Tag Archives: chocolate

Robert Tilendis Review: Marou’s Vietnamese Chocolates

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By Robert Tilendis: The latest goodies to come my way are three bars of chocolate from Vietnam. No, I didn’t think of Vietnam as a source for chocolate either, but when you stop to think about it, although cacao originated in South America, it can grow anywhere in the tropics, so Vietnam makes as much sense as anyplace else. (Although, according to the history related on Marou’s website, cacao culture in Vietnam had a stop-and-go existence until the late 20th century, when China became a ready market for Vietnamese cacao.) Marou is another maker that offers single-source chocolates.

The first on our list is Bén Tre 78%, from the Mekong Delta. This one, like the two that follow, comes in a thin, .8 oz (24 g) bar, incised with a diamond pattern on top. (This seems to have nothing to do with the way it breaks, which seems to be fairly random.) The texture is quite brittle, and the taste is cocoa with a faint smokiness underneath and just enough sugar to cut the bitterness. The aftertaste has just the faintest hint of berries, slightly tart.

Lâm Dong 74% , from the central highlands, once again starts with a brittle texture (which, after all, is only to be expected). The taste is cacao, a bit tart and a bit buttery. The aftertaste continues the tartness and the butter — it’s a seductive combination.

Bà Ria 76%, from the east coast, like the other two, and in common with other high-cacao chocolates, starts off brittle; the taste is, again, slightly tart with a hint of spice. The aftertaste is buttery and somewhat smoky.

This is one of those cases in which a plain description is barely adequate. There’s a certain indefinable quality to these chocolates that really needs to be experienced first-hand. Happily, the website includes an interactive map for locating retailers. And these are only three out of a wider selection, so I’d say “Happy shopping!”

Gary Whitehouse Review: RJ’s Licorice Choc Twists

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By Gary Whitehouse: On a recent vacation (or “holiday”) trip in New Zealand’s South Island, we were doing some grocery shopping before hitting the road for our next destination. We’d already picked up a couple of bags of Cadbury Jaffas to take home as candy mementos, and were looking for something else unique and representative of Kiwi candy culture. These RJ’s Licorice Choc Twists immediately jumped out at me.

I was introduced to the joys of chocolate-and-licorice as a taste combination by the M&M’s-like Lakrits licorice-coated chocolate “lentils.” It’s a combination that ought not to work, but it does, at least to sophisticated palates like mine! So I was intrigued by this treat that puts the chocolate on the inside of a soft(ish) licorice twist. Or “whip” as we’re more likely to say in the States.

I grabbed a bag and stuffed it in my suitcase, and much to my regret didn’t open it until we got home.

As soon as I bit into one, I was hooked. They’re fat little chunks of licorice twist, about 1.5 inches long, with milk chocolate filling the hole in the middle of the tube. Though soft, the licorice gives a very satisfying little “pop” when you bite into it. It’s very good licorice, though you wouldn’t call it “gourmet.” And the chocolate likewise is just good enough. Better than the kak they put in M&M’s these days, but not, you know, high-end, single-origin, bean-to-bar chocolate. Just yummy milk chocolate.

That bag disappeared in short order. Well, its contents. I kept the bag to remind me to get some more. You can learn more about this candy and RJ’s other products on their website. And you can find out how to purchase the stuff if you’re not in New Zealand, although it’s a bit unclear whether the chocolate-filled variety is available in the U.S. If you’re a fan of chocolate-licorice candy, it’s worth searching out.

Gary Whitehouse (he, him), a lifelong resident of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, is a retired reporter, editor, and government communicator. He’s also a lifelong lover of books and music, which he has been writing about online for nearly a quarter of a century. His other passions include birding, standard poodles, chocolate, coffee, and craft ales.

Jennifer Stevenson Review: Nordi Chocolate Bars 

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Review by Jennifer Stevenson: Nordi Smooth & Rich Original Dark Chocolate bar:This basic 70% bar is up against a lot of challengers, but it measures nicely. The mouthfeel is smooth and cool. The flavor didn’t knock my socks off – you don’t expect that with a 70% cacao bar – but it was sufficiently chocolately that I was satisfied.

I don’t say I would pay $6.50 USD for it, but I’m a notorious bulk chocolate buyer. (My stashes of Lindt 85% bars are always maintained at survivalist levels.)

The bar has all the politically correct markers and pedigrees, which is nice: verified non-GMO, responsible sustainable cocoa (this is a thing), yadda. You pay for that.

Let’s take a look at the other Nordi bar I sampled: the Raspberry & Tangy Licorice Naturally Flavored Dark Chocolate bar.

This was very interesting in a freak-flavors way. The chocolate was again just right, smooth, cool, deeply chocolatey at 70% cacao, with no goofiness. There were Licorice Pearls in theory, but I missed the licorice flavor. However, I definitely noticed and enjoyed the Raspberry Pearls (Finnish for “crunchy raspberry bits”). I sensed the tangy, all right, but I ascribed it to the raspberry. (I can picture master chocolatiers at Nordi rolling their eyes at my lame, uneducated palate.)

On sale at FinnStyle, an online store that retails Finnish products in the US, you can currently get the Raspberry & Tangy Licorice Naturally Flavored Dark Chocolate bar at $4.85 USD, so that’s more within range of a premium bar price for this cheapskate.

That said, be aware that I don’t normally go for freak chocolate bars. Chicago is home to Vosges, which retails at a legendarily expensive $8 per bar. They lead the field in what-the-actual-? flavors priced for the gourmand. I sprang for a couple; then my curiosity met my wallet and gave up. I usually red-line at a toffee-bits or a caramel sea-salt bar. Your mileage may vary. Browsing Fazer’s page for Nordi bars, I find they also make a Sea Buckthorn and Salty Caramel Dark Chocolate bar, which has me scratching my head, as the only buckthorn I’ve heard of is an invasive species of prickly shrub that’s the curse of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. Still, Nordi caught my eye with “sea-salt caramel.” A more conventional flavor is their Hazelnut & Campsite Coffee Dark Chocolate bar.

Jennifer Stevenson’s Trash Sex Magic was shortlisted for the Locus First Fantasy Novel Award and longlisted for the Nebula two years running. Try her fantasy series Hinky Chicago, which is up to five novels, her paranormal romances Slacker Demons, which are about retired deities who find work as incubi, or her women’s fiction fantasy series Coed Demon Sluts, about women solving life’s ordinary problems by becoming succubi. She has published more than 20 short stories.

Find Jennifer at the Book View Cafe blog, at the second row at fast roller derby bouts in Chicago, or on Facebook.

Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins

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Review by Cat Eldridge: Gluten free to me personally is a null term. I have no allergies. I may have a lot of interesting medical problems and I do but I’ve absolutely no allergies which does surprise medical specialists. So I’ve always skipped past the areas of the bakeries that have the gluten-free goods. 

Now my local Trader Joe’s never had a very extensive bakery section to begin with, barely a corner of the store that one could easily overlook. It has the usual breads, some sweet stuff and, errr, one gluten-free offering, these Double Chocolate Muffins.

Now I only noticed them, and blissfully overlooked the fact that they were gluten-free, because they were sitting there looking like big fat chocolate muffins, a rare occurrence indeed, in a stand in the middle of the aisle. Lots of them to be precise. 

Here’s the Trader Joe’s website description of them:

“Like our Coffee Cake version, these Chocolate Muffins are made with a gluten free flour blend, which includes white and brown rice flours, potato starch, and tapioca starch. But the real key to making these Gluten Free Muffins (and our other versions) so delicious is the inclusion of sweet cream buttermilk and sour cream, which contribute a decadently moist texture. Of course, these particular Muffins also have the bonus of both cocoa and chocolate chips!”

So how are they?  Oh, quite yummy. They don’t need butter, nor that abomination that is margarine, though that does improve them of course, and I put cream cheese on them. They taste properly of chocolate. And moist as well. A superior muffin indeed. 

Warner Holme Review: Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffles

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Lindt Lindor Truffles Assorted Dark Chocolate Truffles 19oz 

By Warner Holme: One of the few near universal loves in the world is chocolate. Lindt Lindor truffles are among the more well known “fancy” chocolates available with ganache style filling for the truffles. While the traditional red wrapped classic are perhaps the best known, they have a delightful assortment of dark chocolates available in a 19 oz assortment.

Three varieties come in this selection. The first is a standard dark chocolate, in a nice blue wrapper. It tastes quite good, as expected, with a smooth flavor that suits it quite well, and the inner creamy center matching quite well. It is lighter than many other dark chocolate flavor options, but definitely Tastes more like a dark and smoky flavor compared to the standard Lindt truffle. Arguably less of a dark chocolate and more a “not milk” chocolate variation.

The second is A 60% Extra dark chocolate in a black wrapper with a silver label. There is a stronger lingering flavor to them, particularly in regards to the shell. While enjoyable, it isn’t the exceptionally dark taste one might expect given the label.

Finally there is a 70% extra dark chocolate in a black wrapper with a gold colored label. There is a definite dark and lingering flavor to the outer shell of this one, strong and with just a hint of bite. The cream inside is still smooth and lighter, at least compared to the shell, but not enough to instantly wash away the darkness of the harder chocolate. Aficionados of proper darker chocolates will find this one of their favorites produced by the brand.

Probably the most impressive thing about each of these is that the bitterness that most darker chocolates start to include never seems to come in force.

None of these are safe for individuals with milk allergies, as milk is among the listed ingredients. A similar though lesser warning is given regarding tree nuts however they are a “may contain” rather than being “Ingredients” which might cause some with minor sensitivity to take the risk.

The use of the blue bag is a slightly interesting choice as violet does denote dark chocolate, but two out of three of the chocolates in the bag are wrapped in black instead.

About 45 of the truffles come in a bag with an expectation three can be a serving. This of course will depend on the self-control of the person eating, as many will go over this amount at any given time and occasionally someone will be able to manage eating only a single truffle. I would recommend againt eating them all at once, simply because a pound of almost anything can lead to some gastrointestinal issues.

If you like dark chocolate, there’s a good chance that this will be right in your wheelhouse. The fact it comes in individually wrapped portions is very nice for someone wishing to just eat a little, as it both allows for the rest to remain safe while also making a good shot at preventing handful eating. If someone thinks they would like this they should pick it up, enjoying it alone over a fair period of time or with friends and loved ones.

Really.

Kelley Caspari Review: Xocolatl de David

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Review by Kelley Caspari: By the register little chocolate squares beckoned.  Labeled, somewhat exotically, ‘Xocolatl de David’, there were three sorts, but the one that caught my eye read “72% Ecuadorian Chocolate with Black Truffles and Sea Salt”.  Not a chocolate truffle, mind you, but the kind of truffle pigs sniff out of the woods in Italy and France.  I surrendered to impulse and bought one.

This Ecuadorian chocolate had its own sweetness with no trace of bitter, although there is no sweetener listed on the package.  It melted across my tongue like it had somewhere to go, leaving a velvety trail.  The truffle flavor kicked in with a surprising animalistic quality and, instead of blending with the chocolate to create a unique flavor, its heavy accent contrasted with the chocolaty smoothness on my tongue, lasting just long enough for me to wonder whether this was quite proper before the sea salt captured my attention, leading me back again to marvel at the smoothness of the chocolate.  And that sweetness!

David Briggs, owner of Xocolatl de David, isn’t afraid to go out on a very thin branch to stretch notions of what flavors can be combined with chocolate.  He’s passionate about pushing boundaries, and that passion results in gutsy flavor combinations.  ”Initially I wanted to make things I would enjoy, and I still do,” he says, “That’s still number one on my list.”  His own palate has a low threshold for sweet, so he deliberately pulls from his extensive culinary background in his creative process.

He was at the forefront of the bacon and chocolate trend some years ago, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has an entire line of chocolates incorporating the bits of animals many people avoid. Case in point are his seasonal Pigs Blood Chocolate and the Chicharrón, which he describes on his blog “as a Nestlé Crunch bar but with fried pork skins. Chocolatey, crunchy, porky, salty, spicy deliciousness.”

If all this sounds too weird for you, start with The Raleigh Bar.  Pecan-chocolate nougat and salted caramel coated in 72% chocolate combine to deliver a salty-sweet treat balanced on an ever-so-slightly bitter edge that is incredibly addictive.  An aggressive sweet note backs up the other flavors in a way that reminds me of a burly henchman with a bat standing behind the fuller flavor profile of his irresistible boss.  You can check out the boss’ picture on the wrapper, too; the name is an homage to the capital of North Carolina, which in turn is named after Sir Walter Raleigh.  For you food and wine pairing aficionados out there, The Raleigh Bar goes extraordinarily well with white wine.

I asked David which product he was most proud of and he said, “That’s easy.  Rhubarb.”  He’s paired it with chocolate in a sauce used just as you would any jam.  Spread it on buttered toast, spoon it on granola or yogurt, and use it as a chutney to brighten up spicy Indian food.  Breakfast will never be the same!

I must confess that my favorite Xocolatl de David by far is the Almond Pimentón bar – dark chocolate infused with smoked Spanish paprika and Marcona almonds fried in olive oil.  This bar makes me silly.  I have to be careful not to close my eyes when eating it or I end up day-dreaming about fictional memories — wandering through multi-colored Arab markets, languorously bathing in a Turkish hammam, fires of sunset and beach bonfires and fire dancers rolled into one glorious night; all mirages rising on plumes of smoke captured by paprika permeating the most wonderful substance on earth and anchored by the nut that sustained travelers on the famed Silk Road.  (See what I mean? Silly.)

I could go on and on about this guy’s chocolate.  I love his unconventional approach to my favorite food substance.  The only problem with these chocolates is that their luxury item price tag.  The part of me that thinks this is appalling shakes its head, while the part that is enamored sneaks off to spend the egg money at the fancy shop down the street.  I’m working my way through his repertoire as fast as I can find them (and faster than I can afford them) because the eye-opening experience they invariably provide delights me beyond reason.

See what David Briggs is up to here —  www.xocolatldedavid.com – and here — https://www.instagram.com/xocolatldedavid/

Review: Dove Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

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By Cat Eldridge: At one of my local supermarkets they put lots of candy at the checkout area. Most of it is the common stuff you’d expect there, Musketeers, Almond Joy, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfinger and Hershey Bar with Almonds. No, not bad stuff but nothing really unexpected. You certainly won’t find my favorite Reese’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups here.

I did always wonder how this variety of sweet stuff is put together because it includes a handful of rather unexpected treats of which these Dove dark chocolate peanut butter bars are definitely welcome. Add to that I didn’t even know the Dove company did anything of a dark chocolate nature in general or anything in particular like this bar.

Dove is owned by Mars and the company site says this of the bar, “Unrivaled in taste, our DOVE Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter PROMISES now come in a large share-worthy size. Unlock a whole new level of chocolate indulgence with this shareable chocolate candy featuring 3 large PROMISES in each pack.” 

Ok, it’s not high end, bittersweet chocolate but then I’ve not date found any such product that combines premium dark chocolate and high quality peanut butter, but I live in hope with such a product existing. 

These bars are a tad sweet but the chocolate is quite good and the peanut butter’s rather fine. Each bar is actually, as the Mars site noted, three separate pieces and quite frankly one piece is enough most of the time. I don’t purchase them every time I shop there but I do get them frequently.

Skye Kingsbury Review: Nutella and Two Comparable Products

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By Skye Kingsbury: A report on Nutella. Nutti,  and Fabalous Orange Hazelnut and Cocoa Spread.

All three spreads were served at room temperature on Ritz crackers. Lulu participated under protest.

First up: Nutti, a hazelnut spread with cocoa and milk.

The consistency is really thick. It doesn’t melt easily in my mouth. It is sticking to everything. I’ll have to wipe my mouth clean afterwards. It coats the roof of my mouth. It’s very chocolately. It’s not overbearingly sweet but I couldn’t eat much of this before it got to be too much.

It’s very smooth. Very rich. It is sweet. It’s got the consistency of shea butter lotion. It’s nice. I’d eat this. It would be excellent on toast but not as a sandwich. Then it would be too much.

The Nutti has more cocoa powder than Nutella. You can see the palm oil separating in the Nutti. It’s got less emulsifiers. It’s also got less calories per serving than the Nutella.

Second: Genuine Nutella.

Real Nutella is much sweeter than the Nutti. It’s cloying. The vanilla doesn’t taste real. It tastes off. The Nutella tastes more artificial than the Nutti. I taste the hazelnuts much more in the Nutella than the Nutti. It’s not as chocolatey as the Nutti. It’s much thicker than the Nutti. It’s almost unpleasant. I’ll eat the Nutti. I used to like Nutella as a kid but I can’t eat it anymore. The fake vanilla is so strong, it burns the back of my throat.

Third: Fabalous Orange Hazelnut and Cocoa Spread with 32% chickpeas.

I had to stir the separated oil and work it into an even consistency so be forewarned when you open the jar. Like a nut butter, it will separate!

It’s much gooier and a darker color, more like melted chocolate. It smells heavily of orange. The orange notes are prominent enough I can taste them. The cocoa is strong, with hazelnut undertones. I can taste a bit of salt. It isn’t as smooth and creamy as the other two, but I like it.

This is also nowhere near as sweet as the other two. It contains half the sugar of the other two and you can tell. It’s more like semi-sweet. It is insanely gooey. The inside of my mouth is coated with chickpea spread. It’s very good but the texture is noticeable. It’s not humus, but you’ll see the difference between this and the other two. It’s heavy.

Surprisingly, of the three, I like the chickpea spread the best. I expected this one — which claims to be vaguely healthier — to be the worst but it was the tastiest.

The Nutella is too sweet and too artificial. It’s way worse than I remember from eating it when I was a kid. Maybe it’s the fake vanilla giving it a plastic-y aftertaste.

The Nutti is better than Nutella.

On a scale of one to ten, the Fabalous Orange Hazelnut chickpea spread is an 8. The Nutti is a 6. The Nutella — which I expected to adore all over again — is a 4. It’s too sweet and the more I taste it, the less I like it.

If you’re not a fan of super-sweet, the chickpea spread is superior. If you spread it on bread, you probably won’t object to the not-quite humus texture the way you might when you eat it straight from the jar.

April Gutierrez Reviews: Hammond’s Candies Cocoa

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Review by April Gutierrez: Established in Denver in 1920 by Carl T. Hammond Sr., Hammond’s Candies has been in continuous operation ever since, priding itself on producing quality candies using ingredients and methods that harken back to the days of its founding. Hammond’s produces a wide variety of traditional candies, from chocolate-dipped caramels to ribbon candy, candy canes, lollipops and taffy. The company also produces its own brand of hot cocoa, which Green Man obtained for me to review.

A chocolate fiend, I’m inordinately fond of chocolate in all its forms, including hot cocoa/chocolate mixes. This past winter was particularly cold and lingered far past its welcome, so I looked forward to the chance to try out a new (to me) brand of cocoa. Hammond’s hot cocoa mix comes in a 6.25 ounce tin with an old-fashioned looking label (a hallmark of all Hammond’s products, it seems). It’s touted as being “double chocolate,” so promises a rich, chocolatey taste.

Prior to preparing a cup, I opened the tin to view the mix and inhale its aroma (the best cocoa I ever received was a tin of semi-sweet chips for melting into milk: visually attractive and delightfully pungent). Unfortunately, instead of being treated to a chocolatey scent, I was overwhelmed by a cloying sweetness. A sweetness that was confirmed when I looked at the mix and checked the ingredients. First item on that list? Sugar, not chocolate.

Still, aroma is just one component in the overall hot cocoa experience, so I prepared a cup per the tin’s instructions: one heaping tablespoon per six ounces of liquid. I tend to use milk in my cocoa rather than water, since it tends to produce a richer flavor and better mouth feel. However, I’m also fond of using almond milk, since the nutty flavor plays off chocolate so well. This time I used vanilla almond milk, which has proven a very good companion to cocoa in the past. After stirring in the recommended amount of mix, I sampled the cocoa and realized I couldn’t taste any chocolate – the result was just sweet hot almond milk. Since taste is such a subjective thing, I added a second heaping tablespoon of mix to the cup and stirred thoroughly.

Unfortunately, the results were much the same: precious little chocolate flavor and an overwhelming sense of sugary sweetness. For my tastes, it wasn’t drinkable at all. I considered remaking the cocoa with water, or obtaining some skim milk, but given the aroma and taste of this particular experience, I didn’t hold out much hope that the results would be any less sweet or any more chocolatey. So I left it at that.

Compared to the Gourmet du Village hot chocolate mixes I reviewed previously, which were rich and chocolatey, Hammond’s Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa was quite the disappointment. They may do candy very well, but this mix falls very short for fans of high quality cocoa. Might as well grab some Swiss Miss or Nesquik from your local grocery story rather than plunk down almost $7 for this tin.

More info about Hammond’s and their product line can be found at the link.

April Gutierrez, Japanese fan. A Green Man Review reviewer. A life-long lover of chocolate and felines, she indulges in the former frequently and shares her abode with a rather spoiled specimen of the latter. She can most commonly be found with her nose buried in a book, a cup of good tea in hand and Japanese pop music playing in the background.

Cat Eldridge Review: Diana’s Bananas Dark Chocolate Banana Babies

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Review by Cat Eldridge: OK, it’s way too cute a name, I’ll grant you, but once you meet them and taste them for the first time you’ll forgive the overly cute name, as they’re amazingly good. Diana’s Bananas Dark Chocolate Banana Babies are one of those snacks that are both an indulgent treat and, surprisingly, rather good for you, as I’ll detail shortly.

Diana’s Bananas started in the Eighties at The Taste of Chicago, the city’s yearly open-air food fest, where they had the idea of freezing a fresh, ripe banana and giving it a bath in delicious chocolatier grade melted bar chocolate. The present product isn’t a whole banana but rather a half a banana but that just means you’ll be eating at least two of these delicious treats. In ten days at Taste of Chicago- they sold some twenty-five thousand of these treats!

What you get are four small frozen half-bananas dipped in dark chocolate. All the bananas are harvested in Ecuador and frozen to minus twenty F there. I don’t think they’re using the usual monocrop banana variety as the size suggests another variety. The dark chocolate they use is gluten free, and not overly sweet — actually almost savory in taste. The banana taste does not get overwhelmed by the chocolate, something far, far too easy to do.

I’ve eaten a lot of them in the last month. They’re very good — consistently tasty, sweet and satisfying. Diana’s Bananas website says they’re available at Kroger’s, Jewels, Shaw’s… Well, you get the idea. If you like bananas and you like dark chocolate, I’d say these are for you.