International Chocolate Awards 2013 Europe Semi-Finalists

The International Chocolate Awards have national and regional semi-final competitions throughout the year, followed by a world final in October in London. The full results of the Europe semi-finals were published this month, and here are all of the winners in the unflavored dark chocolate bar category.

GOLD: Bonnat Cacao Cusco
SILVER: Friis-Holm Barba 70%
SILVER: Bonnat Juliana
SILVER: Bonnat Porcelana
SILVER: Red Star Honduras Indio Rojo
SILVER: Friis-Holm Nicaliso 70%
NOMINATION: Bonnat Chuao
NOMINATION: Dolci Libertà Madagascar 68%
NOMINATION: Friis-Holm Medagla 70%
BRITAIN GOLD: Red Star Honduras Indio Rojo
DENMARK GOLD: Friis-Holm Barba 70%
FRANCE GOLD: Bonnat Cacao Cusco
SWITZERLAND GOLD: Idilio No. 1 Porcelana Criollo Puro

Sale: Free Shipping at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate is offering free UPS Ground shipping on all orders (no minimum purchase) through Tuesday, April 30th. While their prices are typically higher than the least expensive online chocolate retailers, free shipping more than makes up for this if you have a small order.

World Wide Chocolate is a good place to buy Amano, Amedei, Madécasse, Patric, and Potomac chocolate bars, as their prices are competitive even without a sale.

Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout for free shipping through Tuesday, April 30th.

Where To Buy Chocolate Bars

There are several great online stores for buying chocolate bars in the United States. Here are my five favorite places to shop (now, six, with the addition from Lowe's comment). These are the best online stores for buying chocolate that I've found. All of them have large selections of many excellent chocolate bars:

Caputo's has good prices and flat-rate USPS priority mail shipping of $7.99 regardless of order size. Click on See all brands link at the left to find chocolate bars by brand. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. Ships from Utah.

Chocolopolis has good prices and good shipping rates. Use the Shop By Brand drop-down at the top-left to find chocolate bars by brand. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Ships from Washington State.

Chocosphere has big selection and tends to have the lowest prices with slightly higher shipping rates, but includes warm weather packaging for free when they feel it is needed. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Ships from Oregon.

Cocova has a huge selection, but typically higher prices and slightly higher shipping rates. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Ships from Washington, D.C.

The Meadow has slightly higher prices and good shipping rates. Use Chocolate By Manufacturer to find chocolate bars by brand. Acccepts credit cards and PayPal. Ships from Oregon.

World Wide Chocolate has big selection and tends to higher prices and shipping rates, but also has sales every week, so there are opportunities for getting good deals. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Optima, Diner's Club, and PayPal. Ships from New Hampshire.

If ordering during warm weather, be sure to add warm weather packaging to your order to make sure your chocolate arrives safely. Typical cost is around $7. Another consideration is the location from where your chocolate is being shipped because a longer time in transit increases the risk of damage.

In our individual bar reviews, we put a link to the least expensive price that we can find online at the time of the review (not including shipping charges). Because prices change, it's worth checking all five of the sites above if you're looking for a specific brand or bar.

Of course, a local chocolate store can be even better, as that may give you an opportunity to try a chocolate before buying! Plus, no damage in transit and no shipping charges to pay -- just your own transportation to the store. For example, here in Seattle, Chocolopolis has weekly happy hours during which they provide several chocolates to sample.

If you have a favorite online or local chocolate bar store, please add a comment to tell us about it (preferably with a link to their website). We'd love to learn about such stores in other countries, too!

Sale: Free Shipping at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate is now offering free UPS Ground shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase requirement. Even though their prices are typically a little higher than the least expensive online chocolate retailers, free shipping makes this a great deal for small orders. This sale is available through Tuesday, April 9th.

Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout for free shipping.

Sale: 20% off at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate is running their nearly store-wide sale again for 20% off all chocolate makers other than Amedei. There is no minimum purchase requirement, but shipping prices are significant. This sale runs through Tuesday, April 2nd.

Use coupon code SPECIAL20 during checkout.

World Wide Chocolate ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Check their shipping policies for additional information and pricing.

Sale: Free shipping at World Wide Chocolate

World Wide Chocolate is offering free UPS Ground shipping on all orders (no minimum purchase) through Tuesday, March 19th. While their prices are typically higher than the least expensive online chocolate retailers, free shipping more than makes up for this if you have a small order.

Use coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout for free shipping through Tuesday, March 19th.

Review: Cacao Sampaka La Joya

Richard's Rating: 8.0

chocolate maker Chocovic bar La Joya region Mexico plantation (blend) cacao trees Criollo year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 70% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier soy lecithin flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price €9.30

color medium-light brown PANTONE 19-1331 Madder Brown texture smooth, semi-glossy, uneven sheen aroma spice (cinnamon), fruit (raisin, prune, berry), roast snap hard taste spice (chili pepper), sweet, fruit (citrus, raspberry, lime), roast (tobacco), sour melt smooth length medium finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

La Joya is another single origin chocolate made from Mexican cacao by Spanish chocolate maker Chocovic for Cacao Sampaka. Thanks to the reader who informed us about Chocovic. We previously reviewed Xoconusco. Sampaka also sources cacao from other more traditional origins, but we haven't reviewed any of their other single origin chocolate bars.

The cacao beans for La Joya are not merely single origin, but also come from a single plantation, La Joya, in Tabasco Mexico. The beans are labelled Criollo Blanco, suggestive of a porcelana variety with white cacao beans.

Made with 70% cocoa solids (cocoa mass and added cocoa butter), the chocolate also contained sugar and soy lecithin. The paper box included two unscored 50 gram bars sealed in plastic and had an opening through which you could see the chocolate inside. The bars were separated with a thin sheet. The batch number was 110506 and the best before date was October 2013.

The color of La Joya was a medium light brown Madder Brown (PANTONE 19-1331). The top surface of each bar was smooth and semi-glossy, with a text imprint of "CACAO SAMPAKA". The sheen was uneven, with just a few tiny bits of adhered chocolate. The snap was hard.

The chocolate gave off an aroma of spice, fruit, and some roast. The spice included a scent of cinnamon. The fruit was a combination of a raisin, prune and berry.

La Joya's taste began with some spice and sweetness. The spice flavor included chili pepper. Fruit then came forth, with flavors of citrus, raspberry, and lime. I also tasted a tobacco roast and some sourness.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 20 to 25 seconds after the chocolate was gone, reaching a medium length. The final aftertaste was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

You can purchase La Joya online directly from Cacao Sampaka for €9.30 in Spain, or from Caputo's for $13.99 in the United States.