A chocolate-infused paradise
How an ultimate chocolate lover ended National Chocolate Day (yesterday!).
Featured Bars:
Vosges Haut Chocolate Peanut Butter BonBon Bar and Mo’s Dark Bacon Bar
Fine and Raw (raspberry and vanilla)
Theo Ghana Dark Chocolate Bar (84%)
Mast Brothers Chocolate
Vosges Naga Bombalinas
Dolfin Tasting Squares
Amedei Chuao Bar
So far I have made this a forum for all things that I like and want to share. And when it comes to food and other fun stuff, there isn’t much I wouldn’t share.
I find myself in a very different place, writing my first “Buyer Beware” post. But I think it’s equally important for me to share the things that aren’t quite as good as the others, so even if you decide you simply MUST try it for yourself, you have been warned.
Previously, I hailed the Theo 3400 Phinney Bread and Chocolate bar as a surprisingly pleasant; reminiscent of my childhood Nestle Crunch Bar experiences. When faced with the decision to buy another such bar or to dive into another culinary adventure with a different bar, naturally I had to sample all of the possible offerings before coming back to the B&C that I had enjoyed so much.
My second selection from the 3400 Phinney line was the Fig, Fennel, and Almond bar, and it was highly disappointing.
The name drew me in, and I was excited about it. I had never seen a combination like that before. These were all ingredients that I liked, and flavors that had satisfied me in the past. However, when combined together in this bar, the overall taste and experience is off-putting.
The flavors are potent, and slightly overwhelming. While I normally find textural and flavor variety interesting and thought-provoking, this bar did not seem well thought out. Some of the fig pieces are grainy, and the fennel pieces are stronger in certain areas of the bar. The chocolate is bitter but slightly nutty itself. All of these flavors together are too much. I would normally write more in-depth about the actual bar itself, but quite frankly, it was just bad, and I don’t really want to talk about it.
After about 20 minutes, the tastes still clung to my tongue, and instead of wanting more, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of the bar.
One might wonder how chocolate maker Theo created a bar that perfectly marries the subtle flavor of bread and butter with bold, perfectly tempered 70% dark chocolate, while still maintaining the texture of the crumbs of artisan French bread.
I have been wondering this myself, and I’m still searching for answers. But damn, is it delicious.
When I first came across this bar, the combination struck me as bizarre. But when I considered all of the classical pairings of bread and chocolate (fondue, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate croissants, and any piece of toast that you spread Nutella on) I simply had to try it.
It is fantastic. The breadcrumbs are buttery and crunchy, as if they had just been broken off a fresh-baked loaf. The chocolate is rich, bitter, and slightly sour; the perfectly decadent counterpart to the light and creamy crumbs. While the chocolate will begin to melt slightly in your mouth, one of my favorite things about this bar is that it is a bit thicker, making chewing both a necessity and delightfully fun sensation that harkens back to classic crunchy candy bars. It is finished with a touch of sea salt, leaving your tongue thirsty for more.
With it’s rich taste and crunchy texture, the Bread and Chocolate bar has stolen my heart. It brought me back to the days when I would enjoy a Nestle Crunch bar with my mother, a devout fan, straight out of the freezer. The fun texture and pop of the chocolate was what we both loved so much.
I’m going to have to introduce her to what is sure to be her newest vice.
