Chuao Caracas & Firecracker

When I was a teenager, my sister used to say she loved the crunch in life.  I wholeheartedly agree, which is why Chuao’s Caracas bar, 60%, with almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios virtually screamed to me from the shelf of my local Pier 1.  The Venezuelan chocolate is nondescript, but there are plenty of nuts.  I’m racking my brain to say more about this chocolate, but who cares about the packaging (looked pretty enough but didn’t open well) if the product is a disappointment? It would all be damning with faint praise.

Their Firecracker bar, also 60%, with chipotle, salt and popping candy was even worse.  In a pinch, I could scarf down some of the first one, but this was spicy, bitter, and lacked whatever pop it was supposed to have.  

You can do far better for $5.50 a bar at your local supermarket (think Dagoba, Green & Blacks, and Theo, all of which are much less expensive and reliably delicous). I hope I have the good sense to resist trying another Chuao creation.

Godiva Chocoiste Dark Chocolate Cherries

 

I was in the airport the other day and a bit peckish for something sweet when I spied the Godiva counter.  Normally, all I have to do is catch their logo to scurry in the opposite direction, but I was feeling open-minded and curious to see what was new.   Almost nothing appealed to me, and I was about to walk away when I spied a small box of dark chocolate covered dried cherries.  Right out  of the gate, on the front of the box, they say: “made from real dried cherries.” After tasting the Hershey’s Extra Dark with Pomegranate, they ought to say if the fruit is real or a gummy facsimile; so, I was happy to learn these were the genuine article, from a tree not a lab.  

Imagine  my surprise when they were actually good. Just the right amount of dark, bittersweet coating, nicely shiny and perfectly chewy-fresh inside. OK, they are not my dream version of this combo, which would be an organic dried cherry covered with some incredible single origin dark chocolate from Burdick or Beschle.  On closer  notice, I realized the cherries were sweetened, but they weren’t cloying sweet. The people at Godiva exercised some restraint. While  I am generally not fond of their products,  I would buy these again in a pinch.

Hershey’s Extra Dark 60% With Pomegranate

 

Just like you, I am sometimes prone to impulse buying, which is how I came to try Hershey’s Extra Dark 60% with Pomegranate.  You would think Hershey’s could temper a bar; apparently not.  There wasn’t a snap in the house when I broke off a piece, but that was the least of my issues.  The chewiness of the chocolate was punctuated with tiny globs of mini-gummy balls flavored with pomegranate.  I imagine these are made from the various fruit juice concentrates and pectin listed as ingredients. God forbid they should use actual freeze dried fruit pieces, or simply dried fruit.  In all fairness, they do say, right on the label, “Pure dark chocolate with pomegranate flavored pieces.”  Until sampling this bar, my mind simply wouldn’t compute what that sentence could mean, so I think I saw the word pomegranate and thought,”This could be interesting.”  Well, it was, as in the old curse: May you live an interesting life. I honestly can’t think of any reason you would ever buy this product.  If you’re looking for extra health benefits with your chocolate you might like to choose something organic and darker than 60%.  Try eating a handful of blueberries at the same time and you’ll get a far greater nutritional boost than from this ersatz-tasting product.

L.A.Burdick Chocolate Covered Grenada Cocoa Beans

Just a quick reminder, since I have been inundated with cocoa nibs. L.A. Burdick’s Chocolate Covered Grenada Cocoa Beans are little bean-shaped clusters of crunchy, toasted nibs dipped in single origin dark chocolate.  I have reviewed these before, but no nib quest would be complete without their inclusion. Bon appetit!

Sweetriot Nibs in 65% Chocolate

I guess the nibs craze has finally hit chocolateratings.com as this is the third time in the past two weeks I am reviewing a nib product.

In the old days, i.e. my youth, I would have immediately fallen for these because they come in an adorable tin.  Now, from my somewhat jaded mid-life perspective, what’s inside is equally important. Sweetriot has a nifty little product here: crunchy nibs coated in 65% dark chocolate.  A good fusion of sweetness and intense chocolatey nibs.

After my experience with Pure Dark’s mixes I would suggest blending these with some nuts (any will work well) and some small pieces of dried fruit (again, whatever you like should be yummy).   It will make the contents of your one ounce tin last longer, and there’s something really great about mixing up all those textures and flavors.  I recently tried a hodgepodge of dried apple, pecans, dried (slightly sweetened) cranberries, chocolate covered nibs,  and a few chopped macadamias. Just delicious.

Of course, the small size of Sweetriot’s tin makes it perfect for your handbag or briefcase.  This would be a great alternative to popcorn in the movies.  I’m thinking of mixing them with some dark chocolate covered raisins from Sconza (see prior review), diced crystallized ginger, and toasted walnuts.

Azure Chocolat

Heather Foley has quite an imagination.  She offers a dark Provincal Almond Bark with Belgian chocolate, whole roasted almonds, lavender oil and sea salt. A Tamari Almond bark, where the almonds are candied with Tamari (very rich soy that has been marinating for two years) and sugar in milk chocolate, and the one I sampled, Beauty Bark, enhanced with walnuts, blueberries, cocoa nibs, and sea salt.  It may sound like a frenzy of flavors, but everything blended harmoniously with the milk dark chocolate.

If you are a S’mores lover Heather has you covered, in dark or milk. I vastly prefer dark chocolate, so I tried that version.  Vanilla rose marshmallow and chocolate ganache are sandwiched between two home made cinnamon honey grahams.  This was enormous.  I didn’t detect much rose flavor in the marshmallow,  but it was divine, the thin layer of ganache an added bonus, and the graham crackers crumbly.  

I would like to try some of her other wares, like the chocolate marshmallows dunked in dark chocolate, and  some of her truffles: Bergamot with Earl Grey tea, vanilla vodka and candied orange peel, Mexican Rose with coffee, cinnamon and rose water, and Dubbel Dark Ale topped with dark beer brittle.

Heather also offers Classic Toffee with walnuts, pecans and sea salt in either dark or milk chocolate.

Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds

These are manufactured by the Diamond Nut Company.  As it happens, I actually contacted them years ago to ask about integrated pest management.  It turns out that they do utilize IPM which means they spray only the  smallest amount of pesticides necessary; sometimes, none.

I saw these at Target the other day and had been wanting to try the little 100 calorie packs, as they are good for traveling, handbags, and the car.  The nuts are very attractive, with a dark cocoa coating that I feared would be messy, like that on French truffles, but it wasn’t.  It’s almost as if a very thin cocoa veneer has been lacquered on each nut. One bag has only one gram of sugar, so they aren’t sweet, but they are very satisfying and different.  Extremely crunchy, fresh, and full of goodness: 4% of iron, 4% of calcium, 20% of vitamin E, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and only 15mg of sodium.

I would buy them again in a heartbeat as their portability makes them an excellent choice when healthy options are unavailable.

Navitas Naturals Organic Sweet Raw Chocolate Nibs

How fortuitous that these arrived right after my rave review of Pure Dark’s offerings,  where nibs are a central ingredient and a delight in and of themselves.  The nibs from Navitas Naturals are different from those at Pure Dark.  They are organic, Fair Trade, sweetened with organic sugar cane juice and have added cocao liquor.  Pretty unadulterated; actually, but tweaked enough to take those raw nibs from ordinary  to exceptional.  

These are delicious right from the bag, and they pack a nutritional punch with five grams of fiber and a ton of antioxidants.  The people at Navitas suggest adding them to smoothies, cereal, ice cream. and cookies.  I think recipes in which they are pulverized in a blender work well, as do those in which you want to highlight the crunch.

If you are a nib aficionado it could be fun to taste a variety: Navitas’ plain and sweetened, and Pure Dark’s chocolate covered and caramelized varieties.

Pure Dark

 

Just when you think you have things figured out, the universe teaches you a lesson.  I recently commented that chocolate typically falls into two categories: elegant or earthy. Then, I tasted Pure Dark which manages to be both high end and primal. The last time I had this particular experience was when I got my hands on some of England’s finest organic chocolate from Montezumas (unfortunately, they are not keen on shipping to the U.S.).  Well, now I know where to get my next fix; but, don’t say I didn’t warn you: This chocolate is highly addictive.  I had to exert some major self-control to stop eating the barks, and one of the mixes is like trail mix on crack.

Pure Dark’s barks and slabs come packaged in simple waxed butcher’s paper sporting a block print design of cacao pods.  It’s lovely and provides lots of room to lean over as you scarf down their wares. I sampled three. The first was a thick slab enhanced with caramelized nibs and coarse sugar.  The incredible texture and crunch had me from the first bite, complex flavors, with just the right amount of sugar, complimented the crunch and sweetness of the nibs. An awesome combination.  Next up was the bark topped with walnuts, cranberries, blueberries, and nibs. This was much thinner, and almost as addictive.  An exciting mix of flavor, texture, chewiness, and chocolate intensity.  Last, I tried the plain slab (the slabs are abut 1″ thick).  I thought this would be boring in comparison to the other two, but it was fabulous.  Something about biting into that thick brick of chocolate, the aroma, the funky marks from the tines used to break up the chocolate from a very large block, and the delicious, deep, dark flavor gives them every right to call it Pure Dark.

Next up, I sampled three of their 1″ flat chocolate discs they call rounds.  Raspberry, with an intense dusting of dehydrated raspberry powder that looked as if it had been air-brushed on top, was different from any other raspberry I have ever tasted.  The concentrated fruit flavor really blew me away.  Cardamom was similarly dressed in a coating of fine spice powder that is a great choice for all of you who, like me, are partial to this flavor.  Chipotle rounds had a good balance of sweetness and heat, wonderful for revving up your endorphins.  I strongly suggest allowing the disc to melt slowly in your mouth–it is the perfect size–and experience a heavenly merging of fruit or spice, and incredibly satisfying chocolate.

There was also a  bag of mixed nibs that blended caramelized  nibs, plain nibs, and dark chocolate coated nibs.  While the enrobed ones were my favorites, I like the mix of textures when all three were combined.  You could supplement this with a variety of dried fruits and roasted nuts for a unique combination; or, you could partake of one of their designer mixes: Fusion, with pecans, candied ginger, caramelized nibs, and dark chocolate covered nibs was unusual but tasty.  Ginger and chocolate covered nibs are very seductive: crunchy, hot-sweet, and silky.   The Island Mix was a winner from the first bite, sweet mango played against buttery macadamias, crunchy caramelized nibs and smooth chocolate coated nibs.  Caveat emptor. It really is challenging to stop eating this.

I enjoyed every one of the products I tried.  My two absolute favorites were the slab with crystalized sugar and nibs, and the dark chocolate covered nibs.  Both are different from other offerings on the chocolate scene, and only become more delicious with each bite.  My chocolates arrived in a burlap sack with a drawstring.  It was utilitarian and oddly aesthetic in a rough hewn way.

Amano Artisan Chocolate: Montanya 70%, Jembrana 30% milk, & Ocumare 30% milk

I am a big fan of Art Pollard’s chocolates (see other reviews).  This new dark bar, Montanya, made with beans from northern Venezuela, in an area only accessible on horseback, is delicious.  It’s tempered to a satisfying snap, the bar is scored into perfect bite-sized pieces, and last but not least, the flavor is deep and complex.  There are notes of tobacco and plum, with just a hint of acidity to balance out the richness of the chocolate.  On the box, it says the dominant flavors are apricot and marshmallow.  I disagree. That description might lead you to think Montanya is wimpy, but it’s not.  This chocolate makes a big statement, which is why a little goes a long way.  A good thing, as Art’s bars are all two ounces and retail for $8.95 each.  One of the reasons I adore his wares is that a few pieces really sate my chocolate cravings.

The artwork on all three boxes, two paintings by Carie Henri, and one by Alexander Selytin, is so appealing against the shiny color-saturated backgrounds that you’d have to be made of stone to resist buying one of these on the visuals alone.  

As for the two new milk bars, I must confess, when I saw that each was made with 30% chocolate I almost let out a disappointed sigh. Immediately, I recollected all the other bars I had tried that were cloyingly sweet and vapid; but, these were Art’s babies so my optimism was stoked.   The Ocumare has more of a crisp texture than is typical with most milk chocolates, and, happily, the flavor of the beans still comes through.  It isn’t cloyingly sweet, making it an excellent choice for adults who want a more sophisticated, but still milky chocolate. The Jembrana is milder.  It would be interesting to have a milk chocolate tasting with the Ocumare, some of Slitti’s Lattenero (see review), and the Seeds of Change 43%.  It certainly seems as if there’s a strong trend towards higher cacao content milk bars, and Art is bucking that with two 30% options.