Tag Archives: vegan chocolate

Chocolatepalooza: Raw Shakti, Justin’s, Madécasse

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Writing this blog has brought many, many wonderful people into my life. Glorious people, shining people, inspiring people, talented people. One such people person is the lovely and hilarious Alayna of Thyme Bombe.

Alayna recently published her first cookbook, The Japanese Pantry, which showcases approachable yet dinner party-worthy Japanese (and Japanese-inspired) recipes. Believe you me, Alayna’s recipes look, sound, and taste as good as many of the dishes I ate in Japan several years ago.

Madécasse Pink Pepper and Citrus, Justin's Milk Chocolate Candy Bar, Raw Shakti Chocolate, Kind Bar, Living Raw Chocolate Macaroons, Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut ButterWhen Alayna offered me a copy of her cookbook, I was breathless with gratitude and joy. A few weeks later, I moved beyond “breathless” to “squealing” because, along with her cookbook, Alayna sent me the dazzling array of goodies you see above.

Alayna, you are a wonder and a song. This is your chocolatepalooza post. Thank you.

Raw Shakti Chocolate 85% Cacao

Raw Shakti Chocolate 85% CacaoA part of me is tempted to repeat the words on the Raw Shakti Chocolate package then proclaim “voila! My review!” After all, Shakti proclaims that its chocolate is: 85% cacao, raw, stoneground, handcrafted, sustainable, [made from] single origin Ecuador[ian cacao], [using] all organic ingredients, [and has] deep fruity notes with a complex floral finish.

Need I say more?

Raw Shakti Chocolate 85% CacaoPerhaps not, but I will anyway. This Raw Shakti 85% vegan dark chocolate had one of the crispest snaps I’ve ever encountered in raw chocolate, as well as an unwavering aroma of twangy redcurrant and unripe plum mixed with bitter raw cacao.

The taste followed suit with red fruit acidity, but thankfully not in a puckeringly sour way. The flavour was strong in tannins, merlot, lemon, and (again) unripe plums, but it also had notes of cigarette ash and the coolness of underground caves. Yes, I just said this chocolate tastes like caves.

I’d like to see that appear in the marketing blurb one day.

Justin’s All-Natural Milk Chocolate Peanut Candy Bar

Justin’s All-Natural Milk Chocolate Peanut Candy BarHave you ever wanted a Snickers bar but not its plethora of dodgy ingredients? Well, Justin’s has your back. Justin’s All-Natural Milk Chocolate Peanut Candy Bar is comprised of milk chocolate, peanuts, caramel, and nougat, but no hydrogenated oils or multisyllabic chemical components. Just pronounceable nuts, sugar, and chocolate.

Justin’s All-Natural Milk Chocolate Peanut Candy BarThe caramel was firmer than is found in a Mars Bar or Snickers, and had a lighter sweetness too. The nougat was malty and the peanuts well-roasted, balancing the sweetness of the caramel and milk chocolate. At times, the overall texture and flavour reminded me of fudge.

I want Justin’s (vegan) Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups now.

Madécasse Pink Pepper and Citrus

Madécasse Pink Pepper and CitrusI saved the best for last! Having previously tried and loved Madécasse, I was supremely excited about this mini bar of Madécasse Pink Pepper and Citrus 63% Dark Chocolate. The citrus refers to combava fruit, also known as kaffir lime.

This bar was wonderful. Alayna, you’re wonderful.

Madécasse Pink Pepper and CitrusThe aroma was so strong, so chocolatey, so tangy (in a gorgeously fruity way). As is always the case, Madécasse exemplified perfect tempering in this bar, with a beautiful crack-snap ringing out each time I broke off a square.

The flavour was light yet strong, by which I mean that the lime notes were ever-present but not overpowering. The citrus was like a cloud of perfume dancing through the vanilla-scented heady cacao notes of the 63% chocolate, while the pink pepper added just the barest hint of a savoury twist, broadening and deepening the bar’s overall flavour.

Oh Madécasse. I like you almost as much as I like Alayna.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates: Raw Vegan Chocolate Nib’d, Sweet Orange Nib’d, Coconut Crisp

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It makes sense to follow up a post about cheesecake extravagance in the United States with a review of raw vegan organic ethical-in-all-the-ways artisan dark chocolate created by a passionate Canadian, right?

Of course right. It’s the contrasts that make this world of ours so eminently fascinating.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates

Zimt Artisan ChocolatesLast year, back when I was still in Australia, I was contacted by the passionate and charming Emma, founder of Zimt Artisan Chocolates. Zimt chocolate is fair trade, organic, raw, vegan, sustainable, hand-made in micro batches, packaged in recycled and compostable materials and, most importantly of all, delicious – but I’m getting ahead of myself.

After several months of emailing back and forth while I travelled and Emma redesigned her packaging, I received a lovely note and selection of chocolates direct from Vancouver. Emma uses high quality cacao along with coconut nectar and coconut sugar for her chocolate, thereby creating a deep, dark, and rich base for her growing line.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Chocolate Nib’d

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Chocolate Nib’dI started with the most purely-cacao-focused of Emma’s bars, the Raw Chocolate Nib’d. Described as “rich dark chocolate studded with crunchy cacao bean nibs”, the bar was firm (if not as crisp as tempered, non-raw chocolate) with an enticingly deep aroma.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Chocolate Nib’dZimt Artisan Chocolates Chocolate Nib’dFrom my first nibble to my last bite, I enjoyed this bar’s flavours of redcurrant, melted butter on toast (oops; that’s not a very vegan description), liqueur, toffee flavoured with pear (oops; that doesn’t exist in real life), and even a little light champagne. I’m also always a fan of cacao nibs in chocolate.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates  Sweet Orange Nib’d

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Sweet Orange Nib’dOkay, you all know that I couldn’t eat this devilfruit-focused chocolate. I wish I could have; it looked so glossy and enticing. I even went so far as to pick up a square, but alas! My soul couldn’t do it. I simply can’t have anything to do with orange chocolate.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Sweet Orange Nib’dHowever, I have it on good authority (i.e. a friend) that this bar is highly enjoyable if you’re someone who enjoys orange and chocolate together. Plus, it’s pretty to look at, yeah?

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Coconut Crisp

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Coconut CrispDeep breath now. Deep breath in. Mmm. Cleansing seductive breaths, for “rich dark chocolate and crispy flaked coconut” is a far more welcome citizen in my chocolate world. Wait… a citizen that I eat? That wasn’t a very good metaphor.

Moving on.

Zimt Artisan Chocolates Coconut CrispThe aroma of Zimt Coconut Crisp was like the Golden Rough chocolates I ate in childhood, but deeper, darker, and headier with a tangy raspberry-esque twist. The coconut generously mixed through the chocolate contributed a lovely crunch to each bite, and the overall taste was dark yet mellow, whispering with soft sweetness and humming with coconut.

I really enjoyed the Zimt flavours I tried, and was glad to share the other with an appreciative audience. A big thank you to Emma for her generosity, and I can’t wait to see Zimt take Canada (and the world) by storm.

Chocolatepalooza: Lindt Wasabi, Camino Almond, and Snickers Peanut Butter

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Congratulations to Karen, the winner of my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway! I hope your home is filled with delicious joy upon receiving the jar of goodness.

It’s happening again. I’m eating chocolate at a rate that far outstrips the number of reviews I’m writing. You know what this means, don’t you? (No, Mum, it doesn’t mean I should replace every second chocolate bar with a sandwich.)

Chocolatepalooza time!

Lindt Excellence Wasabi Dark Chocolate

Lindt Excellence Wasabi Dark ChocolateAs a dedicated lover of all things spicy and hot (both in terms of chocolate and life in general), I snatched up several bars of this previously-unknown-to-me Lindt Excellence Wasabi Dark Chocolate as soon as I spotted it in a Toronto drugstore.

The aroma was strongly spicy, almost pungent, though more like horseradish than wasabi. (Yes, wasabi is a type of horseradish, but you know what I mean.)

Lindt Excellence Wasabi Dark ChocolateThe wasabi was just as present in the flavour as it was in the perfume, contributing a noticeably spicy, earthy, horseradish-y flavour to the dark chocolate’s buttery-caramel mellow sweetness.

There was even a little burn in my throat by the time I’d finished half the block in one sitting. Oh yes.

Camino 55% Dark Chocolate with Almonds

Camino 55% Dark Chocolate with AlmondsCamino’s Fair Trade, organic, and vegan dark chocolate with almonds appeared in the stocking that the wonderful Teresa, Lisa’s mum, gave me at Christmas. Teresa has provided amazing support to me here in Canada (in fact, she was instrumental in providing the contacts that led to my internship), and for this I will be forever grateful.

Just as I am always grateful for gifts of vegan chocolate.

Camino 55% Dark Chocolate with AlmondsThe aroma of Camino’s chocolate was headily enticing, giving notes of toffee, hot fudge sundaes, and almond croissants in Parisian patisseries. The chocolate was firm but smooth, the almonds crispy, and the overall flavour spoke of tropical fruits and pear, malt and, again, toffee.

Lovely.

Snickers Peanut Butter

Snickers Peanut ButterUm.

Well.

This happened.

Snickers Peanut ButterSnickers Peanut Butter was purported to be (I guess it was) peanut butter nougat topped with a peanut butter layer and then a caramel layer, all covered in milk chocolate.

I thought to myself: “Surely this will be enjoyable. Yes, it’s mass-market candy made from likely terrible ingredients, but it’s all about peanut butter. How can that be bad?”

Snickers Peanut ButterAfter eating both squares, I thought to myself: “That was not enjoyable. My heart is the colour of sad. How can so many different components coalesce into a flavour of nothingness? Why was every aspect of this bland? Where did I go wrong in my life?”

Note to self: dipping Lindt directly into peanut butter will always be a more satisfying experience than anything from the Snickers pantheon.

 

sweetriot 70% Dark Chocolate with Organic Vegan Bacon

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There are several signs by which one knows that one is most definitely and irrefutably in the United States. For example:

1. There are more Kardashians on magazine covers than there are magazine covers.

2. Ordering any item from a breakfast menu will lead to receiving said item surrounded by at least three complimentary sides all of which are equivalent to, if not larger in size than, the breakfast item you actually ordered (because who wouldn’t want pancakes and home fries and sausage and fruit accompanying eggs benedict?).

3. A dress suitable for a night of dancing in Las Vegas costs $12, but a university education involves more noughts after the dollar sign than should ever be allowed.

4. Dark chocolate filled with organic vegan bacon sits on grocery store shelves.

sweetriot 70% Dark Chocolate with Organic Vegan Bacon

Sweetriot 70% Dark Chocolate with Organic Vegan BaconDear sweetriot: points for the Fabio reference. (Although I must admit I’m of the generation that only knows Fabio as a complete joke, as the guy who got hit by a goose on a rollercoaster. Was there truly a time when he was appealing to women?)

Sweetriot 70% Dark Chocolate with Organic Vegan BaconThis dark chocolate bar is fairtrade, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. The chocolate is made from cacao, sugar, soy lecithin, and vanilla, and the bacon bits from textured vegetable protein, soybean oil, salt, and natural flavours (natural… bacon flavours?).

The aroma hinted at a tangy red fruit-focused chocolate profile, with the initial taste supporting this while also sending through a light smokiness. The chocolate wasn’t overly complex in and of itself, but had a nice blend of caster sugar sweetness, vanilla, and the twang common in 70% cacao.

Sweetriot 70% Dark Chocolate with Organic Vegan BaconThe bacon bits were crisp and generously portioned throughout the bar, though didn’t taste much like bacon to my mind (to be fair, I can’t remember the last time I ate bacon). Instead, they had a smoky, salty, almost molasses-y flavour, and somehow created a flashback memory for me of eating at Sizzlers as a child. I’m guessing I once had bacon bits from its buffet before the chain closed down in Australia?

My family and I used to see Mal Meninga at Sizzlers almost every time we had dinner there (which was rare, so it logically follows that he must have been a regular diner). Also, my brother once ate a bowl of Sizzlers ice cream for dessert then returned to the buffet for a final plate of pickled onions.

Those are all of my Sizzlers memories.

Wait, you wanted closing thoughts on the chocolate, not Sizzlers? Fair enough. This sweetriot chocolate was a tremendous novelty, and the smoky salty crispy tvp bits did create an interesting counterpoint to the simple and sweet chocolate base. ‘Murcah!!

How Little I Knew, and Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate Marzipan

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Remember that time I proclaimed winter had broken me?

Oh, how little I knew. How little I knew.

Here’s the truth: you haven’t been broken by winter until you find yourself hunched over in a packed-to-bursting streetcar on March 21st, the official second day of spring, having realised that the first time you saw snow in Canada was five months ago (almost half a year) and that, because of travelling across hemispheres, in the past ten months you’ve had only three months of warmth/not-winter, and you’re sitting there, alone amongst many, hunched over in the streetcar, and it’s snowing outside, it’s still snowing outside, and so you hunch over more and pull the hood of your winter jacket further past your face because it’s grey and cold and it’s snowing and you’re tired, you’re really tired, and you cry hunched over behind your hood without sound and without trembling so that no one knows but you, because you feel like you can’t bear it, because you feel like you can’t bear the dark winter a moment longer.

That’s when you know that winter has broken you.

Thankfully, there’s always chocolate to bring comfort to a frayed soul.

Even if the weather is forecasting more snow next week.

Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate Marzipan

Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate MarzipanRitter Sport’s Dark Chocolate with Marzipan is a chocolate block that I’ve bought and gobbled up frequently over the years, yet have never quite got around to blogging for you.

Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate MarzipanThis is likely because my thoughts on this chocolate can be summed up as follows:

Vegan. Vegan good.

Sweet. Easy silky smooth sweet dark chocolate. Dark chocolate good.

Mmm, amaretto aroma. Chocolate syrup too. Like thick sweet almond chocolate milkshake. Mmm good.

Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate MarzipanIn other words, this Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Marzipan is a simple and pleasant dark chocolate bar that errs on the side of sweet and is filled with a thick, slightly grainy, and subtly almond extract-tinged marzipan. At a stretch, I could say the dark chocolate has woodsy and praline notes, but that really would be stretching. In truth, this is a straightforward dark chocolate treat that, as long as you like marzipan, is very easy to eat and enjoy.

Even after you’ve been secretly crying on the streetcar like a dang melodramatic fool.