Chocolate makes me happy, as does organic stuff, so this one-two punch of organic chocolate has plenty of awesome going for it. Here’s my take on three different flavours of Theobroma Chocolat bars.
The Look: Very distinctive, with beautiful packaging and a long, slender shape that’s memorable and enticing. Downside? They easily break into pieces. (Though that makes them good for sharing, if you’re into that sort of thing.)
The Pitch: Other than stating the organic (biologique, en français) credentials (with a breakdown of what is and isn’t organic on the ingredients list), there’s not much other info on the packaging. I think they’re hoping people will visit their website for more info, which is too bad, because their website doesn’t have any info about some of these flavours. Ce n’est pas très utile, ça.
The Taste (coconut chunks): A nice fruity dark chocolate with chewy coconut flecks mixed in. There’s a slight crunch as you bite into the chocolate as the little pieces of coconut give way.
The Taste (espresso coffee chunks): Same dark chocolate, but with crunchy little pieces of crushed coffee beans thrown in. The chocolate is bright and sweet, and the taste/texture is not unlike eating chocolate-covered espresso beans. Expect the little bits of coffee to get stuck in your cheeks. The coffee tastes stale, but ground coffee in a chocolate bar isn’t going to taste its freshest, is it?
The Taste (orange chunks): Again, the same fruity dark chocolate base, but this time with an orange angle. It doesn’t just taste like orange zest (a common note in orange-flavoured chocolate), but like fresh orange juice, too. There’s a bit of crunch to it, which must be bits of orange. (The ingredients panel says “orange chunks,” but there was nothing large enough to call a chunk in the chocolate I tasted.)
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: $2.99 per bar at DeLaurenti Food & Wine at Pike Place Market, Seattle, U.S.A. Gifted to NEAROF!
Value for cash money: OK. More than a standard chocolate bar, but you’d expect that with organic anything.
Availability: These were purchased in the States, but they’re much more widely available in Canada. In Edmonton, you’ll find them in the chocolate section at Planet Organic.
Nutrition?: The packaging is lovely, but there’s no nutritional info on it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You have to go searching around on their website for nutritional info, but the packaging/portion size doesn’t seem right, and a couple of these bars don’t appear to exist. Frustrating.
Made in Canada, eh?: You betcha. They’re made in Québec City.
The verdict: Of the three flavours, I like the orange most. They’re all good, but not spectacular. For best results, adjust your expectations, and know that anything lost in taste is made up for in eco goodness. I may buy them again to scratch an itch, but I won’t line up overnight at Planet Organic to buy more.
I like these bars, esp choc-raspberry, and there’s one with almond cinnamon something that’s tasty, too
I just saw the raspberry one at Planet Organic last week, so I’ll have to give it a try. Raspberry and chocolate are such a great flavour combo.
The coconut bar makes me stand up and take note! I’m going to check out our organic store (Nature’s Fair) and see if they carry these and in what flavours. It sounds like it could be a nice treat. It doesn’t sound spectacular, but anything organic is worth a try! (at least once) Plus it’s CANADIAN! (bonus) How can you go wrong?
I had tried Theobroma just over a year ago(possibly a year & a half). I found them at that basement health food store in City Centre East. I’m not sure of the specifics back then, but I just had their 80% bar(from Wild Earth on 99th street)…wow, very nice! I also bought & have yet to try the 60% with banana chunks & 60% with coconut chunks. But the owner of Wild Earth, Joanne told my friend Bob & I about a new bar they have, also from Quebec. The company is Galerie Au Chocolat, & I tried the 72% bar with cinnamon. I knew as that first piece started to melt/dissolve in my mouth that I’d bee buying a few more of these…nice soft cinnamon, like in cinnamon buns or a cinn. coffee cake(distinct but nicely-rounded). I can’t see a website mentioned, but Googling… http://galerieauchocolat.ca/home.asp?Lang=E&STID=997524440288543/
I just picked one up at Save on foods.
After you mentioned it, I noticed a small selection of Theobroma chocolate bars at a Save-On in Edmonton, too. Thanks for the tip!