Chapter Forty: Kate Weiser Chocolate: Safari Bari

Today's tasting is a Kate Weiser Chocolate bar from Gaby's Dallas trip: the Safari Bari, 64% Pure Madagascar Chocolate bar. We are tasting another bar from this chocolatier next week and can't wait to compare the two. For this tasting, we will be using our typical tasting methods and comparing with the base bar.

Tasting No.: 38
Kate Weiser Chocolate: Safari Bari, 64% Pure Madagascar Cocao

Initial Impressions: 

This bar is lighter in color and redder than base bar. The snap is firm but softer than base bar. The bar itself appears so smooth that it is almost like a plastic toy. There is a faint blueberry aroma and the bite is firm.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – blueberry

Middle – acidic, balsamic vinegar

After – light, mild malted milk

Texture:
The texture of this bar is silky smooth, it melts easily upon our tongues and is gone almost too soon.

Overall:
This bar is sweeter than we normally like, but that is probably due to the fact that we typically taste darker bars. Gaby was quite tickled that her taste for dark chocolate has come so far in the past few years. The complex flavor profile surprised and delighted both of us, it was not what we expected at all from this bar.  We found it interesting that the ending is so mild and light. 

Rating: 7/10

*Notes:

Purchased at Kate Weiser Chocolate

Price range: under $9

Next week we'll be tasting a 72% bar from Kate Weiser Chocolate. Join us!

For now savor: "If I had to eat one kind of chocolate for the rest of my life, it would be this. The natural acidity and citrus notes have always drawn me to dark Madagascar chocolates. I find this chocolate so perfectly balanced and bold that it stands alone.  Enjoy." - Kate Weiser

Chapter Thirty: White Christmas Part One

With the holidays upon us we wanted to try something a little different. We will be tasting white chocolate bars from brands we know and love and new ones we are just discovering. We're so glad you could make it!

We know what you may be thinking: white chocolate isn't really chocolate! However, did you know that cocoa butter is a by-product of the chocolate making process? So while the cacao bean or solid is not included in the white chocolate itself, it technically does have cacao in it. :P Here's another fun fact: the cocoa butter is what smells like chocolate, not the cacao beans! We hope you enjoy our little segue from dark chocolate bars as much as we did. Our tasting method will be a bit different for the white chocolate reviews. As we have no base bar, there will be no comparison. Instead we will be focusing on the color, texture, flavor profile, and aroma individually.

Back in August, we tasted a Milkboy bar that we found to be absolutely delightful. We wanted to try to find white chocolate from brands we are familiar with and have enjoyed reviewing, so this seemed like a natural choice and a lucky find! In particular, we like that Milkboy is both UTZ certified and from sustainable sources.

Tasting No. :28
Milkboy Swiss White Chocolate with Bourbon Vanilla

Initial Impressions:
The first thing we noticed with this bar was the abundance of visible vanilla bean. The snap is quite soft and the color is a buttery cream color. It has a deep vanilla bouquet with some caramel notes on the finish. The bourbon was not immediately apparent, but subtly came to the surface after the immediate taste of vanilla.

Flavor Profile:

Initial – mild vanilla

Middle – vanilla, butterscotch

After – caramel bourbon

Texture:
We loved that this bar melted immediately in our mouths, it was silky smooth, but also thick as chocolate syrup.

Overall:
This was a relatively sweet bar but we loved the complex vanilla flavor.  It was nice to be able to see the vanilla as well and the texture was lovely and smooth.  We think this would make a good gift for anyone who enjoys white chocolate.   

Rating: 7/10

*Notes:

Purchased at Central Market

Price range: Under $6

Check back to see which bar we'll be reviewing next week!

For now savor: "Money can't buy happiness. But, it can buy a chocolate, which is pretty much the same thing." - Hanako Ishii

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price. By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.

Chapter Nineteen: Dark Chocolate Truffle

This week’s tasting is Dark Chocolate Truffle and it is yet another bar from our Trader Joe’s shopping spree, we were drawn to the “truffle” component.  We noticed that the back of the package states that it contains a minimum of 57% chocolate.

Tasting No.: 17
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Truffle

Initial Impressions:
The truffle bar was darker and browner than the base bar and the snap was notably soft, probably due to the truffle element, and yet, the bite was firm. The aroma was similar to the base bar, but slightly less acidic - almost a dry straw scent.

Flavor Profile:
Initial – dry straw
Middle – jasmine
After – blackcurrant, blackberry

Texture:
The truffle made this bar ultra-creamy, almost like a firm ganache or a thick chocolate syrup.

Overall:
We noticed that our base bar was very earthy after tasting truffle bar.  This bar tasted more expensive than it really was and we would recommend it cost-effective organic alternative to other bars that you would commonly find at a grocery store.  Although it was only 57%, we still enjoyed that it was not overly sweet and the chocolate flavor was present.

Rating: 7/10

*Notes:
Purchased at: Trader Joe’s
Price range under $3
This is a good bar that will satisfy with a single square; it’s rich but not overwhelming and is delightfully creamy.

Next week, we're excited to be tasting World Market's house brand, a dark chocolate with dried strawberry bits and sea salt.  See you then!

For now savor: “A dark-chocolate truffle melts in my mouth, and I forget about everything else...even the fact that I'm on a diet.” - Barbara Brooke

Remember, fairly traded chocolate is a responsible way to support farmers by ensuring that the chocolate that you consume has been bought for a fair price.  By choosing to purchase fair trade chocolate, you can honor the cocoa tree growers and support their way of life which in turn leads to better chocolate.