Chocolate

[magid]

Last night I sampled five chocolates.

1. Endangered Species' tiger Bar, 70% dark chocolate with espresso beans. This was intense, more from the espresso than the chocolate; the bar was extremely lumpy from the quantity of coffee in it, and it was more coffee than I would like, partly because the texture of the coffee beans is slightly chalky, and there wasn't enough chocolate to balance it out. But then, I'm not a coffee drinker, either. (More about tigers.)
   This is the first time I've had Endangered Species brand chocolate, and it's quite good. Each flavor has a different animal pictured on it, with information about the species inside the label, and the chocolate is "shade-grown, organic and Fair Trade" (Why is "Fair Trade" capitalized? I don't know.). Also at least 10% of profits are given to organizations working to protect endangered species. Which wouldn't be enough to get me to buy the chocolate if it didn't taste as lovely as it does.
   
2. Dagoba's xocolatl, 74% dark chocolate with chilies and cocoa nibs. The nibs were in much smaller pieces than the coffee beans, which I liked. The first piece I had didn't have much chili bite at all, while the second was noticeably hotter. Dagoba is also an organic brand.
   
3. Endangered Species' grizzly bar, 70% dark chocolate with raspberries. This was a surprise: it tasted of unsweetened raspberries, which can have a little tang of sourness at the end. Drupes of raspberries permeated the bar, including the little seeds, but it didn't interrupt the texture. (More about grizzlies.)
   
4. Dagoba's chai, 37% milk chocolate with crystallized ginger and spices. The only milk chocolate of the evening (I'm partial to dark chocolate), but it worked well with the chai spices, not surprisingly. This was very smooth; I didn't notice the ginger with distinct pieces at all.
   
5. Endangered Species' black panther bar, 88% dark chocolate. This was described as "extreme", so I was surprised that the mouth feel wasn't as chalky as some very dark chocolates. In fact, it was very smooth. I think I should have tried it earlier, though, to appreciate its simplicity more. (More about panthers.)

The Endangered Species labels also have conservation tips on the inside of the labels: purchase products made with recycled materials, don't feed the bears, find substitutes for disposable paper products. Each is explained a bit, then there's the tag line: protect our planet... it's the only one with chocolate. Which is a pretty good reason :-).