Thank you so much for sending your positive thoughts and support to my grandpa and family after Friday’s post; we truly appreciate your well-wishes and your kindness. Grandpa thankfully came stoically out of what was a very long and difficult surgery, and is already charming the nurses with his jokes (we, his family, have always been charmed). Thank you again for your support. Big hugs back to all of you!
Also, as many of you surmised, this weekend most certainly necessitated much chocolate…
Vosges Woolloomooloo Bar
As I rifled through my slowly-dwindling collection of Vosges chocolate bars, trying to decide which flavour to partake in, the word “Woolloomooloo” jumped out at me. In turn, my hand jumped out at it.
Why, you may ask, this sudden movement akin to a cheetah leaping on its prey? Well, folks, Vosges Woolloomooloo Bar has a direct affinity with Australia, as it’s named after “the famed suburb Woolloomooloo in Sydney and meant to hono[u]r the Aboriginal claim to the scrumptious macadamia nut”. You might also be interested to know that, according to Wikipedia, the name Woolloomooloo could be derived from any of several Aboriginal words meaning, or else pronunciations of, “place of plenty”, “young black kangaroo”, “field of blood”, “windmill”, or “There’s wool on my loo!”.
Mmm, tasty.
I also wanted to eat this Vosges Woolloomooloo chocolate because its incorporated hemp seeds are illegal to produce and sell in Australia. Subsequently, by eating this chocolate I could totally feel, like, super totally, like, hardcore.
What’s that you say? You want me to stop talking peripherally about the chocolate and discuss the actual chocolate itself?
Spoilsports.
The Vosges Woolloomoolo Bar is comprised of 41% milk chocolate, roasted and salted macadamia nuts, Indonesian coconut, and hemp seeds. Upon unwrapping the bar, the reddish-brown colour of the chocolate combined with the visible nut-seed-coconut goodies lurking just below the surface put me in positive frame of mind. Adding to the air of possibility was the aroma, which clearly sent forth notes of coconut and caramel.
I took a bite. And then decided that, in a move away from my usual mode of reviewing, I would simply cut-and-paste my tasting notes into this post. Behold the way my mind works:
Deep cocoa, not too sweet, something nutty but unfamiliar, almost like sesame but more complex, earthier… hello, salt hit! I do like you! What is that lurking flavour, is it hemp? Coconut subtle, big tick, blends in nicely with the coconut, hemp, and macadamia into a complex nuttiness that plays with a taste-memory I can’t quite pin down…
… hello again, salt hit! You’re back again! If I were a deer, I’d lick you. Intense salt makes the chocolate seem almost fruity, there’s caramel, dulce de leche, faint pear, then again comes the salt hitting the back of the throat at the end. The milk chocolate has salted caramel, honey, cream notes. Sweet, yes, but layered with ebbing flavours. Delicious but subtle. Hemp provides something savoury, a bit like malt, maybe wheat? Chocolatey-chocolate, very subtle, perhaps too subtle…
And then a trigger went off in my brain and I went off on a lengthy typey-typey-story-to-myself tangent about something that happened last year. As we all know or could surmise, typey-typey-stories-to-ourselves usually best remain only typey-typey-stories-to-ourselves, not typey-typer-stories-to-the-blog.
Therefore the culmination of this chocolate review is:
The Vosges Woolloomooloo Bar could have been a bit punchier in its flavour, particularly in terms of the prominence of the macadamia and hemp, but all in all I’m not upset by the association of this chocolate with Australia.
(However, I’m far prouder of Canberra’s own chocolate maker.)
I’m so glad your grandpa is ok sweetheart. I was about to write my best wishes for him, then got here and discovered a new post! Sometimes I can’t keep up with you.
That chocolate bar is a combination of all things delicious!! An application has been made to Food Standards Australia New Zealand for the inclusion of hemp in foods. They are currently still in the review process. Fingers crosses!
P.S. My mouse appears to have left the building! For the past three days/nights there has been no sign of her. My mum thinks she must have found my house too cold, and left to find a warmer home! Make sure you protect your precious chocolate bars from mice!!
Thank you Margaret. It’s funny you say that though, as I’ve actually slowed down my posting lately
I’ve been following the hemp-in-Australia story avidly (by which I mean I read a few months back that it might happen…), fingers crossed!
P.S. Yay for mice leaving! Knock-on-wood ours hasn’t reappeared since the last pantry clean and moving everything into plastic containers. I just remember, though, that I have a huge stash of chocolate in my bedroom… better get that packaged up too!
macadamia in a chocolate bar is for sure a winner! hemp is an interesting choice to put in there… i’m not a huge fan of it, but at least the chocolate bar is amped with nutrition
. and i love salt in chocolate – it definitely gives that “punch” in the flavor!
I don’t know if I’m a fan of hemp or not, as I’ve only ever had it in chocolate! Really hoping the Food Standards here passes it, so I can try it properly
Big hugs to you babe and glad that your grandpa has bounced back xoxo
Thank you Penny, I really appreciate it, particularly with everything you’ve been going through yourself *hugs* xo
Glad to hear that your grandpa is improving, and here’s hoping he continues to do so!
The reddish tint of the chocolate makes me think that “field of blood” must be the appropriate translation. Okay, not necessarily what you want to think before you eat chocolate, but the flavour combos sound yummy anyways! And thanks for posting your unfettered (mostly) tasting notes. They are probably just as interesting as a proper-sentence-and-paragraph write up
Thank you Theresa; you hit the nail on the head with hoping he continues to improve!
Oh. My. Churning. Stomach. Blood chocolate? That I could never do. :S
P.S. Thank you! I know a few have asked before to see the unedited notes, so decided to bite the bullet
OO… I completely missed Friday’s post! Sorry babe! So glad that everything is okay tho.. many sunshine and rainbow wishes your way!!
Thanks my dear! And thank you for the sunshine, too – it’s clearly down to you that we’ve got a lovely bright and warm-ish day over here
Loved your tasting notes, so immediate and almost poetic! Love it!!
Thank you Bryan! Felt a bit silly posting them like that. Though I should admit that I took out the typos
I am so glad your Grandpa is doing ok
I also loved your tasting notes – and I love that you *have* tasking notes! – and am most intrigued by the concept of hemp seeds in chocolate. I will say, though, that I think “place of plenty” may be the best interpretation of the title!
I’m loving everyone’s picks on what the translation should be!
Bahaha, I know find it impossible to eat a new chocolate without taking tasting notes! Which is partly why I was glad to find the Fremantle 58% in your package: I could gobble it up straight without having to think about it! 
I missed your previous post – but good to know your grandpa is doing fine now!
Also I love your tasting notes… such a great read, puts my notes to shame!
Thank you! And don’t worry, your dan dan congee puts my haphazard congees to shame too
I had to do a double take when I saw the name because of course that is so unmistakably Australian isn’t it! Hehe your tasting notes are cute-and they totally make sense whereas mine wouldn’t
P.S. I hope grandpa is ok? *hugs*
P.P.S. I’m off to grab a spoonful to eat that delicious fudge in a jar that you gave me!
I’m just waiting for Vosges to make a vegemite bar. After all, England has a marmite one… Also, there’s a slight chance I took out the more repetitive or nonsensical elements, the typos, and the plethora of exclamation marks from the tasting notes
P.S. Doing better today, thank you!
P.P.S. Squeee! Is it truly okay? I only had a sneaky small spoonful from the VitaMix, so was nervous! And I love that you called it fudge in a jar – so true
hehe Vegemite bar. You know that could totally work! I’m sure there were some fairy squiggles amongst that but that’s ok! Glad to hear that grandpa is doing better! It’s so yummy, in fact I’m off to have some more right now!
It really would! After all, salt and chocolate go together perfectly
Vegemite is also really good on steamed broccoli… Did I just say that out loud?
Why, of course you’re having some now! We both know that any kind of nut butter tastes best after 10pm
The Woolloomoolo Bar is one of Vosges’ best seller in America. This holds more to the appeal of the milk chocolate-macadamia-hemp combo than to the texture which is average. Therefore, it’s a chocolate bar to crunch and eat rather than to let melt and linger in the mouth.
Wow, really? I would never have picked or chosen this as one of the best sellers! I would’ve definitely thought the bacon, chilli, curry, and peanut butter ones would be more popular. Interesting.
Actually, the bacon bar too is a best seller. So you are totally correct.
I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T!
That’s great news about your grandpa Hannah – I hope he gets to come home soon!
Thanks Leigh
It’ll be at least two weeks before we get to have him back home, unfortunately!
I am really curious to try this. Coconut, macademia and chocolate is great, never tried hemp. This could be a great addition to chocolate chip cookies and brownies
Oh gosh, I would never bake with Vosges, but that’s mostly because I can’t buy it in Australia, so it must be savoured!
I know, it was a joke. Its like using expensive wine to braise pork belly, not that there will be anything wrong with the taste:)
I wish it wasn’t a joke! I’d love to bake with this
Glad your Grandpa is doing well.
Love your stream-of-consciousness observations on this bar. “If I were a deer, I’d lick you.” Hilarious!
Bahahaha, I’m so glad someone caught that! Also goes to show how much I learned from my Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a kid. Deer-licks!
I’m glad your grandpa is doing well!
Your stream of consciousness tasting notes are awesome. This bar is actually in my pantry right now… I may have to bust it out for a taste tonight!
Oooh, let me know what you think! I must admit it isn’t one of my favourites, but at least it had some of the flavours it professed to, unlike the Mushroom one!
Woolloomooloo – that sounds soooooo fancy!
I’m always astonished about all the different kinds of chocolate brands and flavors out there … It’s a universe! 
Have you already tried the chocolate I’ve sent you? I hope you liked it!
Not yet, my dear! I’m dealing with a serious backlog of chocolate right now, so am eating the ones that are about to expire first. But rest assured, I look forward to yours with glee!
Let’s make a deal. We’ll exchange tonka and hemp.
That sounds wonderful in theory, but I’ve never seen tonka here either!
Hannah, it has been such a long while since I last touched my laptop, or visited any blog, and sure enough, many things have happened. I am so so glad your grandpa is fine, and is charming the hospital staff. I hope this chocolate did its job as a ‘pick-me-up’!
Thanks Kayla! I’ve been popping into your blog from time to time and wondering when you’d reappear! Hope you’ve been having superwonderfulfuntimes!
Why Indonesian coconut? Is that supposed to sound exotic? I grew up with Indonesian and Malaysian coconuts and they’re nothing special. But even the name…the heck? Woolloomooloo?! Waahahaha! Love it, love it love it!
It’s a suburb in Sydney and, between you and me, Australia has even crazier place names than that! I should do a round-up for you international folk some time
Yes, I’m also perplexed by the Indonesian coconut in the context of this being an inspired-by-Australia bar… :S
p.s. Hope your grandpa is still jovially making jokes. You guys are fighters! (hug)
Thank you ever so!
So glad to hear that your grandpa is doing well. It is very scary having someone you love in Canberra.
The Vosges bar sounds excellent, but I do agree, not much can compete with the curious chocolatier. I’m seriously addicted to the Dark mint with raspberry.
Um, Lisa, did you mean “in hospital”? Because otherwise, your sentence is hysterically funny (and I love it)!
Ah, I think my favourite TCC is still the dark chocolate with rosemary and apricot, but the mint is certainly good too! And the banana and honey roasted peanuts, and the poppy seed brittle, and the…
Wow, now is that a Freudian slip or what! I did mean hospital, but you are right, that sentence is far funnier in its current form.
Oh mercy, that’s going to make me laugh every time I think about it.
(No, for serious, I just started cackling out loud in my office again. Must. Stop.)
I love your write ups about chocolate but really, all I wanted to hear about was your grandad. I am so blessed by those special grandparent relations that it is the central focus of many things I do. God Bless Hannah.
Oh, Tammy, that means so much. I wasn’t really sure whether I’d just be annoying people by writing about that aspect of my life. It means so much to have this support coming our way. *hugs*
Glad to hear that your grandpa is recovering well. xx
Thanks BFF
If I ever saw this in a store, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Though I do wish the chunks of macadamia were bigger…
Me too. Even though macadamias aren’t my favourite nut, I still believe that if something is included in a chocolate bar, you should be able to taste it…
I see it everywhere here, but I’ve never tried hemp anything before. Actually, I think this granola I just bought has hemp in it…. I’m going to give that a try next breakfast.
Can you try hemp seeds in something, just for me? It could be one of your new things!
I thought this was a tasty bar, although I only had one of the mini versions, and I split that in two to share. So I didn’t get quite enough of it to ask for a salt lick for Christmas.
What does ‘big tick’ mean in your notes? Ticks are gross and don’t belong in chocolate. Ticks give you diseases, unlike chocolate. Ticks (probably) taste bad. Chocolate doesn’t!
Wouldn’t half of a mini bar be, well, about enough to sniff it and that’s all?
Oh, and by tick, I meant that Vosges chocolate sucks the lifeblood out of me and gives me Lyme’s disease. Clearly.
wow I wish I could be as articulate in my writing as you are in your tasting notes – and all I could think of was a song we used to sing at school about a kangaroo taking a bus to woolloomooloo
Oh, I want to know what that song is now!
I’m also very grateful that you said “articulate” instead of “pretentious” 
it is a silly song – so you can be glad it is after our coffee in canberra and you are spared having to hear me sing it –
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=125499
btw – glad to hear your grandfather is doing well
Thank you Johanna. Long road ahead, but we’ll get there.