 75% Ywawika dark chocolate (bar) - May 4, 2026

Chocolate of the Day

Origen Cacao 
75% Ywawika dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week. 

Today's 75% Ywawika dark chocolate (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). The company name encompasses nested origin stories.

The name of today's bar: Ywawika refers to an indigenous-operated brand that represents the Arhuaco people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta--a mountainous region in northern Colombia that rises steeply from the Caribbean coast. (The Arhuaco were one of at least four indigenous peoples in Colombia prior to the arrival of the Spanish.) Ywawika offers eco-tours and opportunities to see cacao trees in their native habitat.

Cacao cultivation likely began in Colombia further south in the rainforests of the Amazon River basin 1,000s of years ago. However, cacao traveled to many other regions and was traded and treated as a currency. And the coastal regions also have a long history with cacao. 

Aroma and notes for today's 75% dark chocolate included: chocolate, fruit (faint cacao fruit/pulp, tropical fruits), nuts, spices (cinnamon, anise). (Note: There were no nut ingredients listed for this bar.)

This relatively mild dark chocolate, low in bitterness and relatively low in acidity.

Texture: well-tempered bar that felt relatively light (in weight), and broke with a very slightly brittle snap; smooth, dark chocolate with an even melt and mouthfeel.

I enjoyed the mild, aromatic complexity as well as the relatively mild flavor (with low bitterness and acidity). And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar. The cacao origin story was also interesting.

Ingredients: "Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter" 

Allergen-related information: None found on packaging.