Desbarres Chocolate

What do you really want from your chocolate? An energy boost? A calming break in your day? A gustatory joy? I expect a lot from my chocolate. Deep, rich taste, snappy tempering, a texture that enhances all the above, appealing packaging, and ethical sourcing. Quite a tall order.

Luckily for me, there are many incredible options out there. One of the newest is Desbarres from Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada. A micro-batch bean to bar manufacturer and brainchild of Ariane and Erik Hansen. They currently offer six different bars from Madagascar, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Trinidad, all in the 72-85% range. A distinguishing characteristic of all their chocolates is the two ingredient factor: the bars contain only chocolate and organic cane sugar. This, combined with their penchant for higher cocoa percentages, enables you to taste the bean in its least adulterated form.

Ariane designed all the packaging and it is lovely. The inner cardboard sleeve has a reproduction of a map drawn by Giovanni Batista from the 16th century. It shows the Tropic of Capricorn as a reference point, since chocolate is grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, 10 degrees north and south of the equator.

All four of the bars I sampled were beautifully tempered with a nice gloss, and a satisfying snap. Each weighs 38 grams. That may sound like a small portion, but the chocolate is so satisfying I found a few bites truly sated my cravings.

The 72% Ambanja from Madagascar tasted of citrus and berries with a slightly dry finish. The circus was non-acidic, just there to add some complexity and balance to the berries. The beans are lauded by other chocolatiers and hail from the Akesson Estate in northern Madagascar.

The Ambaja 85% bar was a different cat altogether, even though the bean was the same. Here, the citrus berry combo was accented with a deep earthiness. If you are looking for an intense, uber chocolate experience, this is it.

Kilombero, from Tanzania, 78%, was also earthy, with coffee and caramel notes.

Camino Verde, also 78%, from Ecuador was the fruitiest of the four, and had a creamier finish.

All delivered a satisfying chocolate experience designed to highlight the nuances, complexities, and unique characteristics of each bean.

Beans needed for chocolate research

Dr Xiaonan Lu has been chosen by IUFoST for the “Young Scientist Award 2016”

The University of British Columbia needs 50 beans from as many origins as possible. Please send some.

Dr Lu, University of British Columbia, is conducting a study about the cacao beans profile to see if he can correlate their origin to one or several of the parameters he is measuring and maybe develop an automatic recognition of the origin of any bean or other automatic recognition he would find.

He would like to get as many origins as possible. Can you send him some of your beans and ask your friends / suppliers / contacts to do so?
He needs 50-100 beans of each type to conduct the experiments. The more types (and locations), the better. He will be happy to share the results with you after.

Please email us to let us know what you can do and send the beans to “Pierre Gruget, 5971 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC, V7W2S1, CANADA”

And please give all the information you have on the beans (country, province / state / town, village, farm, elevation, and whenever you know: age of the tree, when it was picked from the tree, any comment on the growing condition (use that pesticide 3 years ago…surrounding (vegetation such as coffee trees, or any significant activity (wood oven at 20m, lake… at 50m, sulfuric acid emitted 5 km away …), variety if you know it, orientation (NW or SW) of the hill if any, soil if you know it, any analysis you may have, even old…
Only the country is mandatory today but more information would be great. If providing several samples don’t forget to identify them Lot 1 Lot 2…

All information will be kept anonymous.
If needed, we will be happy to reimburse you the costs.
Enjoying that research, sincerely yours.

Pierre Gruget

UBC Chocolate (Non Profit Group supporting Research on Chocolate at University of BC)
UBCchocolate @gmail.com

Research conducted by Dr. Xiaonan LU, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Food Safety Engineering | Food Nutrition and Health Program
The University of British Columbia
Office 604 822 2551 | Fax 604 822 5143
xiaonan.lu@ubc.ca
http://foodsafetyengineering.landfood.ubc.ca
Publication in Food and Chemistry journal
Volume 202, 1 July 2016, Pages 254–261

Kirkland Signature Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds with Turbinado Sugar & Sea Salt

I have never been to a Costco, but I heard about these almonds and bought some on Amazon. They are so amazingly delicious I have been buying them monthly ever since.

What makes them crave-worthy is the perfect amount of 70% dark, ethically sourced chocolate encasing each crunchy roasted nut. Apparently, some great chocolatier calibrated the exact right ratio of creamy chocolate to nut. Believe me, it’s not easy to do. Too little chocolate and I’m left wanting more. Too much and it overwhelms the nut presence.

Then, they add just a touch of sea salt and turbinado sugar crystals, both of which amp up and balance out the other flavors and textures. The result is divine.

Adding to my joy is the relatively healthy nutritional profile for dessert: 1/4 cup (40 grams) has 14 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, 55 mgs of sodium, and 4 grams of protein. Not so bad for something so incredibly satisfying.

By the way, I have tried similar products from other makers and they are not as good.

At the time of this review (6-22-16) a 32 ounce bag was selling on Amazon for just under $25 with free shipping.

Eating Evolved Primal Chocolate

I love gustatory experimentation, so when a few coconut sugar sweetened bars from Primal Chocolate came across the transom, I was intrigued. Coconut sugar is touted by some for its lower glycemic index than table sugar. Other nutritionists say it’s on a par with honey, though vegan. Regardless of the conflicting theories, it is an alternative sweetener that comes from the sap of the coconut palm.

Eating Evolved’s motto is: Chocolate: It’s food, not candy. I completely concur. At least, the chocolate I usually gravitate towards that is lower in sugar. As a matter of fact, dark chocolate is one of the 15 superfoods and chock full of phytochemicals, healthy fats, fiber, iron, etc.

I tried three of their bars:

Their signature dark rolls in at 72% and is a very satisfying, earthy bar with a creamy texture. Easy to eat and quite satisfying. Crunchy Caramel is 85% cacao, yet it has the same 7 grams of sugar in a 28 gram portion as the signature dark. Both have a dry finish. Almond Sea Salt, my favorite of the trio, also has 7 grams of sugar per 28 gram serving with the addition of slivers of almond and a sprinkle of sea salt. The added dimension of flavor from the almonds and sea salt made this bar the most interesting and flavorsome, while the nuts provided a lovely crunch.

MilkBoy Swiss Chocolate

A few years ago, there was an article about Japanese workers going into the forest for a day of rest and relaxation. The salubrious effects of this outing were obvious to all, especially the researcher investigating what he called Forest Therapy. When he was asked how he de-stesses while working in a windowless lab all day he said he used essential oil of Balsam Fir Needle. I tried it, and it beautifully transports me to a deep glade in an emerald wood.

MilkBoy’s 60% dark bar with essential Pine Tree Oil reminded me of that relaxing experience. I would have thought pine and chocolate might clash, but they are an inspired combination. The citrusy edge of pine with a creamy medium dark chocolate creates a balance of flavors and velvety texture. It’s perfect for the gustatory explorer in you.

As you already know, the Swiss are famous for their super creamy chocolates, especially, the milks. If you love milk chocolate, their velvety Swiss Milk chocolate bar is an indulgent option. They also offer a Lemon and Ginger version and one with Crunchy Caramel and Sea Salt. As you might imagine, the latter is quite sweet; yet, the addition of sea salt perks up the caramel flavors to the point of making the bar interesting and complex. For a dark chocolate lover like me, the Lemon and Ginger was a revelation: tart with just the right amount of acidity and a hint of ginger, it elevated the milk chocolate into adult territory.

85% is more my thing, and their 85% bar is super smooth, low in sugar, and beautifully tempered. The taste is rich, sophisticated, with a slightly dry, lingering finish. The vanilla is applied with a light touch so it gently enhances the bean’s flavor.

MilkBoy also makes a plain milk bar for those who love a pristine version, and a white chocolate rendition with bourbon vanilla.

All the bars are a generous 3.5 ounces and come in a lovely cardboard package adorned with black, paper cut silhouettes evoking an Alpine village, complete with cows.

K’UL Chocolate Bean-to-Bar

I love innovation. Not for innovation’s sake, but when it truly improves something. K’UL (pronounced cool) Chocolate is definitely innovative. Founder, Peter Kelsey, calls his bars Superfood and I can see why. Chock full of nuts, seeds, anti-oxidants, and supplements each bar is its own little powerhouse of nutrition. It’s food, not candy. Vegan and gluten free.

K’UL Chocolate travels to the cacao farms, selects the beans and imports them. Then they roast, winnow and grind the beans. They make it their mission to improve the lives and environment of the farmers. Luckily, this kind of ethical agenda drives more and more chocolate companies.

The bars are designed by athletes for athletes. If you are into endurance sports or big adventures, K’UL Chocolate has a bar for you. The packaging itself is water proof and pocket sized. This means that even if you are hiking the Amazon and your chocolate melts, you can still neatly squeeze out its soft goodness.

I sampled a few and found them brimming with add-ins. My favorite was the Maca & Fruit bar. Maca is an ancient root that is used for energy, but it does not contain caffeine. (Here’s a link to more information on its benefits: http://draxe.com/top-5-maca-root-benefits-and-nutrition/) The combination of cherries, cranberries, raspberries and pomegranate is divinely chewy, and plays beautifully with the 70% chocolate.

All the chocolate they use is 70%. The pure bar has an earthy profile with a slightly dry finish and undertones of dark fruits, like raisins and plums. While I liked it, I was a bigger fan of the bars with add-ins, and not just for their added nutritional punch, but for their visual appeal. The fruits and nuts are mixed in so you can still see them peeking though the chocolate, quite beautiful.

Saltsensation, with sea salt flakes, was delicious. That little bit of sodium really amped up the chocolate’s flavor giving it a multi-layered, nuanced taste.

Peanuts & Currants was very satisfying, and a perfect choice for a hike or a briefcase.

Endurance, enhanced with Pumpkin seeds, Guarana and cranberries had a marvelous combination of crunchy and chewy textures. Guarana is like caffeine on steroids, so be warned if you are sensitive to its effects. On the other hand, if your body thrives on that extra burst of energy, this bar’s for you.

The folks at K’UL are always creating new combinations, so keep checking out their website for new temptations.

NOTE: They have a special introductory offer on their website where you can buy a variety pack of four bars for $11.99, including shipping.

Pacari Chocolate Covered Cacao Beans, Tropical Fruits and Nibs, and Drinking Cacao

The older I get the more alluring a new chocolate taste, texture, or even packaging, can be. So I was delighted to sample some of Pacari’s offerings.

Before I tell you about the chocolate, let’s talk about the visuals. The black sleeve encasing five mini boxes of dark chocolate covered fruits, espresso beans, and nibs is so appealing, any jaded chocophile would be thrilled to tuck into its contents. Whole, dark chocolate covered cacao beans, three larger boxes to a pack, also come in their own black cardboard box. Somehow, all that black makes them alluring.

Pacari uses Ecuadorian organic beans from small farms, cared for by 2500 families. They are committed to biodynamic techniques and have won many awards. Clearly, this chocolate has good karma.

Though there are five boxes (two ounces each) in the Tropical Fruits gift pack, there are four flavors: two dark chocolate covered banana, one dark chocolate covered nibs, one dark chocolate covered golden berries, and one dark chocolate covered espresso beans. The first thing I noticed after tasting all four varieties was the perfect amount of chocolate covering. Just enough to let the intensity of their centers come through. You might think banana is not intense, but these little dried pieces pack a ton of flavor, along with a satisfying chewy texture, and a hit of tropical fruit aroma. The espresso beans are super crunchy and full of caffeine. What a wonderful way to get a bit of a pick-me-up in the afternoon; especially, if you need something easily portable. The nibs, because they are small, sport a mini-crunch that’s addictive. The golden berries were my favorite for their burst of chewy, slightly acidic flavor complemented by that perfect layer of chocolate. Apparently, I am not the only one to think they’re divine, as they received the 2012 gold medal from The International Chocolate Awards.

Pacari’s Chocolate Covered Cocoa Beans come in three flavors: Natural, Banana, and Ginger. Each box is 3.17 ounces and there is one of each in a package. Frankly, I think this is a very gutsy, even visionary, product to produce. It shows an incredible respect for chocolate lovers everywhere who have embraced whole foods, and have cultivated an adult palate for deeper, less sweet chocolate. These are not to be scarfed down, but savored. If you love the crunch in life, each chocolate covered roasted bean will more than sate your craving. I would eat a few with some Jasmine Green or Silver Needle tea. Amazingly, for all their punch, there is no bitterness. The natural flavor beans were the essence of cacao, but refined. The ginger flavor had been done with a gentle touch, so the spice didn’t overwhelm. As for the banana, as you would imagine, it added a bit of extra sweetness, and a whiff of banana flavor. An interesting trio, and a fantastic choice for a chocolate tasting. Each chocolate coated bean was dusted with cocoa powder which made them look like truffles.

Pacari’s drinking chocolate is another visual and gustatory winner. The cocoa itself is Arriba Nacional, one of the world’s best if you like fruity, floral flavors. It’s a subtle, yet compelling, flavor profile that is full of nuance. I used some of this 100% cocoa in a simple brownie recipe. Once they cooled, I crumbled them and stirred the chunks into tempered dark milk chocolate to make brownie bites. Delicious. Far simpler is to mix some into a cup of steaming milk with your favorite sweetener for an almost instant treat.

Pacari likes to promote the work of local artists. Paula Barragan’s work adorns this box. You can see more of it here: http://www.paulabarragan.com. I checked out her art and it is beautifully energetic, open, colorful, and inviting.

Pacari offers free shipping on all orders over $25. That’s a rarity and an extra incentive to get tempted…as if you needed one.

Hoja Verde Chocolate

Just when I thought I had heard every cool thing one could know about chocolate and its production here comes Hoja Verde with their factory right on the equator. Since 2014 it has been in Cayambe, Ecuador, bisected by the equator. One half is located in the northern hemisphere and the other half in the southern hemisphere.

Their beans, the now famous Arriba or cocoa Nacional, are sourced from an area above the Guavas river in Ecuador. I have written about them before as their lovely floral notes and lack of bitterness are fairly legendary.

Let’s start with the four bonbons, all made with 58% dark chocolate. I have an affinity for chocolate with passion fruit and this little gem combined them in a happy marriage of crisply tempered chocolate encasing a delicious filling of passion fruit, whole milk and sugar. Rich, sweet, and decadent. Guava was also stellar. Mint, with its creamy green filling rang in at a perfect pitch of sharp coolness, while tangerine had a surprisingly mellow citrus flavor.

I also sampled eight 50 gram bars, each with 14 rectangular pieces. The 50% dark milk bar was just luscious. There’s nothing like a great dark milk chocolate and this one hit a home run with its adult, not-too-sweet flavor, snappy temper, and smooth texture.

There are three 58% bars, all somewhat sweet, but still full of dark bean complexity and depth. One had crunchy peanuts embedded on its side, another was mixed with toasted quinoa, giving a more subtle textural interest, and the third was infiltrated with chia seeds that gave it a slightly more pronounced crunch.

The remaining bars did not have add-ins, which allowed for the full flavor profile of the beans to come through. All had a firm temper. The 58% and 66% bars have 4 grams of sugar per 10 grams of chocolate. The 66% was far more layered, reminiscent of dark fruits and dusky florals. The 58% was better suited to the three previously mentioned bars. 72% was sublime. Those same dark fruity notes with chestnut and a perfectly balanced long dry finish. 80%, an almost black chocolate, was also immensely satisfying as it had everything the 72% offered plus a deeper, earthier, perfectly rounded flavor not easily achieved in an 80% bar. To me, Arriba beans shine in the bars with higher cacao content as they bring a softness to what might otherwise be too intense.

ChoN’anga Chocolate Barks

Johannes Busch, Nelson Schwab IV, and Brando Tijerina are the triumvirate behind ChoN’anga Chocolate with benefits. Together, they have created a line of barks and truffles infused with herbs, nuts, and fruits. Each one has a different focus from energizing to relaxing.

I sampled six of their seven barks. They come in two sizes: single serving 40 gram pouches and 114 gram bags, both of which are resealable. The barks are made with 70% couverture from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.

Unlike other bark type chocolates, these are already cut into small rectangles that make them neater to eat.

ENERGY is enhanced with sprouted almonds, matcha green tea, dried blueberries and bee pollen, all of which pack a rejuvenating and nutritional punch. I liked the crunchy nuts, chewy berries, and uplifting qualities of the tea and bee pollen.

BREATHE is refreshing with its addition of mint, blueberries, hemp seeds, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, cocoa nibs, and osha root. That last one was new to me so I looked it up. Here is what I found on a site by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP: “Osha root has long been used by Native Americans for cold, cough, and other respiratory ailments. The root contains oils, including camphor, saponins, ferulic acid, terpenes, and phytosterols. One of the most notable benefits is its numbing effect, used to help soothe the irritated tissue of a sore throat. It has been an ingredient in cough drops and lozenges and can even be made into a cough syrup that is more effective than echinacea and goldenseal.” I did feel as if I was breathing more freely after eating just one piece. (Other research has shown that chocolate itself is very effective at relieving coughs. See one of the many articles here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4032585.stm)

SUPER ANTI-OXIDANT has organic almonds, pecans, blueberries, cherries, golden berries, ginger, sesame seeds., matcha green tea, and turmeric. That might sound like a gustatory free-for-all, but each ingredient was used judiciously making the final product still very choco-centric.

VIBRANCY has a very lovely aroma of lavender and rose petals along with its add-ins of sunflower seeds, blueberries, nettle leaf, and damiana. Historically, damiana has been used as an aphrodisiac and sexual potency booster by the native peoples of Mexico, including the Mayan Indians. It also increases energy, and helps asthma, depression, and menstrual problems.

RECOVERY has a chewier texture as it is full of organic cherries, ginger, and banana. There’s also a crunchy undertone from organic pecans, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds. A very yummy combo.

VITALITY was another bar chockfull of fruits and nuts including sunflower seeds, figs, dates, hemp seeds, maca root, Siberian ginseng, ginkgo biloba, and horny goat weed. (Here’s a link to more information on horny goat weed: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-699-horny%20goat%20weed.aspx?activeingredientid=699&activeingredientname=horny%20goat%20weed)

Clearly, it might not be wise to scarf down bags and bags of these nutritionally enhanced chocolates at one sitting. I sampled some of each one at the same time and felt no adverse effects. Of course, chocolate itself has 300+ phytochemicals, so anytime you’re eating a 70% or higher bar you are already getting myriad health benefits. The additional ingredients in ChoN’anga are wonderful if you are looking for specific enhancements.

The company is also happy to create custom blends and bulk orders if you have specific dietary goals or requirements.

Chocolate Inspirations: Sweet Buddies

Are they called Sweet Buddies because there are two to a pack? Or, is it because they will be your chocolate pals? Maybe, the ingredients are good buddies? Beats me. All I know is they are another great creation from Chocolate Inspirations.

My favorite of the trio has salted vanilla bean caramel paired with roasted peanuts and enrobed in 58% dark chocolate. What makes these extra delicious is the perfectly chewy texture of the caramel. It allows each bite to last a satisfyingly long time. I am always amazed at how a little sea salt can both highlight the individual flavors and then corral them into a fiesta of complex flavors. Heaven!

I liked the sublime combination of salted vanilla caramel and marshmallow in the next bar because the coconut cream came through more strongly. A completely different experience, it seduced me with silky, slightly chewy marshmallow enhanced by the chewier caramel and thick chocolate couverture. Since there are not many marshmallow and chocolate confections available, I would suggest trying these if you love that combo.

Though not enrobed in chocolate, the last duo was salted vanilla caramel and peanut. Even though I am a chocophile, this bar was just wonderful. Without couverture, the saltiness of the caramel was accentuated and highlighted by crunchy nuts.

There was not a weight on the wrapper, though each bar is about 2 ounces, giving you two big portions in each package.

More health benefits from chocolate

“DALLAS, March 18, 2014 — The health benefits of eating dark chocolate have been extolled for centuries, but the exact reason has remained a mystery — until now. Researchers reported here today that certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart.

Their findings were unveiled at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. The meeting, attended by thousands of scientists, features more than 10,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics. It is being held at the Dallas Convention Center and area hotels through Thursday.

“We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the ‘good’ ones and the ‘bad’ ones,” explained Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study’s researchers.

“The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate,” she said. “When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory.” The other bacteria in the gut are associated with inflammation and can cause gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. These include some Clostridia and some E. coli.

“When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke,” said John Finley, Ph.D., who led the work. He said that this study is the first to look at the effects of dark chocolate on the various types of bacteria in the stomach. The researchers are with Louisiana State University.

The team tested three cocoa powders using a model digestive tract, comprised of a series of modified test tubes, to simulate normal digestion. They then subjected the non-digestible materials to anaerobic fermentation using human fecal bacteria, according to Finley.

He explained that cocoa powder, an ingredient in chocolate, contains several polyphenolic, or antioxidant, compounds such as catechin and epicatechin, and a small amount of dietary fiber. Both components are poorly digested and absorbed, but when they reach the colon, the desirable microbes take over. “In our study we found that the fiber is fermented and the large polyphenolic polymers are metabolized to smaller molecules, which are more easily absorbed. These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity,” he said.

Finley also noted that combining the fiber in cocoa with prebiotics is likely to improve a person’s overall health and help convert polyphenolics in the stomach into anti-inflammatory compounds. “When you ingest prebiotics, the beneficial gut microbial population increases and outcompetes any undesirable microbes in the gut, like those that cause stomach problems,” he added. Prebiotics are carbohydrates found in foods like raw garlic and cooked whole wheat flour that humans can’t digest but that good bacteria like to eat. This food for your gut’s helpful inhabitants also comes in dietary supplements.

Finley said that people could experience even more health benefits when dark chocolate is combined with solid fruits like pomegranates and acai. Looking to the future, he said that the next step would be for industry to do just that.

This study was supported by the Louisiana State College of Agriculture and a Louisiana AgCenter Undergraduate Research Grant.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.”

This research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Amore di Mona

In our current chocolate laden world it is difficult to create something that stands out. Chef Meagan of Amore di Mona has managed to do that with her Madhava agave sweetened dark chocolates and caramels. Using agave gives them a much lower glycemic index and is particularly well suited to caramels.

I sampled the plain dark bar first. With only four grams of sugar in a 35 gram portion, the whole bar, it was just sweet enough to make it a treat, rather than a health food. The agave has an interesting effect on the temper, giving it a slightly creamier texture.

Next up were the two Caramela bars, each weighing in at 64 grams. It’s hard to believe there are only two grams of sugar in each 21 gram square, as they taste rich and immensely satisfying. The very fact that there are three large squares per box makes them a super portable way to enjoy dark chocolate coated caramels. I can easily see taking these along with me to the movies, as their perfectly chewy centers prolongs your enjoyment. The one with cranberries adds an extra layer of sweetness and texture. Using apple juice sweetened cranberries makes these even more crave-worthy, while the addition of organic ground vanilla beans beautifully rounds out the caramel-chocolate flavors.

I also tried their box of assorted chocolates: dark, caramela, caramela with cranberries, caramela with cherries, caramela with crunchy coffee beans, dark with currants, and dark with crunchy coffee beans. The dark chocolates are heart-shaped and very visually appealing. The caramelas are more rectangular. Slightly chewy, creamy caramel blends wonderfully with all the add-ins, though the one that really woke up my taste buds was studded with crunchy coffee beans. What a great juxtaposition of flavors and textures.

Always one to pay attention to packaging, I appreciated the ribbon and seal adorning both boxes.

Artisana Organics Criollo Chocolates

Artisana chocolate has a history that goes back to 1700. The family has been farming cacao in Venezuela for over three hundred years, long before we even conceptualized an “organic” food label. It was always organic and still is, though now it’s USDA certified, Non-GMO, vegan, and gluten free.

I happen to have an on-going love affair with criollo beans and all three of their bars are made with this complex, yet mellow chocolate. There are three iterations: 65%, 75%, and 85%. Each 50 gram bar comes in a pretty cardboard envelope with a foil liner. The bars themselves are divided into six rectangles with a lovely bas relief of a cacao pod. Each rectangle has raised sides and an indented middle. For the life of me I don’t know why this design is so satisfying. Perhaps, because it accentuates the beautiful shiny, crisp temper?

Fifty gram bars are not typical, and unlike so many other companies that use small portion sizes to make nutritional information seem healthier, Artisana deems that one portion. It’s certainly not out of the question that you would eat the whole bar in one sitting; however, two large pieces are quite satisfying.

If you do decide to scarf down a whole bar you will get a whopping amount of iron. The 65% has 40% of your daily requirement, the 75% has 50%, and the 85% has 60%. For comparison, 135 grams of tenderloin has 9% of your daily iron needs.

Even though the bars sport the same criollo bean, they are vastly different in flavor. The 65% is sweet, but not too sweet. There is a tantalizingly dry edge that appears just as it melts in your mouth and continues through the finish. The combination of silkiness with that hint of dryness is deliciously balanced.

The 75% bar has an earthiness complemented by its creamy texture. Dark fruits, plum, cherry, and raisin round out its profile.

Not for the faint of heart is the 85% bar. An intense bittersweet chocolate with just 7 grams of sugar in a 50 gram portion. The dry edge is most pronounced here. If Carl Jung were a chocophile he would talk about this being the shadow side of criollo, as its sweeter incarnations look so innocent, while this super dark version challenges you with its intensity. It’s designed for those of you who want the full metal jacket of cacao’s chemical bounty.

Aldi’s Tear and Share Chocolate Lover’s Brioche from France

I don’t usually buy pastry as it is typically too sweet for me; however, this Chocolate Brioche from Aldi ($2.99) had been calling my name for a while and I finally succumbed. Lucky me. This is really delicious, even though it looks more chocolatey than it tastes, the texture is divinely chewy and satisfying. For a commercial product it is remarkably free of junky ingredients. There are palm and canola oils, but no trans fats. Every ingredient is a recognizable substance, like creme fraiche, eggs, flour, etc. One serving, 50 grams or 1/8th of the cake, contains 4 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 14 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of fiber. Definitely not a health food, but for a decadent treat at least it contains real ingredients.

I have also tried the chocolate chip brioche and did not like it nearly as much as the chocolate swirl variety because its chocolate presence was barely noticeable. On the other hand, it has 1/3 less sugar and a lovely, eggy brioche texture. Could make a great base for your favorite raw chocolate hazelnut spread, or some excellent jam.

They also offer cinnamon and vanilla cream versions.

Dark Forest Single Origin Bean-to-Bar Chocolate

It’s amazing to see how many things conspire to create an overall impression of something, especially food. Take packaging, for example. Dark Forest Chocolate, a new bean-to bar company based in Western New York, has the sweetest logo above its name: dark brown abstract trees on a shiny copper background. Charming and captivating.

Though the bars weigh in at 60 grams, or 2.1 ounces, their division into 24 small rectangles makes it seem as if they are larger.

In the high end chocolate world, there is a never ending debate about whether to add vanilla. Does it highlight cacao’s naturally complex flavor, or not? Dark Forest chocolate makers Joanne and Dan Sundell do not add vanilla to their bars, so the unadulterated flavor of the beans shines through. I find this creates an earthier experience.

It is hard to stop eating their Goat Milk Dark Chocolate (50% cacao). Made of Trinitario-Forastero beans from Uganda, it is deliciously creamy with a depth you can’t find in commercial milk chocolate bars. The wonderful edge of acidity from the goat’s milk gives it even more complexity and interest. If you love dark milk bars, this is definitely one to try.

Dark Forest’s Madagascar Criollo from the famed Akesson plantation in the Sambirano Valley is a 70% bar. I have always been a big fan of Criollo beans and this one is no exception. At first, it may seem like Criollo is the Merlot of cacao because it is so easy to scarf down, but as it lingers you appreciate the beautiful balance of fruity flavors, texture, sweetness, and depth.

Their Tanzanian is a Trinitario from the Koko Kamili Cooperative and is also 70%. I loved the lingering slightly dry finish with its dark fruit and hint of tobacco/coffee notes.

They offer more flavors, like Cinnamon Pepper Milk, in their shop and will soon be able to ship.

Catskill Provisions 70% Truffles with Raw Honey

We all know how crucial bees are to pollinating foods and flowers, and how disturbing it is to read the numerous stories about colony collapse disorder and the sudden dying off of hives. Anyone who helps give bees a safe environment to live, pollinate, reproduce and make honey is a hero in my book.

In other parts of the world they take beekeeping very seriously. In Paris, urban apiaries are de rigueur, they even have bee hives in city parks, like these in the Luxembourg Gardens: http://www.talkinfrench.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Beehives-at-Jardin-du-Luxembourg.jpg.

In addition to being delicious in tea, baklava, and halvah, honey has well-documented medicinal uses. It never goes bad and its anti-bacterial properties work as well today as they did in ancient Greece, Rome, and India. Many people use it to treat seasonal allergies, burns, or for soothing a sore throat.

Honey also pairs well with a variety of foods like cheeses, fruits, nuts, and chocolate.

That’s where Claire Marin, the founder of Catskill Provisions, comes in. She creates two types of chocolate truffles. One with honey and one with honey whiskey.

Her Fall raw wildflower honey I sampled is from chestnut, maple, goldenrod, buckwheat, bamboo, and asters. It’s absolutely superb.

She also makes NY Honey Whiskey, distilled at Finger Lakes Distilling on Seneca Lake. It is 80% NY Rye and 20% Malted Barley aged for 2.5 years in new American Oak charred barrels and infused with Fall honey.

The relevance of all this honey talk becomes apparent when you sample her chocolate truffles. Packaged beautifully and carefully, so nothing happens to them during shipping, they are handmade and fairly large. The Honey Whiskey variety are not particularly alcoholic but have that added dimension alcohol imbues. The centers are supremely smooth and the Belgian chocolate couverture is applied with a liberal hand. The Honey truffles are a purer chocolate-honey taste, also dipped copiously in dark chocolate, and dusted with cocoa.

If you are looking for a gift for yourself or someone else, I would strongly suggest pairing a box with their raw Fall wildflower honey. And, if you are lucky enough to live within 50 miles of her apiaries you will get the added benefit of a honey “vaccination” for your seasonal allergies, should you have them.

Last but not least, if you want help setting up a hive in the city, suburb, or country Claire is happy to consult with you.

Askinosie: Tanzania 60% with Peanut Butter, and Flakes of Coconut CollaBARation bars

Frankly, both of these bars are so delicious I can’t pick which one to start writing about first.

As always, with Shawn Askinosie’s chocolates, they look just scrumptious. I still smile every time I open a package and see those sweet little alphabet squares spelling out Askinosie Chocolate, each one a perfectly sized bite.

But that is nothing compared to reading the package of the peanut infused bar, where I learned the woman pictured on the cover is the lead farmer who helped gather and ferment the beans. In all the years I have been writing chocolate reviews, I can’t remember a time a woman has been a featured farmer for any brand. Very impressive; and, I hope, a harbinger of things to come in the industry.

These Mababu Trinitario beans are superb. The slight bitterness of the chocolate paired with peanut butter wakes up all those taste buds that grew up on peanut butter cups and says, “Here’s the adult version of your childhood treat.” However, this bar has the peanut butter blended with chocolate. There are no layers, no puffy squares filled with mounds of peanut butter. Just the peanut saturated chocolate. Intense, and all grown up. I love it.

The other bar I tried was “Coconut Chocolate with Coconut Sugar, A Beautiful Mess.” It’s part of their CollaBARation line where they partner with other food artisans to create new, unusual chocolate treats. Completely different from the previous bar, this is a perfect mix of coconut sugar, crunchy toasted coconut flakes, and single origin chocolate. The flavors are glorious together and the juxtaposition of the creamy dark chocolate with all that crunch is incredibly satisfying.

Shawn is devoted to social responsibility and sustainability. He believes businesses can solve world problems; especially, when people get involved at a young age. For those of you who take that as seriously as he does, here’s a link to his Chocolate University program: https://askinosie.com/learn/chocolate-university.html.

Chocolate Naive: Peanut, Tahini, Spices, Dark with Berries, Dark with Hops, Dark Milk with Porcini, and Nicaragua Nicaliso

Lithuanians love their beer; especially, unfiltered, raw beers. Hence, this pairing of dark (67%) chocolate and hops, a very different experience from any other I have ever tasted. The initial leathery flavor reminded me of a stout or porter with their characteristic bitterness and lingering dry aftertaste. A definite roasted flavor of hops and malt predominate. Very interesting. The bar, based on Trinitario beans, is thin, beautifully tempered, and sports that lovely Chocolate Naive logo of a man on a huge unicycle.

Dark Chocolate with Berries (65%) is almost a polar opposite to the one with hops. It is based on a Madagascar Criollo, the perfect choice with blueberries, strawberries, and black currants (all freeze-dried, powdered, and fully amalgamated into the chocolate). This thin, snappy bar with the sweetness of fruit and the fetching tartness of berries delivers a series of exciting berry fireworks in each bite. A real jewel.

Another bar in this range is their Nicaragua Nicaliso (70%), a predominantly Criollo bean. Unlike other Criollos, this has a bit of an acidic edge, nothing harsh, just there to add another dimension to this typically gentle chocolate. The addition of clarified butter is ingenious as it enhances all the inherent flavors of this Central American cacao while adding an extra-velvety texture. Immensely satisfying and more complex than most Criollos.

I sampled three bars in their new organic range: Mulate. Tahini is a dark milk (45%) with tahini and a stage whisper of sesame seeds. A great marriage of super creamy chocolate and slightly chewy-crunchy, roasted sesame seeds, it won the Northwest Chocolate Festival’s Bronze Medal. Unique and delicious.

Their Mulate Peanut with Sea Salt (45%) combines smooth peanut butter with clarified butter to produce a subtle, but still noticeable, peanut taste in a velvety chocolate.

Spices is the name of the third bar in this trinity. On reading the ingredients: dark chocolate (65%) with cinnamon, vanilla, and cayenne, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that cayenne steals the show. Not so, it was the vanilla that hit me first, then a bit of cinnamon, with the cayenne’s heat and spice finishing everything off and lingering. Since all bars with hot spices have varying intensities, I would rank this heat level as medium. Not so in-your-face that your mouth is burning, and not so mild you don’t notice it. A perfect amount to allow the other flavors, and the creaminess of their dark chocolate (enhanced with clarified butter), to shine.

Design has always been important to Chocolate Naive and they have gone in a completely different direction with this range. Typically, their bar packaging is a clean-looking cardboard envelope with a re-closable plastic sleeve inside. The Mulate bars come in a glossy, stiffer cardboard adorned with fantastical images in a rich palette of colors, with a foil inner wrapper.

In its own category is their Dark Milk (67%) “Back to the Origins” bar with Porcini. Wow. What a surprise. The approachable earthiness of freeze-dried wild porcini mushrooms with clarified butter in this luxuriously silky dark milk chocolate is far from what I would have expected. Not only do the flavors mesh perfectly, they complement each other. Here, 2 + 2 = 10. The woodsy porcini and complex chocolate flavors blend seamlessly to produce something unpredictably lush. You just have to experience it for yourself.

Unelefante Artisanal Chocolate

Almost half a century ago, when I was growing up in Manhattan I would spend afternoons at the Museum of Modern Art. The space was far more intimate than it is today, and lent itself to a very personal experience. Invariably, there would be someone looking at a painting by Jackson Pollock and remarking, “My grandchild could do that with her eyes closed.” “No,” wanted to say, though only a teen myself, “it takes far more than you can imagine to paint like that.” But my protestations would have fallen on deaf ears.

In the chocolate world, there are also many would-be imitators. Luckily, there is an abundance of truly original, creative chocolatiers whose greatest joy is tantalizing us with new ways to visualize and relish this remarkable substance.

It came as no surprise that Tatiana Sánchez, founder and creative director of ‪Unelefante‬, was a jeweler before entering the chocolate world. Her visual aesthetic infuses everything Chef Jorge Llanderal, Unelefante’s chocolatier extraordinaire, creates.

All of Unelefante’s cacao is produced by Luker, a Columbia company that opened in 1906. They use Trinitario beans, that famous hybrid of Criollo and Forastero. Interestingly, the Luker variety is heavier on the Criollo which lends it extra lushness. “Luker’s beans are grown on thousands of small family farms in the fertile lowlands and foothills near the port city of Tumaco, on Columbia’s southwest coast next to the Pacific Ocean. Shunning pesticides and chemical fertilizers, these small farmers have taken advantage of Tumaco’s tropical climate and rich soil to bring out the full flavor potential of the bean, with its beguiling marriage of fruit and floral tones, balanced against bracingly sharp notes.”

The Tablette Pollock is a thing of beauty dancing with vibrant colors and visual energy. It practically leaps from its lovely cardboard home, through the gold foil into your mouth. Once there, you are met with a surprisingly adult flavor profile for a 58% bar: earthy, with hints of leather, coffee, and dark fruit.

The other six bars I sampled were all 65% cacao and visually entrancing. The bars are each 3 by 5 inches, 50 grams and thin. I love the thinness. It allows the toppings to shine, breaks with a clean, well-tempered snap, and makes it easy to eat a little or a lot.

Palanqueta with peanuts, jaggery and pinion is a delight of crunch, spice, and tiny sugary bits (jaggery is Indian, made from the sap of palm trees or sugar cane, and has a similar flavor to brown sugar).

El Jardín Secreto or “The Secret Garden” has crystallized flower petals, cardamom, and pieces of dry apricots and pistachios. The magenta flower petals are just beautiful. Clearly, Chef Llanderal and Ms. Sánchez are a great team when it comes to creating new, exciting taste and textural combinations. Luker chocolate is a perfect foil for these inclusions, as it is not so assertive that it overwhelms them; nor, is it so nondescript that it gets completely obscured.

Fray Mole has mole paste, pasilla chili, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sea salt. The smokey dried peppers, spices, crunchy seeds and hint of salt work so well that it’s almost impossible to separate out their individual flavors.

Oblea Di Oblea Da looks like a mini carnival on chocolate with its pink, blue, green and yellow wafers, little rounds of caramel, crushed nuts, and sea salt. While Obleas means wafer in Spanish, the bar’s name is a lovely nod to the Beatles.

Bananeira, with dehydrated freeze dried banana and coconut flakes reminded me of a moonscape. The fruits are wonderfully crunchy and not at all sweet. As it warms in your mouth, the coconut becomes chewy. That protean textural shift is quite fetching.

Coco Bengala has coconut candy, crystallized ginger, and curry. A riot of flavors and textures that made me feel both sated and craving more. The pink-tinted coconut candy scattered with ginger and curry was simply beautiful. But, beauty is as beauty does, and this bar delivers on every level: taste, visuals, both crunchy and chewy textures, slight curry scent, and that audible snap.

After all this raving, you might be frustrated in procuring these bars. The following places will sate your cravings:

The Colossal Shop – Chicago – USA
Material – London – UK
Persephone Bakery – Wyoming – USA
Printemps – Selección de tiendas en Francia – UE

Valrhona: EL PEDREGAL PORCELANA BAR Vintage 2014

I do love those Criollo beans. What a shame they make up only 5% of the world’s entire cacao crop.

Valrhona, the company who created one of my all time favorite chocolates: Tainori, builds this Porcelana bar from estate grown beans in Venezuela. The name of the plantation is El Pedregal.

It’s a 64% chocolate with 15 grams of sugar in a 40 gram serving. The color is medium brown, and the texture enhanced with soy lecithin (something I might have omitted). Criollo is the merlot of chocolate, as it has a very lush, smooth, gentle taste profile with hints of honey, vanilla, and fruit. There’s no tannin, leather, soil, or tobacco anywhere in this bar to harsh its mellow. That’s why I think a little less sugar would have enhanced the experience, as well as increasing the cacao content to 70%. Frankly, with a bean this easy to scarf down, why not try an 80%?

Interestingly, they use brown sugar which adds a deeper dimension and enhances the lushness.

Like all Valrhona bars, the temper is just right and the snap an audible reminder of how frequently the French get their beans to sing. They also have great aesthetics, as is obvious from the beautiful trapezoidal shapes into which this bar is divided.

At about $10 for 2.46 ounces, it makes an indulgent little gift for your favorite chocolate aficionado; and, it would be a welcome addition to any chocolate tasting.

Chocolate and Love

To a chocolate sybarite there is something exquisite about discovering a truly delicious and intensely satisfying 80% bar. I just had that wonderful experience as I dove into Chocolate and Love’s 80% Panama single origin chocolate. Beautifully tempered, it makes an audible snap when you break off one of the 24 little rectangles. Creating a great super dark chocolate takes real talent, as you can’t distract the palate with add-ins (even though I love them, too), like nuts, fruit, nibs, coffee, milk, cream, or sweeteners. This bar delivers one of the most balanced chocolate flavor profiles I have ever had. With its ultra smooth texture, raw cane sugar and vanilla pods, and only seven grams of sugar in a 37 gram portion, you have a winner on all fronts.

To make things even more appealing, Chocolate and Love houses their bars in beautiful wrappers with images of flowers, Chinese symbols, cocoa pods, hearts, peacock feathers, fruits, and leaves making them a joy to behold and give as gifts.

The beans are Trinitario, and my favorite: Criollo.

After my ecstatic 80% Panama experience, I thought I would try their 55% bar with Caramel and Sea Salt. Here, the caramel comes in a subtle crunchy form with the sea salt a zingy counterpoint.

Also in their 55% range is Dark Chocolate with Coffee. I really enjoyed the mocha flavor and appreciated their choice of 55% cocoa for its creamier texture.

At 65%, the Orange bar gives you a foretaste of what’s to come with its citrus scent.

67% Mint is a gentle presence in the form of tiny bits of peppermint crunch.

My last sample was their aptly named Filthy Rich 71% bar. For a 71% chocolate it was very mild, so if you are looking for a higher cacao content that won’t hit you upside the head, this is it.

The company is owned by Birgitte Hovman and Richard O’Connor. They are committed to making chocolate in an ethical manner and running their company similarly, So far, they have planted 22,000 trees in Ethiopia through the Weforest organization. In addition, their cocoa comes from small scale family farms through COCABO cooperative, a pioneer in sustainable management and conservable resources.

Baroness Chocolates

There are over 360 reviews on this site, and for almost all of them I have relied on my own opinion. Once I sample the chocolates I typically share them with friends and family. Last night, however, I deviated from that routine and enlisted the help of six chums to tell me what they thought of Baroness Chocolates. I had already tasted the bars a few times and found them immensely appealing visually and full of wonderfully crunchy, chewy, creamy textures. Everyone thought the bars looked tantalizing and kept coming back for more, always a good sign.

The first thing I noticed about Baroness was the beautiful type-face of the company’s name. Reminiscent of the 1940s, its curvilinear, chubby letters evoked a sense of sumptuousness. Then, I spied a very creative coat of arms with two dogs, a unicorn, lion, fish, diamond, maple leaves, and a crown, beneath which is written “Invictus,” or undefeated. (You can read more about the coat of arms at the end of the review.)

The company’s motto, “Act with sincerity, Live with joy,” reflects their belief that chocolate should create joy and excitement. Any chocophile knows how even a whiff of cocoa can instantly lift someone’s mood. In keeping with their motto, they make sure the chocolates are sourced from Rainforest Alliance certified farmers in São Tomé, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Peru, Colombia, Cameroon and Brazil. The farmers take steps to maintain or increase the tree cover, conserve soil quality and prevent erosion, reduce chemical use, protect wildlife, and ensure the well being of workers and their families by facilitating access to education and health care. In addition, they use only Tahitian vanilla, pure cocoa butter, whole cane sugar, muscavado sugar, agave syrup, and Dead Sea Salt. Their cream comes from cows living in open pastures. Even their gluten free cookies, caramel, butterscotch, sponge toffee, and brittle are made in house. The people at Baroness are committed to creating good chocolate karma.

The seven bars we all tasted were very appetizing with their generous mélange of nuts, cranberries, or drizzle on top.

Here’s the scoop:

AIyaaaa!, dark milk chocolate with almonds, sea salt and butterscotch. This is one of the five organic and Fairtrade bars. It is sweet, crunchy, and perked up with a touch of salt.

Love and Blessings, also organic, is a creamy blend of 50% milk and 50% dark. It offers both the richness of dark chocolate with the creaminess of milk.

Mocha Krunjay, organic, is a medium dark chocolate with coffee, toffee, sea salt and almonds. The coffee is noticeable but not overpowering, allowing it to take its fellow ingredients into adult territory. Quite yummy.

Subversive Squirrel, organic, is a not-too-sweet bar with very dark chocolate, peanuts, and brittle. I swooned over this combo.

Tantric Tiger, organic, is a semi-sweet base with roasted almonds, cranberries and sea salt, a decadent combination of flavors and textures.

Dob Dobs is semi-sweet chocolate with a filling of caramel topped with pecans. This is a more dessert-like bar and would be fabulous with Turkish coffee or espresso.

Tummy rub is a milk base with crunchy chocolate cookies in the middle. The combination of smooth, creamy milk chocolate and almost friable cookie is another dessert contender.

I was intrigued by the coat of arm and asked Billy Macy, the president of Baroness Chocolate, what each image symbolized.
Here is his reply:

“I started by first considering what was included in the Canadian Coat of Arms.
At he top of Baroness’s coat of arms is the maple leaf. Nothing says Canada quite like a maple leaf.
I then took the lion and unicorn from the sides of the Canadian Coat of Arms, moved them to the top and added wings. They represented courage and strength and a little magical fantasy (unicorn).
Then, I took the crown and put it on an angle to show royalty with whimsy (Canada is part of the the British Commonwealth).
I added the dogs on the side of the shield. They are Weimaraners, the dogs I have had throughout my life. They are very loving and do not know they are a dog. My 100 lb lap dog likes to sleep in the bed with or without the cat. Crazy but true.
The dogs are wearing a toque which I unfortunately am required to wear for 6 months a year in Canada. It also looks like a traditional baron’s headgear.
The shield has the B for Baroness, a diamond to represent all the bar logos which are based on the facets of jewels. And there is a fish. First off my wife Kaye is an artist who did a series on fish. She also believes, as she is Chinese, that fish are good luck. I thought once I have a horse, a cat, wings for birds and dogs I might as well have fish, too.
The last element is the word Invictus at the bottom. Invictus is from a poem about an unconquerable soul that is made to suffer. The poem was recently made more popular by Nelson Mandela. He read it over and over to give him strength during his imprisonment. More importantly to my wife and me, our late daughter Kaila had the word tattooed on her shoulder, as she found solace from the poem. Kaila was born with an aggressive form of cancer. She lived through the treatment but it left her with many medical issues that needed to be addressed during her life. She had 17 major surgeries including a heart transplant at the age of 14. She never burdened the world instead bringing joy and strength to others until she passed at the age of 19, 4 years ago. I guess after we lost her I needed to change my life to something more joyful, I found it was hard for my wife to cry when her mouth was full of chocolate. So I kept making her try everything I created. Eventually we decided to make our hobby a business. We concluded our Kickstarter Campaign on November 27th, 2013. In just one year we went from Kickstarter to being in Whole Foods across Canada, by the end of next week our bars will be available for sale from Coast to Coast in Canada.”

jcoco

Many years ago, there was an ice cream store in Boston that had huge marble slabs where they mixed in all sorts of various candies, cookies, fruits, nuts, etc. into your choice of ice cream. It was such a great idea that it has since been copied in a big way by Cold Stone Creamery and others. The real skill with adding ingredients to a base, whether ice cream or chocolate, is knowing what works with what and when to leave well enough alone.

Jean Thompson, the owner of jcoco, knows her chocolate; especially, when it comes to add-ins. She has a knack for discerning which textures and flavors enhance each other, all of which is evident in her new line: jcoco.

Before we get to the chocolate, let me say I love a business with a mission statement; especially, one that has a humanitarian bent. Here’s a quote from Jean herself:

“We love tasting chocolate and inventing unique flavors, but what’s most important to us at jcoco is the way that food connects us. Giving back to our community is at the heart of jcoco’s mission. To that end, every time you purchase a jcoco product, we will give a fresh, healthy serving of food to someone who would otherwise go hungry. Your everyday indulgence makes a vital difference to someone in your community! Our current partners are Northwest Harvest, the Food Bank of New York, SF-Marin Food Bank, and The Greater Boston Food Bank. We are looking to establish partnerships wherever our products are sold, from Seattle to Los Angeles, and Chicago to New York.”

Of course, no amount of generosity makes a product good. Luckily, jcoco’s chocolates are really delicious. But, even before you tuck into them, there’s the packaging. They offer two different ways of indulging: the jcoco mini gift set with all their flavors, or larger envelopes housing three one ounce separately wrapped bars. The chocolate is wrapped in a shiny, copper colored foil and then in a glossy cheerful paper. Either would make a great gift.

Here’s a run-down on the flavors:

Peanut strawberry baobab in dark chocolate. This luscious bar has only 10 grams of sugar yet feels very indulgent as your palate goes from crunchy peanuts to little chewy jewels of baobab, strawberry, apple, plum, and black carrot juice. It may sound exotic, but the flavors and textures come together in a crave-worthy way.

Black fig pistachio is loaded with nuts and organic fig pieces in dark chocolate.

Vanuatu coconut pecan offers another lower sugar choice, though this time in milk chocolate. Shaved coconut flakes party with toasted pecans for an indulgent ride. Jean’s milk chocolate hails from the tiny island nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific and is terrific.

Edamame sea salt in milk chocolate allows the crunch of roasted edamame to languish in a super creamy chocolate.

Agave quinoa sesame really pops with glazed quinoa and sesame in milk chocolate. I loved the two different textures riding shotgun with that lovely, desserty chocolate.

Cayenne veracruz orange really stopped me in my tracks, as white chocolate is not my go-to choice. Here, though, the orange oil and chili really spice up the chocolate, leaving you with a creamy, citrus, slightly heat-filled experience.

Noble Dark is a 72% Belgian chocolate studded with chocolate covered nibs. Once again, the texture is marvelous.

Hotel Chocolat Dark Milk Hacienda Iara 70%

As you may know, Hotel Chocolat produces a wide variety of chocolates. Their newest line is “Super Milks.” To most chocophiles, these have been known for years as dark milks. Slitti, in Italy, was one of the first companies to entertain our palates with their 70% Latte Nero, and other chocolatiers soon followed suit.

These beans, from coastal Ecuador, were harvested in 2012, roasted for 40 minutes, and conched 72 hours. That leaves the chocolate with an incredibly velvety, addictive texture, all the better to convey its dense cocoa profile of rich nuttiness rounded out with softer floral notes.

One of their goals was to produce a lower sugar chocolate bursting with flavor and seductive in texture. Half a bar (35 grams) contains only 9 grams of sugar, far less than most milk chocolates.

You may have already read about the Arriba Nacional bean in Ecuador being pushed out in favor of the less toothsome CCN-51 variety. Hotel Chocolat used the Arriba here. In addition, they pay their Saint Lucia farmers triple the going rate, while sharing expertise on improving quality and yield. All this in the hopes of building long-term relationships.

I sampled a number of their new super milk line and liked this one the best. It is definitely an indulgence; especially, if you live outside London. Only last month there was a Hotel Chocolat store in Boston, but it recently closed.

If Santa thinks you were nice this year maybe he’ll dispatch a sweet little elf to get you some Hacienda Iara. At 2.5 ounces, it’s easy to scarf them down in a couple of sittings—or faster—so, you will want a few.

Seed and Bean Chocolate

The older I get the more I appreciate something different, as long as it’s not different for different’s sake. When it comes to chocolate, that might be a particularly fabulous bean, a new flavor combination, or just a novel take on a classic. So, smoked Cornish sea salt in a 70% bar, or coconut and raspberry intrigue me.

Seed and Bean is based in Britain and devoted to producing an organic, Fair Trade, handmade chocolate range using beans from four areas: the ‎two volcanic islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

I sampled five of their dark bars:

70% with Cornish Sea Salt is a very silky chocolate from Nacional cacao enhanced with a hint of smoked salt. It sated my chocolate craving with its lingering briny edge, and micro-crystals of subtle crunch. A truly excellent bar. The more I ate of this delectable bar the more I loved it.

72% Extra Dark from Dominican Trinitario beans is a deep, layered experience of dark fruit flavors in a very smooth, slowly melting bar.

58% Just Ginger is made from the same bean with the addition of spicy ginger. Here, though, the ginger is not crystalized, but powdered. This allows it to fully infiltrate every bite, adding just the right amount of heat and complexity to a sweeter, creamier chocolate.

72% Chili and Lime is fetchingly hot and citrusy. Not scorchingly hot, but hot enough to grab your attention without making you suffer. The beans are Dominican Trinitarios.

66% Coconut and Raspberry uses São Tomé cacao, a touch of virgin coconut oil, raspberries, and raw cane sugar to create an easy-to scarf-down chocolate. The coconut oil adds just a hint of flavor while complementing the raspberries and velvetizing the texture.

Seed and Bean currently offers 18 different bars, including milk and white options. You can order from outside the U.K. by contacting them on their website. (All the companies I have reviewed are linked on the right side of this page.)

Omnom Organic Chocolate

Stylized origami-like designs of animals festoon the wrappers of Omnom’s organic chocolate bars in a winsome way. Each 60 gram bar, and there are seven to choose from, is encased in a hard cardboard reclosable envelope. The identifying paper sleeve has a multi-colored modernist drawing of a wolf’s head. I am already thinking of ways to re-purpose the envelopes. Bookmarks? Funky postcards? Or, open them up, connect them to each other and create a small abstract piece of art. As the background colors are subtle and elegant, this would be quite appealing, especially framed.

The company is based in Reykjavík, Iceland. Kjartan Gíslason, a chef-turned-chocolatier, is co-owner of Omnom Chocolate. With his three friends (Óskar Þórðarson, Karl Viggó Vigfússon, André Úlfur Visage) he has been creating beautiful chocolate bars out of a disused gas station. They source their organic chocolate from Madagascar, Papa New Guinea and the Dominican Republic.

If you were wondering about the name, it’s the sound the Cookie Monster makes: om nom nom.

I love the way each bar is scored into 24 small rectangular bites. The plain ones are comprised of only cacao, cacao butter and raw cane sugar, while the milk varieties contain Icelandic milk.

The aroma from the 70% Papua New Guinea bar is a heady concoction of leather, soil, tobacco, and coffee. After that initial fragrant fix I was expecting something a bit tannic, to say the least. Instead, I was met with a very smooth, gentle dark fruit and leather flavor profile whose lingering finish was redolent with what the chocolatier calls “buttery bourbon.” I could eat this well-tempered ebony bar all day.

The 66% Madagascar chocolate is lighter in color and intensity. It has a definite fruity presence enhanced by a slightly dry finish. Just to make matters a tad more complex, it leaves earthy afterimages on your tongue.

The Milk Madagascar, 41%, is quite rich and creamy, almost butterscotch in appearance.

Sea Salted Almonds with Milk, 45%, plays the added tang of salt against a lovely roasted flavor from the nuts. Again, a very smooth chocolate that is noteworthy for its gentleness on the palate.

Dark Milk with Burned Sugar, 55%, takes you on a supremely milky ride. It’s a subtle trip with a stop to Caramel Street. Naturally, Icelandic cows make Icelandic milk, which has a different taste from milk in the US. It’s slightly sweet, with a little less fatty mouth feel.

Lakkris, 38%, is made with 3% raw licorice and sea salt. Of the milk bars it is by far the most interesting and unusual. The combination of super-velvety light milk chocolate with sea salt and licorice is seductive and compelling.

Their Dirty Blonde bar is a 35% white chocolate with a unique almost smokey caramel taste. If you love white chocolate, this would be intriguing.

Do you know a chocophile who craves new tastes from organic bean-to-bar manufacturers? If so, Omnom is a great addition to their chocolate experience.

You can buy the bars individually or as a set of seven from their website.

Crio Brü

It is a rare day when someone creates a completely new category of hot drink. In this case, Crio Brü’s brewed cocoa. You brew it just the way you would brew coffee, in a gold filter or a French Press using two tablespoons of roasted, ground beans, for 8-12 minutes.

I sampled two of their many varieties, some flavored and some not. The Cavalla and Coca River. Before brewing, I had to create some cranium space for this completely new experience; luckily, that was easy, as the whole concept is fascinating. Both samples were brewed in a small French Press for 12 minutes. I tried them with coconut milk creamer and stevia and black, the black was much more robust and satisfying, though if you like cream and sweetener you might prefer those additions. Cavalla was a deep, full-bodied drink, kind of a cross between coffee and tea, as it’s not as opaque as coffee and looks like a dark tea. The taste is of cocoa, not chocolate. This is definitely not hot chocolate, but a truly is unique experience.

The Coca River was smoother and less intense, while still creating a lingering subtle cocoa flavor. Both were easily quaffable, and I found myself sorry I hadn’t doubled the quantity.

They don’t suggest making this into an iced drink, but I think that would work well; especially, if you used the same amount of water and three tablespoons of beans.

I also sampled their nibs, and dark chocolate covered roasted beans. The former are excellent in smoothies, trail mix, or scattered on just-tempered chocolate. The latter were divine; yet, so satisfying I found myself having one a couple of times during the day for a quick mini-treat and energy boost.

Mystery Chocolate Box

Mystery Chocolate Box is the brainchild of Peter Messmer. When Peter was growing up, his family had a tradition where one of them would buy a bunch of chocolate bars, remove the outer label, and try to guess what was in each bar. Then, they read out their guesses and the person who brought the chocolates revealed the answers. They found the guessing and the eating a ton of fun, not to mention having a great time together as a family.

Peter and his family found out how different it was to taste what was in a chocolate bar once they already knew the ingredients, from trying to blindly figure out add-ins without any clues. As someone who eats chocolate daily, I can attest to his assertion.

If you aren’t already intrigued and need a bit more incentive, you can win a prize if you guess correctly on their website within a specified amount of time.

The three large bars (each monthly delivery including shipping is $30) arrived in perfect condition with ice packs. Each was labeled Mystery Bar A, B, or C. There was a guessing card, and information on allergies. I have decided not to post my guesses, just in case you are interested in procuring your own Mystery Chocolate Box. Suffice it to say, I am not even 100% sure I guessed correctly, and that’s even after visiting the three websites the bars came from (two of the names were printed on the bars themselves, while for the third nameless one, I did a little sleuthing).

Peter focuses on this as a family activity, which is a great way to do something different and fun with the kids. I can think of plenty of teens, and adults who would love it, too. It could also be a great fund-raiser for your favorite charity if done in small groups.

Trader Joe’s 70% Dark Chocolate Bars with Caramel

What entrancing, lovely, fanatsy-like designs these boxes sport. I don’t know about you, but I get plenty of seriousness in a typical day, so whimsey goes a long way. These enchanting watercolors of planes with wings, and other trippy images seemed to set the stage for contemplating chocolate’s ability to transport me from the mundane into realms of gustatory nirvana.

I tried both of their dark caramel filled bars. The one with Black Sea Salt was infused with subtle smokey notes from the Hawaiian lava beds whence the salt is sourced. The 70% dark chocolate’s slightly fruity notes complemented the silky, runny caramel beautifully. Unfortunately, the bar is poorly designed, so when you try to break off one of its eight squares, caramel drips out. An unnecessary mess, as a better design would preclude this. I strongly advise eating every little bit, which requires a plate. Despite that problem, the confection was just marvelous. All the flavors and textures catalyzed each other producing an experience far larger than each on its own could possibly provide. The rendition with Coconut is equally delicious, but different, as it had chewy bits of coconut in every bite.

I have eaten a few of these caramel bars and still find them tantalizing. Considering their high luscious quotient, they have a fairly low sugar content: 13 grams per half bar, or 43 grams. Last but not least, they sell for $1.99.

Chocolate Naive’s Dark Chocolate Coated Blueberries, Strawberries, and Caramelized Hazelnuts

Chocolate Naive’s new trio of freeze dried blueberries, strawberries, and caramelized hazelnuts in chocolate is a unique addition to the plethora of products vying for your chocolate fund.

Eating even one of the tiny blueberries is like being transported into a fairy tale. Each mini orb an amazing combination of ethereally crunchy, freeze dried blueberries. The texture somehow melts on the tongue, along with 41% Madagascan chocolate, while a little dusting of cocoa provides the perfect hint of intensity. Out of curiosity, I bit into one to discover a shocking burst of magenta, which just added a visual thrill to the whole experience.

The strawberries are Brobdingnagian in comparison to their Lilliputian brethren. With a thicker shell of dark chocolate and a huge berry inside, these confections offer up the essence of strawberry with a super rich dark chocolate. (Can this really be 41% cacao?) These are as different from a fresh strawberry dipped in chocolate as chalk and cheese. I am not a fan of the fresh ones, as they always seem like a mess: fruit juice mingling with broken pieces of chocolate and none of it cohering. Here, you have a seamless marriage of textures, flavors, and the gustatory excitement of something new.

Their chocolate covered caramelized hazelnuts are just divine. Unlike the couverture on the fruits, which tastes like dark chocolate to me, this is a dark milk finished with confectioner’s sugar. The nuts are perfectly roasted and lightly caramelized. Crunchy, creamy textures along with a just sweet enough chocolate shell deliver a supremely satisfying, decadent treat.

One thing that takes all three of these up a notch is the addition of sea salt. It’s the tiniest bit, but it catalyzes the fruit, nuts, chocolate, and sugar into something really remarkable.

Wilkie’s Organic Bean To Bar Chocolate

Apparently, stone ground chocolate can be as smooth as cream. When that lusciously velvety texture meets Criollo beans the result is unique and crave-worthy.

Wilkie’s is an Irish company founded by Shana Wilkie, a woman whose ideology and food savvy conflate to bring you gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, and ethically sourced organic single-origin chocolates. Currently, their beans come from Peru. As those of you who read this site know, I am a huge fan of Criollos, those rare beans comprising only 2% of the world’s cocoa crop. Their sophisticated deep chocolate presence is ridiculously delicious and satisfying.

I sampled both bars and cocoa. The hot chocolate recipe was a bit different from what I usually do, and it worked beautifully. In the bottom of a small pot, you mix their not-too-sweet 64% cocoa with a little hot water. This creates a smooth paste to which you add your milk. Bring it to a boil and enjoy. It produced an excellent cup of cocoa. I also tried it with with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and that was wonderful, too. By using 64% cocoa, they created a drink that was incredibly satisfying for adult palates.

All their bars are 65 grams and divided into 18 appealing little rectangles. They break neatly, allowing you to savor each bite without making a mess.

Each of the five bars I sampled highlighted Wilkie’s ability to alchemize elegant beans with stone grinding to create an ultra smooth texture. Three of them won Great Taste awards for 2013.

Their 89% Amazonas bean bar gave a true window into the bean, as there was just a whisper of sweetness. If you love intense dark chocolate its tobacco-earthiness and lingering edgy finish would sate your cravings completely.

75% Amazonas with Nibs, was punctuated with a light scattering of gently crunchy nibs–just enough for textural interest. Still wildly flavorful, it had a more fruity profile than its 89% cousin and a lighter finish.

Interestingly, in the 75% Amazonas sans nibs it was easier to distinguish raisin and plum presences.

The 64% Amazonas had a distinctly drier finish with an extra lift of sweetness accentuating dark, fruity notes.

Their 75% Tumbes bar was my favorite. The balance of terroir, fruit, silkiness, and a slightly dry, lingering finish was just sublime.

Cococlectic

I have always thought there was a real genius behind the fruit-of-the month club and its many offspring. After all, who doesn’t like a delicious monthly surprise? Now, there is a chocolate-of-the-month club: Cococlectic. This isn’t any ordinary chocolate club, it specializes in small batch, bean-to-bar artisanal manufacturers.

Founder Doreen Leong even includes shipping in the different options which range from $31.50 to $34 a month. (You can also order a one-time only box for $34.) Each delivery includes four bars. The sizes vary depending on the producer.

My sample box came wrapped in brown kraft paper with old-fashioned black and white striped butcher’s string held in place with a wax seal of an embellished “C.” It was original and appealing. Nestled inside were four bars from Twenty-Four Blackbirds, a company out of Santa Barbara, California. Their Madagascar 75% was just luscious: velvety, crisply tempered, complex, and sophisticated. Palos Blancos 75% from Bolivia was a completely different cat: almost black, shiny, beautifully tempered, with deeper notes of leather, coffee, and dark fruits. The Organic Dominican 68% had its own personality, though it still sported their characteristic snappy temper, it was a medium dark color, fairly silky, a tad sweeter, with a balanced fruity profile. I received an extra Organic Dominican to make up four bars.

Ms. Leong’s passion is apparent in her desire to share the wide variety of bean-to-bar wares, allowing you to explore and savor a tasting flight every month. Not only is this a gustatory trip, it’s a way to support fledgling chocolate businesses.

As a special treat Ms. Leong has graciously offered my readers a $5 off discount code when purchasing a subscription. Just use: 5CHOC.

Barefoot & Chocolate

Is there really anyone who doesn’t like Nutella? I must admit I don’t usually indulge my cravings because it’s like chocolate crack and all too easy to overdo. But, my real reason for not eating it is the hydrogenated oils. Barefoot & Chocolate, whose name derives from the Sasha and Trent’s images of “jumping in the lake on a hot summer day, bliss inducing yoga, and sharing laughs with dear friends over good food and chocolate,” makes a Hazelnut Chocolate spread that is even more delicious with no hydrogenated oils.

The texture is dreamily creamy, the flavor a great juxtaposition of chocolate, nuts, and sweetness. (Over twice the amount of nuts in other spreads.) I can’t imagine a child who wouldn’t be just crazy about this. As an adult, it appealed to my inner kid. I don’t know about you, but when I get a new toy I like to experiment. I started imagining well-toasted English muffins with some gorgonzola and hazelnut chocolate spread, crepes with fruit and hazelnut chocolate spread, filling little chocolate liqueur cups garnished with a caramelized hazelnut, as the center of mini chocolate meringues topped with raspberries, or swirled into Greek yogurt. This jar is just brimming with possibilities. Trent, one of the founders, has some incredibly delectable recipes on their website, like: Chocolate Quesadillas, Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie, and Banana Coconut Chocolate Almond Bread.

I also tried their Almond Coconut Chocolate spread, which was completely different. The consistency is still creamy, but thicker, and the coconut has been completely amalgamated into its luxuriously velvety texture. I found the chocolate almond flavors predominated with the coconut adding a subtle undertones. It’s a tiny bit less sweet and would be fabulous on whole grain toast with thin slices of crisp apple or barely ripe banana, sprinkled with a few grains of sea salt.

Righteously Raw Organic Chocolate

I just love it when people are creative. The raw caramel bar from Righteously Raw by EarthSource Organics is a wonderful example of an insanely high cacao content bar (90%) that is actually easy to scarf down. Unlike any other intense raw bar I have tried, it has the added appeal of a chewy center made with dates, lucuma fruit and agave. With seven grams of sugar in each mini bar (there are three to a 2.3 ounce package) you get enough sugar to beautifully balance that heady cacao rush.

The Peruvian Lucuma is a delicately flavored sub-tropical fruit with high levels of calcium, niacin, fiber. It has been an important crop since ancestral times, proven by the many ceramic remains from the Moche and later Inca cultures. In fact, it was once referred to as the Gold of the Incas. Its tasty flavor and aroma are hard to describe or compare to any other. Some say it tastes like caramel custard and others a bit like pumpkin, apricot, or mango. Its texture, unlike most fruits, is dry, quite starchy and with a caramel-like consistency that melts in your mouth. So you can see how inspired it was to add this to a filling.

I would actually love to see this date-lucuma mixture in thin-shelled bonbons. In this manifestation there is a high ratio of chocolate to filling. As the chocolate is such a strong presence, I would enjoy more of that luscious chewy center. Now that I think about it, I would probably buy it by the jar it’s so yummy.

I also tried two mini squares, each .35 ounces. The Divine Mint (82%) has just the right amount of organic peppermint, enough to have an impact, but not so much that it’s overwhelming. Their Pure Dark (83%) let the raw taste come through more assertively.

In my experience, raw chocolate has a tendency to be a bit softer in texture than its heated cousins. I didn’t notice this as much in the Lucuma-filled bar as I did in the mini squares; but, even there the temper was snappy and the chocolate had a nice, light sheen.

Szántó Tibor Chocolate

As you already know, each chocolatier creates different tastes and textures, even if they use the same beans and equipment. So, you can have a company that produces stone ground bean to bar chocolate that has a very coarse grainy texture, or a more refined texture. You can even have one company that creates varying textures using the same machinery, like Szántó Tibor.

These bars are packaged in a fetchingly designed cardboard box adorned with dark brown images that relate to chocolate consumption, chocolate love, and chocolate manufacture. Much to my delight, they have inner resealable cellophane wrappers.

All of the chocolates I tried are 70%, and tempered to an audible snap. A free-form design of a cocoa tree looks as if it has been engraved on each. The thinness of all the bars allows them to melt more quickly providing a turbo-charged cacao delivery system.

Here’s the run-down:

Cacao Roja from Honduras has an earthy profile and a slight acidic edge.

Hispaniola from San Cristobal, Santo Domingo, is another bar with hints of smoke and a touch of leather, though there is also a pronounced fruitiness. The texture is smoother than the Cacao Roja.

Trinitario from S. Elizabeth, Jamaica is complex with oak, smoke, and spicy flavors. Again, the texture is smoother than the Roja. The Roja is not crunchy, but there are still tiny grains of gently crunchy nibs, like little textural exclamation points.

San Cristobal from Santo Domingo is a much more grainy bar, for those of you who like to echt quality of stone ground chocolate, and it speaks in my taste buds in hushed tones of soil, forest, and citrus, with a nice short finish.

Raw Arriba from Ecuador, tastes very pure and simple, with an atypical cocoa freshness. Quite different from the floral Arribas I have reviewed in the past; probably, because of the earthier texture.

Inti from Ayacucho, Peru, has a smooth, slightly creamier texture and hints of raisin and tobacco.

Cacao Blanco from Nicaragua has a whiffs of coffee and tobacco in a more conched, hence silkier, texture.

Malagasy Criollo from Millot, Madagascar (from the 2012 spring harvest), reveals apricot and lychee, giving it a bit of a dry finish.

My favorite was the Criollo from Venezuela, an Academy of Chocolate Bronze winner for 2013. I am partial to Criollos, and this bar is superb. The texture is velvety, the flavor both elegant and full of nuance. A little peach, a bit of grape, a melange of fruit notes without the citrus that leave my palate feeling fully sated from its deep chocolate presence and soft, but lingering finish.

For all you chocophiles who want to know more, there is a plethora of information on their website: http://www.szantotibor.com/

Solstice Chocolate

Scott Query’s Solstice Chocolate in Salt Lake City, Utah, is one of the newest kids on the bean to bar block. His five all organic bars make a handsome present in their brown paper envelopes with wonderful wire closures enabling you to keep your chocolate neat and fresh. Each 2.5 ounce bar is divided into 8 squares and has an attractive stylized sun stamped in the middle. They are beautifully tempered to a shiny, crisp, audible snap. The 70% bars hail from four different provenances: Sambirano from Madagascar, San Martin from Peru, Amazonas from Venezuela, Palos Blancos from Bolivia, and a blend called Wasatch.

There are three levels of color to this chocolate flight. The lightest are from Peru and Madagascar. The darkest is from Bolivia, and the two medium ones are from Venezuela and Wasatch.

The Bolivian bar is just fabulous: thickly textured, full of dark fruit flavors, with a nice slightly dry medium finish.

The Venezuelan bar has a touch of leather, that same slightly dry finish, and a hint of citrus.

Wasatch had a more complex texture, almost chewy, that was wonderfully different, though still very refined. It, too had a slightly dry finish.

The Peruvian was a bit creamier, with a heady combination of flavors from lychee to banana, and an elegant, lingering finish.

Madagascar was velvety, a bit less complex, but very appealing in its gentler flavor profile and more subtle finish.

All five bars are incredibly satisfying. One square is a complete chocolate experience unto itself, and the slightly dry finish most of them sport is like a big period at the end of your chocolate sentence.

Desiderio Chocolates

Artisan, gluten free, organic, local, fair-traded, and vegan chocolates from a great new chocolatier in Grand Rapids, Michigan: Vanessa Metalli Dionne.

Vanessa grew up in Rome, studied Industrial Design, and apprenticed at her parent’s Italian restaurant making desserts and breads. That’s the kind of credibility I find appealing: the interplay between modern with ancient, and discipline with creativity. All of which allows Vanessa to explore every aspect of the chocolate kingdom that piques her interest.

Her sleek looking chocolates, pure little rectangular bars or square caramels presented in the simplest wrappings, beguile you with their unadorned clean lines. Vanessa wants the focus on her delicious treats, not their trappings.

I sampled four small bars from her collection and the Salted Caramels. All are enrobed in a well-balanced dark couverture, and sport two layers: an infused ganache with a topping of gooey caramel. There is no discernible olive oil or coconut milk flavor, though their richness is easily detected.

Whiskey & Smoked Caramel Bar has a marked whiskey taste offset beautifully with textural interest from both the ganache and caramel. Of the four bars, this one has the most pronounced alcohol flavor.

Stout Caramel Ganache is simply divine, as its beery presence mixes with a hint of whiskey. Little bursts of Celtic Grey Sea Salt sprinkled on top provide a perfect gustatory counterpoint to the velvety interior.

Gourmellow :: Vegan Marshmallow Bar has a heaping layer of home made super-fluffy marshmallow on top of that incredibly chocolatey ganache.

Pumpkin Pie Caramel Truffle is a real gem. Redolent of pumpkin, spices, caramel, with a taste that bursts out of its chocolate confines, a truly memorable treat.

Salted Caramels :: Vegan Caramella with Himalayan pink sea salt is a rich dessert in two bites. Fabulous with tea or espresso, they come in a box of six and would make a great stocking stuffer.

David Bacco Chocolatier

Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.
Voltaire

As Voltaire said, “The best is the enemy of the good.” I usually agree; however, there are times when perfection alights. As fleeting as they are, their blissfulness reminds us of what it is to be human. The perfect kiss, most beautiful sunset, or heartfelt smile take us into realms of joy and awe that raise the quotidian to the extraordinary. Like many of you, I find chocolate a fairly reliable catalyst for gustatory nirvana. My latest fix is David Bacco’s Noisette Madagascar. It is a truly perfect 64% Trinitario/Criollo dark chocolate with roasted hazelnuts. The temper is incredible, the shine like a mirror, and the juxtaposition of insanely crunchy nuts against a backdrop of fruity chocolate, with mesmerizing tones of fig and wild berries, is not to be missed. In addition, the bar’s construction: a three ounce square divided into a mosaic of trapezoidal shapes of varying sizes, makes it visually interesting and wonderful for those times when you want a smaller or larger piece. In this case, god is in the details.

David’s background as a pastry chef and chocolatier of almost two decades is no surprise, nor is his award in 2011 for “TOP ARTISAN CHOCOLATIER” title at the LA International Chocolate Salon show and competition. One bite of that dark hazelnut bar and you will be convinced, too.

Another bar I found swoon-worthy was his Olive Oil and Sea Salt in 74% bittersweet chocolate. Here, organic Grand Cru Hacienda chocolate from the Dominican Republic tangoes with more than a hint of fleur de sel. In my experience, most chocolates with salt are on the mild side. While this is still gentle on the palate, it has enough salty presence to really arc the flavor, especially when it has been paired with the rich creaminess of fruity olive oil.

David’s Milk Chocolate 40% bar with smoked sea salt is a dark milk chocolate with a super creamy texture enhanced with fleur de sel cold smoked over Chardonnay oak chips. If you are an aficionado of dark milk bars you will want to add this to your repertoire.

I also had a chance to sample his 68% Fortunato #4. Dubbed the world’s rarest chocolate it is a white pure Nacional bean renowned throughout the chocolate community. It had disappeared in 1916 when struck by disease, and was recently rediscovered in a remote Peruvian area. I have mentioned this chocolate before and its extremely mellow layers of fruit and floral flavors that are complemented by a wonderfully rich, creamy texture.

David’s chocolate ganaches and bonbons are also noteworthy. Each little gem is unique and intensely flavored. I was completely enamored with his marzipan and apricot layered square enrobed in dark chocolate, the caramelized almonds and cinnamon in milk, Caribbean spices in bitter ganache, the exquisitely flavored lime, and the red dome of passionfruit infused ganache. (I always wonder why more chocolatiers don’t offer passionfruit chocolates, as the combination is simply celestial.)

These bonbons are packaged in a serene looking black cardboard box with a bright spring green silk ribbon. The chocolate bars come in minimalist white boxes that open neatly on the side and reveal a re-closable cello sleeve which keeps everything tidy.

Sugarfina

Rosie and Josh, the founders of Sugarfina, want you to know, “In case of emergency, candy can be used as a flotation device. Simply pop a piece in your mouth and forget all your troubles.” Perhaps, they mean an existential emergency, though I can certainly see how a few of these little parcels of sugary goodness might distract one from impending doom.

I sampled two of their tasting flights: Caramel Crush and Tall, Dark, and Rich.

Here’s a list of the contents so you have an idea of the variety.
Caramel Crush contained:
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, English Toffee, Dark Chocolate Espresso, Matcha Green Tea, Mint Chip, Vanilla Honey, Pumpkin Pie, and Robin’s Egg.

Tall, Dark, and Rich contained:
Dark Chocolate Malt Balls, Dark Chocolate Toffee Almonds, Dark Chocolate Blueberries, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cashews, Danish Mocha Beans, Dark Chocolate Coffee Toffee, Dark Chocolate Mandarin Cordials, and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels.

The eight packets in each lovely Tiffany blue box with pretty patterned tissue paper were just right for one portion or sharing a tasting flight with seven friends, as the bags contained about eight pieces. This is a fun way to try many different candies without making a commitment to any one in particular.

In the Tall, Dark, and Rich category my favorites were the Mocha beans, just redolent with flavor in a well-tempered dark coffee bean shape, the crunchy, sweet Dark Chocolate Coffee Toffee, and the perky Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels.

In the Caramel Crush sampling, I found the Mint Chip an appealing bright flavor combo, Matcha Green Tea intriguing, English Toffee a firmer caramel, and the Espresso a classic caramel with a hint of coffee.

With a name like Sugarfina, it should come as no surprise that these are fairly sweet candies. Perfect for people who want a taste of everything, though you can buy larger quantities of any flavors you love. There are many different confections on their website in varying portions from 3.3 ounces to five pounds.