Chapter Eight: Sea Salt Soiree

Ghirardelli is a well-known American chocolate brand so we thought it would be a good idea to try their sea salt and almond bar.  Last week’s tasting of Taza’s version of sea salt and almond didn’t seem to us to be a good representation of a traditional sea salt and almond bar so we set out to find another.  This classic combination tends to draw many followers, so our hope is to find a bar that would not only appeal to the masses but also be more readily available. Ghirardelli’s Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree does not indicate the percentage of cacao used or the origins, though does state on their website that they source their beans worldwide.

Tasting No.: 6

Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree

Initial Impressions:

Ghirardelli is a rich red in comparison to our base bar and has a much more pungent aroma, while the base bar is much milder.  The snap is much softer than our base bar; this could be due to the thickness of the base bar.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – Right away, there is a big almond flavor and milk.

Middle – The saltiness is pleasant and comes in soon after the salt.

After – Nutty finish, very sweet.

Texture:

Soft, velvety smooth chocolate with chunks of almond and subtle salt.  It melts pleasantly and the flavor envelopes your taste buds early on.

Overall:

This bar is especially sweet, and we think this overwhelms the taste of chocolate in it.  If the cocoa content were higher it could be so much more satisfying for someone seeking intense chocolate flavor.  We did some research and found that Ghirardelli roasts the inner part of the cacao bean (the nib), instead of the whole bean, which we believe would be better experienced with a higher cocoa content.  They also take strict measures to refine their chocolate, making it much smoother.

Rating: 5/10

*Notes:

This is a good quality bar for the price and is satisfactory for getting your fix.  Best of all, it is readily available in many grocery stores in the U.S. so you don’t have to go without.

Purchased at CVS

Price range Under $5

Next week we’ll review our first award winning chocolate bar!  Stay tuned. 

For now savor: “Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain.” – Dave Barry, Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down!