Go Chocolate Organic Raw Sun Dried Cacao Powder

Most cocoa powders are processed, either alkalized (this creates a milder flavour by neutralizing acidity; it also enhances colour and solubility) or by using the Broma process (warmth essentially melts the cocoa butter out of ground cacao beans); in either method, the cocoa butter is removed and the cocoa powder is dried. This raw product from GoHunza is sun-dried cocoa powder which has not been processed in any way (unheated, unsweetened, no fillers, no additives). It can be used in any of the many chocolate recipes that you might have. I found this for sale in a Health Food store ($20 for 3/4 Lb.), though you can get it online from GoHunza. So far, I've used it mostly, occasionally, to add a little mocha flavour to my coffee, which works, but look forward to seeing how it's flavour enhances my baking efforts, especially the natural healthier versions.

Dolfin Noir au Gingembre Frais

The Belgian chocolatier Dolfin makes a number of different chocolate bars with fresh and perhaps unusual ingredients (I've seen one with Rose, there are others with lavender, orange blossoms, lemongrass and ylang-ylang); this one has fresh ginger in it. I bought this at a German delicatessen. The cacao content is at 52%. The ingredient listing looks good, cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, fresh ginger, natural vanilla and soya lecithin.

How does it taste? I can see that there are smallish ginger pieces there, and the ginger flavour is not as strong as the Green&Black's Ginger I so like (okay, perhaps I like very strong ginger flavour, but even my beautiful Bride did not get that it had ginger in it), it also suffers a little from an underlying chalky texture. The bar snaps well and smells a little ginger-y. Overall, I would say that this bar is okay, and not one I would buy again.

Perth County All Natural Yogurt

This brings back memories. Fifteen to twenty years ago, I'd have eaten 2 to 3 containers of Perth County yogurt, which I'd purchase each week from Kitchener. I might even have one of their containers sitting on a shelf somewhere, most of them have been recycled in one way or another. One month it suddenly disappeared from the store shelves of the health food store where I bought it, and I had to find another source of all natural no added ingredients yogurt. It was tasty, sour and not too thick. Perfect for my morning breakfast concoction. This is their 500 mL small tub, the one I bought in the past was their larger 1 L one. After all these years, and I don't even know if it's made by the same people or even has the same quality, it's a little runnier than I remembered (albeit this is the low fat kind, I bought their 2% version), and it seems expensive compared to some of the other healthy yogurts out there, it still tastes good.

Lindor Raspberry

The flavour for Valentine's Day this year is Raspberry. I like raspberry and chocolate, and this does taste and smell like raspberry, but I suspect it's artificial flavouring. They taste okay, not one of my favourites of the Lindors.

Arko Confiserie Bear Shaped Fruit Gums

The second of two Christmas gummi gifts from my Aunt in Germany has the more traditional bear shape, but it is also a better, more healthy, gummi. It has fruit juice (apple, orange, lemon, strawberry and raspberry) and also fruit and plants concentrates (lemon, orange, apple, kiwi, elderberry, black currant, chokeberry, grape, spinach, stinging nettle, passion fruit and mango) for flavour. Tasty!

Gustaf's Traditional Dutch Double Salt Licorice

Not for everyone's taste, and certainly my boss said it must be an acquired taste, the salted licorice flavour is quite salty. Avoid too, if you are on a low salt program. Eat in moderation.

I find double salt licorice interesting, and remember eating them, enjoying them, when young; I also like eating hard-boiled eggs with lots of salt, too. Well, salted nuts might be as salty. These taste like I remember. Oddly enough, I found these in Canada, my boss couldn't find them in the Netherlands.

They are authentic, they have the "DZ" for "Dubbel Zoute" on each piece.

Lindt Excellence Dark 90%

I've eaten other bars with very high cacao content, Lindt even has one they are selling at 99%. I think that 70% is a good cacao content, this one is at 90%. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, natural bourbon vanilla bean (and no lecithin emulsifier).

How does it taste? Very chocolatey, maybe a little too chalky (as bars with this high cacao content tend to be). The chocolate was very dark in colour. Pretty good (my beautiful Bride enjoyed it), but the chalkiness prevents me ultimately from really enjoying it, and thus I likely won't buy this again.

Brimfield's Fine Confections Dark Chocolate Almonds

I've enjoyed the US chocolatier Brimfield's Fine Confections Dark Ginger several times before. I wish I had a good source for their products, Winners or Home Sense seem to be hit or miss, leaning towards the miss, in availability. This is their Dark Chocolate Almonds offering. The cacao content is at 70%. The ingredient listing is okay (the dark chocolate is good, as is the almonds; the rest not so much), dark chocolate (made from chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and vanilla), almonds (roasted in cottonseed oil), shellac (confectioner's glaze), gum Arabic and corn syrup.

How does it taste? The dark chocolate is good and similar to the ginger one. The almonds are crunchy and tasty. Overall, I prefer their ginger still, but this one would be good as well. My beautiful Bride likes them.

Valrhona Madagascar Manjari

Valrhona is one of the chocolatiers that I look for, its chocolate stands above others. I must say, that this is the first bar I've tasted of theirs. This one features cacao beans from Madagascar, of Criollo and Trinitario type. The cacao content is at 64%. The ingredient listing is good, cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin and vanilla.

How does it taste? If this is the entry level for me for Valrhona, this would be a good one to try. The chocolate taste is mild, melts well in the mouth, and doesn't have much of the bitter taste of dark chocolate. A good first try for those wanting to move from Milk to Dark. Not really a bar I would buy on a regular basis, better bars tend to be more expensive, but it does intrigue me into trying other ones from Valrhona.

Kashi Dark Mocha Almond Granola Bar

Kashi makes a number of granola bars that I like, this is one of their new ones, which features, along with its signature seven whole grains and sesame blend, salted roasted almonds, dark chocolate and natural coffee extract. The mocha coffee flavour is not too strong, and the dark chocolate is good, while the almonds are crunchy. I would say that this is another granola bar that I like, and would buy again.