Kasama - Tanned Chocolate Philippine Muscovado and Roasted Cacao Nibs - Aug. 23, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Kasama 
Tanned Chocolate Philippine Muscovado and Roasted Cacao Nibs (bar)

Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: .985 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.97 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 172 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama, online order 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Tanned Chocolate Philippine Muscovado and Roasted Cacao Nibs (bar) was from Kasama Chocolate (Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, Canada).

Aroma and flavor notes for this caramel-hued bar included: sweet, smooth cocoa butter and milk infused with brown sugar, interspersed with cacao bean pieces (nibs).

Texture: very smooth and creamy bar with crunchy cacao nib pieces

I liked the idea of highlighting the muscovado sugar flavors, the idea of a "tanned chocolate" that was neither white chocolate nor dark; the use of cacao and muscovado sugar from the Philippines; and the short list of ingredients.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Whole Milk Powder, Philippine Muscovado Sugar, Philippine Cacao Beans

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

 

Kasama - 75% Tupi South Cotabato, Philippines Dark Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 22, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Kasama 
75% Tupi South Cotabato, Philippines Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: .985 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.97 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 166 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Kasama, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Tupi South Cotabato, Philippines Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Kasama Chocolate (Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, Canada).

Aroma and flavor notes for this attractively packaged bar included: sweet dark chocolate with faint sweet green, coconut, brown sugar/caramel and very faint cream (yogurt) in the finish.

Texture: very smooth, well-tempered

I liked the complex, balanced aroma and bold flavor in this dark chocolate; the use of cacao beans from the Philippines; and the short list of just three, organic ingredients.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "For this 75% dark chocolate, we used cacao beans grown by Kablon Farms, which have notes of honeysuckle, toasted coconut, and dulce de leche."

Ingredients: Cacao Beans*, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cacao Butter* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that contains nuts."

Oodaalolly - Trinitario Cacao 40% Salty Toffee Milk Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 21, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Oodaalolly Chocolate
Trinitario Cacao 40% Salty Toffee Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Malaya Botanicals, Alameda, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Trinitario Cacao 40% Salty Toffee Milk Chocolate (bar) was manufactured by Oodaalolly Chocolate using Trinitario variety cacao and Ilocano salt--both from the Philippines.

Aroma and Flavor notes included: sweet, smooth milk chocolate with chocolate-y (dark milk chocolate ganache) and very faint (barely detectable) fruit and butter toffee--with a tasty, slightly salty chocolate and toffee finish. 

This 40% milk chocolate bar was quite sweet; however the salt and the higher quality cacao helped balance the sweetness.

Texture: smooth, relatively creamy texture and melt with intermittent tiny crunchy bits of salt and toffee. 

I really appreciated the maker's use of single origin cacao and salt; the short list of quality and organic ingredients; and the sweet and salty balance.

Ingredients: Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Milk Powder, Ilocano Sea Salt, Toffee. Manufactured by Oodaalolly, a H&G Chocolate Distribution Company* (in Richmond, CA). 

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes: Milk, Almond, Coconut"

*Note: Oodaalolly Chocolate merged operations with H&G Chocolate Distribution Company in 2024.

Oodaalolly Chocolate - Trinitario (Philippine) Cacao 40% Swiss-Style Milk Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 20, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Oodaalolly Chocolate
Trinitario Cacao 40% Swiss-Style Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 340 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Malaya Botanicals, Alameda, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Trinitario Cacao 40% Swiss-Style Milk Chocolate (bar) was created by Oodaalolly Chocolate founder Hernan Lauber, using Trinitario variety cacao from the Philippines and Swiss chocolate making techniques learned from his father. 

Aroma and Flavor notes included: sweet, smooth milk chocolate with chocolate-y (dark milk chocolate ganache) and very faint (barely detectable) fruit notes with a smooth, clean finish.

This bar was fairly sweet, but it was a higher quality 40% cacao chocolate than you'll find in many other places.

Texture: smooth, almost velvety texture and melt

I really appreciated the maker's use of single origin cacao (Philippines); the short list of quality and organic ingredients; and the use of Swiss milk chocolate techniques.

Ingredients: Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Cocoa Butter, Milk Powder 

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. "Manufactured in a Facility That Also Processes: Milk, Almond, Coconut"

Note: Oodaalolly Chocolate merged operations with H&G Chocolate Distribution Company in 2024.

Theo & Philo Chocolate Factory - 65% Dark Chocolate with Pineapple and Salt (bar) - Aug. 19, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Theo & Philo Chocolate Factory
65% Dark Chocolate with Pineapple and Salt (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.9 oz. (54 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 212 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate & The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's 65% Dark Chocolate with Pineapple and Salt (bar) was manufactured by Theo and Philo Chocolate Factory (Metro Manila, The Philippines).

Aroma and Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate; and subtle tropical fruit with sweet green (pine) (pineapple), balanced sea salt and faint earth.

Texture: Relatively soft, smooth dark chocolate embedded with tiny shreds of pineapple (fruit). 

I really enjoyed the authentic flavors in this bar, the beautiful packaging (with illustrations of Palawan Binturong(s), aka bearcats, and pineapples); and the fact that this bar was crafted in the Philippines using a short list of ingredients.

Maker's notes: "This bar's flavor is as cheeky as a duwende (mythical creature similar to a goblin or gnome) on a sugar rush."

Ingredients: Cacao, Sugar, Dried Pineapple, Cocoa Butter, Salt

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, and other dairy products. Contains sulfites.

 

Auro - Don Papa Masskara Rum 60% Dark Chocolate w/ Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar) - Aug. 18, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Auro 
Don Papa Masskara Rum Infused 60% Dark Chocolate w/ Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 312 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate & Spirits Theme Week; and Day #1 of Chocolate & The Philippines Theme Week.

Today's Don Papa Masskara Rum Infused 60% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi, Chili & Honeycomb (bar) was produced by Filipinas Oro de Cacao, Inc. (dba/aka Auro Chocolate) (Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines).

The cacao used to make this tree-to-bar chocolate was from the Saloy Estate on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

Aroma and flavor notes included: a warm blend of chocolate; honeyed spirits (sweet rum, vanilla marshmallow, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, very faint smokey-sweet tobacco); and very light, balanced citrus and chili. 

Texture: smooth chocolate with a satisfying melt + barely detectable very tiny buttery, crunchy toffee bits.

I really enjoyed the harmonious complexity; the orchestra of flavors played very well together. Lots of elements to enjoy, without any one flavor inclusion being too dominant. 

This chocolate was sweet, but the overall sweetness had a lot of attractive depth (muscovado (brown) sugar, honey, citrus, rum) vs. a wall of flat and buzzy white sugar).

Maker's description: "the finest cacao...infused with Don Papa Masskara--a premium, pot-distilled rum infused with honey, calamansi and chili labuyo..."

Ingredients: "Cacao mass, organic muscovado sugar, cacao butter, cane sugar, honey, baking soda, dried calamansi, natural calamansi extract powder, soy lecithin (as emulsifier), dried chili powder, rum"

Allergen-related information: Contains Soy. "This product is manufactured in a facility that processes other products which may contain milk, oats, tree nuts and peanuts."

Solkiki - Maranon Coconut Dark Milk 60% Whisky Nibs - Aug. 17, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Solkiki
Maranon Coconut Dark Milk 60% Whisky Nibs (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 305 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $15.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Xocolatl Garden, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate & Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Maranon 60% Coconut Dark Milk Whisky Nibs (bar) was from Solkiki Chocolatemaker (Dorset, U.K.). The company's founders (Iris and Bob) were early entrants (in 2008) in the new wave of bean-to-bar craft chocolate makers in the U.K.

The cacao used to make this whisky bar was Fortunato No. 4 Maranon cacao (a prized "Pure Nacional" variety from Peru). 

Starward Whisky (Australia) brought a rich, satisfying flavor (deep red wine, oak) into the cacao nibs and the entire bar.

Aroma and flavor notes included: pleasingly aromatic and warm whisky and dark chocolate. The coconut (fresh coconut + caramel) was very subtle (barely detectable) and the unrefined cane sugar added faint, warm brown sugar flavor depth that complemented the whisky and chocolate very nicely.

Texture: relatively smooth dark chocolate populated with a generous field of tiny crunchy (cacao nib) bits.

Not surprisingly, as someone who enjoys dark chocolate and bold, balanced spirits (whiskey) flavors, I really liked this bar. I found it a little addictive. 

I appreciated the makers' thoughtful, short list of quality and organic ingredients. And I liked that the coconut in this coconut milk chocolate was dialed back a little, serving as a successful background contributor vs. being more prominent.

Ingredients: "Organic Fortunato No.4 cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cold-pressed cacao butter, organic coconut, pink salt, Starward Whisky Fortunato No.4 nibs."

Allergen-related information: Contains Coconut. "Vegan. May contain traces of soy, nuts, gluten"