Chocolate Bar(s), Tasted on December 9, 2006 — I've recently been posting about various chocolate experiences. By no means has my palate developed to where I would consider myself really having a good sense of all the aspects, tones, and flavors of chocolate. That said, I still love eating the stuff. Two boxes of chocolate recently arrived, the first a gift from a friend, and the second a gift from some folks in Pennsylvania.

First up is a "Retro Bar" gift pack from Chocolate Bar. Over and over again I do my best to tune out environment, packaging, and service but honestly it was very difficult given how cool the packaging was on these 10 bars of chocolate. Super retro and hip. I love the font (scroll down to Milwaukee) too.

The flavors include Coconut Cream Pie, Caramel Apple, Malted Milk, Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Jam, and Salty Pretzel. Some were milk chocolate, some dark. A couple came in both. (Nothing wrong with that.)

I'm picky about what I like mixed with my chocolate. Nuts and other salty ingredients can be delicious as is caramel and its ilk (though I'm on the fence on nougat to be honest). But I have never been a fan of fruit (or mint) mixed in with my chocolate. To me biting into chocolate only to find some pile of fruity gloop is the equivalent of finding a bone in my salmon. Not a pleasant surprise.

But the retro bar flavors were integrated to a degree I've never experienced. The lime wasn't an unpleasant intruder. Quite the contrary, it was a seamless and (maybe most importantly) subordinate flavor partner to the smooth chocolate. The same was true for the Caramel Apple (a really pleasant surprise) and the Raspberry Jam. The only downside I found was that on the flavors where I enjoy more contrast (like the Salty Pretzel and the Peanut Butter Caramel) there wasn't as much as I usually like. But that's a small price to pay for an overall enjoyable experience.

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I also was the lucky recipient of a box of free chocolate from the nice folks at Hershey's through some additional folks we'll be mentioning in a future post. Hershey's is trying to add upscale chocolate to their portfolio. In addition to purchasing Scharffen Berger, they now have the Cacao Reserve by Hershey's, a line of high end chocolates that includes some that are single source.

In my goodie box was Premium Milk Chocolate with 35% cacao, Extra Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs and 65% cacao, Santo Domingo Premium Dark Chocolate with 67% cacao, and Arribe Premium Dark Milk Chocolate with 50% cacao. That's right Dark Milk chocolate. More cacao than typical milk chocolate. Also maybe a way to revive milk chocolate's reputation among chocolate snobs who roam exclusively in the dark chocolate zone.

The 65% Dark Chocolate with Nibs was not my favorite. It had a bit of a chalky flavor and I'm not a big nib fan. They're chocolate with a nut-like consistency. They're like a tease. "Here are some nuts without the salty contrast you know and love." The 35% Milk was like a much smoother version of typical Hershey's milk chocolate. Pleasant.

The Santo Domingo 67% Dark Chocolate with single origin exploded in my mouth. On the label they describe it as having "bright fruity notes and delicate spices". Bright indeed. As I've said, I haven't found my center in terms of my preference when it comes to dark chocolate notes, but in terms of being interesting, this chocolate definitely fits the bill.

The Arriba single origin 50% Dark Milk Chocolate is described on the label as having a "floral aroma, subtle herbal notes and lingering cocoa finish." I admit I'm having a hard time figuring out how I feel about this. The idea of a dark chocolate cut more slightly with milk to soften it a bit is attractive to me on paper. In practice however it seemed like a chocolate without an identity. Neither a flavorful chocolate, nor a particularly creamy one. Finally there were 65% Dark Chocolate Truffles which were just ok. I'm not a big truffle guy so I'm not sure my judgment counts much.

What I like about these chocolates from Hershey's is that even though they're kind of all over the map in terms of quality and what I personally enjoy, the folks at Hershey's are clearly trying. Putting a fancy label on chocolate is one thing. Selling single origin chocolate is more of a real commitment in my book. In some ways instead of soiling the high end chocolate market with their brand, perhaps Hershey's has a chance to bring consumers who've never experienced more refined chocolate to a new world of flavors.