Review: Gnosis Simplicity

Richard's Rating: 5.0

chocolate maker Gnosis bar Simplicity region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 70% added fat (none) sweetener agave, coconut palm emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $9.25

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, image imprints, bubbles aroma smoke, earth, tobacco, spice, hint of floral, hint of sweet snap medium-soft taste sweet, roast (coffee, cocoa, tobacco), earth, bitter, fruit melt less smooth length short finish coffee, bitter

Gnosis makes organic raw chocolate and has the trademark The World's Most Nutritious Chocolate™. They make 24 different chocolate bars, as well as several other chocolate products, and donate 10% of their profits to environmental causes. The Gnosis raw chocolate product line won a Gold Award in 2011 from Best of Raw. They make two unflavored dark chocolate bars: Dazzling Dark and Simplicity.

All Gnosis chocolate is processed below 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48°C). Although the bars are not certified fair trade, founder Vanessa Barg has taken trips to farms in Belize, Grenada, Mexico, and Indonesia to verify fair labor practices. Note that Gnosis is in the process of switching their sweeteners from agave nectar and coconut palm nectar to coconut palm sugar.

Each Gnosis bar has a theme, and the theme of Simplicity was Energy. Simplicity was USDA certified organic and made from 70% cacao beans and 30% agave nectar and/or SweetTree™ [coconut] palm nectar. The thick two ounce bar was scored into six pieces, each with an imprint of Vanessa's stylized dove. The bar came sealed in a clear biodegradable wrapper inside a recycled paper box. The best before date printed on the box was 20 December 2012.

The color of Simplicity was slightly redder than a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface was smooth with several bubbles. The bar had an unusual medium-soft snap.

The chocolate gave off an aroma similar to that of Dazzling Dark. It was strongly smoky, with scents of earth, tobacco, and spice, along with hints of floral and sweetness.

Simplicity had an underlying taste like that of Dazzling Dark, but it unlike that chocolate, this one was dominated by sweetness. The sweeteners used in this bar are stronger than cane sugar, so this chocolate was much sweeter than a typical one with 70% cocoa solids. The other flavors I tasted were coffee, cocoa, and tobacco roast, along with earth, bitterness, and fruit.

The melt was less smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 10 to 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was a coffee flavor with some bitterness.

This chocolate would be good for someone who likes the sweetness of milk chocolate and doesn't mind some bitter flavor, but wants the health properties of organic raw chocolate and increased cocoa solids.

You can purchase Simplicity online for $9.25 directly from Gnosis or for $8.49 from Premium Organic Cafe either directly or on Amazon.com. All three sites appear to ship internationally.

Review: Gnosis Dazzling Dark

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker Gnosis bar Dazzling Dark region Indonesia, Ecuador, Peru plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 56g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 90% added fat (none) sweetener agave, coconut palm emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $9.25

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, scoring, image imprints, bubbles, adhered bits aroma earth, smoke, tobacco, spice, floral, nut snap medium taste roast (coffee, cocoa, tobacco), earth, hint of fruit, sour, bitter melt less smooth length short finish coffee, bitter

Vanessa Barg began making chocolate as Gnosis in 2008. She defines the name Gnosis as knowledge of intuition, experience, and heart. Based in New York, Gnosis crafts raw organic chocolate with low glycemic sweeteners and adds nuts, fruits, and medicinal herbs. They now make two dozen different chocolate bars, as well as several other chocolate products, and donate 10% of their profits to environmental causes. The Gnosis raw chocolate product line won a Gold Award in 2011 from Best of Raw. We'll be reviewing the two chocolate bars that are unflavored: Dazzling Dark and Simplicity.

All Gnosis chocolate is processed below 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48°C). Although the bars are not certified fair trade, Vanessa has taken trips to farms in Belize, Grenada, Mexico, and Indonesia to verify fair labor practices. Note that Gnosis is in the process of switching their sweeteners from agave nectar and coconut palm nectar to coconut palm sugar.

Each Gnosis bar has a theme. The theme of Dazzling Dark (formerly Dazzling Darkness) was Intensity. The bar was USDA certified organic and made from 90% cacao beans and 10% agave nectar and/or SweetTree™ [coconut] palm nectar. The thick two ounce bar was scored into six pieces, each with an imprint of a stylized dove with a spiral in its wing and a fleur-de-lis tail (that golden dove, also seen on the box label above, is Vanessa's personal symbol). The bar came sealed in a clear biodegradable wrapper inside a recycled paper box. The best before date printed on the box was 18 October 2012.

The chocolate had a medium-dark brown Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015) color. The surface was smooth with several chocolate bits adhered to it. There were some tiny bubbles. The snap was medium.

The aroma of Dazzling Dark contained earth, smoke, tobacco, and spice. I smelled additional scents of floral and nut.

Surprisingly for a raw chocolate, the primary taste was roast. The roast flavor consisted of coffee, cocoa, and tobacco flavors. Earth, a hint of fruit, sour and bitter flavors were also present.

The melt was less smooth. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 5 to 10 seconds after the chocolate was gone. This was more difficult than usual to determine, as the finish was very similar to the ending taste. The finish had the same coffee flavor with more evident bitterness, and lasted for a long time.

You can purchase Dazzling Dark online for $9.25 directly from Gnosis or for $8.49 from Premium Organic Cafe either directly or on Amazon.com. All three sites appear to ship internationally.

Review: Fearless Dark as Midnight

Lindy's Rating: 7.0

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Fearless bar Dark as Midnight region Brazil plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year 2011 size 57g ~ 2.0oz cocoa solids 75% added fat (none) sweetener cane sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $5.99

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, not glossy, uneven sheen, raised images, scoring aroma fruit (berry, tropical, raisin, cherry, plum, prune), dairy, earth, floral snap medium hard taste sweet, fruit (berry, raisin, coconut), sour, spice, earth melt smooth, but gritty bits length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Fearless is the largest maker of raw organic chocolate bars. They make bean to bar chocolate with single origin cacao from Brazil. Fearless purchases the cacao through direct trade relationships with family cacao farmers in the Mata-Atlantic rainforest in Bahia, Brazil. During processing, the chocolate is kept below 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48°C). At present, Fearless makes one unflavored chocolate bar and four flavored bars, and plans to add new bars this year.

Dark as Midnight was made from only two ingredients: organic raw cacao and organic unrefined whole-cane sugar (also called rapadura). The chocolate bar was USDA certified organic.

The bar was scored into 17 pieces due to it being shaped as if a bite had been taken from it (which represents the 1% of their profit given to those suggested by their Fearless Champions). One piece of the bar had the raised image of the Fearless elephant and the others had varying raised images of stars reminiscent of Le Petit Prince. The bar came enclosed in a silver plastic wrapper (covered with different colored Fearless elephants) inside a recycled paper box. The best before date printed on the wrapper was 1 November 2013.

The color was a medium-dark brown that was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth, but not glossy. It had an uneven sheen. The bar had a medium-hard snap.

Dark as Midnight gave off a strong, complex fruity and earthy aroma. The fruit aroma included berry, tropical fruit, raisin, cherry, plum and prune. We also smelled dairy and floral scents.

The taste was sweet, with berry and raisin fruit flavors. Lindy also detected some coconut. The sweet was juxtaposed with sourness, and my attention kept switching between the two. I tasted spice and earth as well.

The chocolate had a generally smooth melt, though on the less smooth side. In addition, there were occasional gritty bits. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 10-20 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The aftertaste was initially sweet, and the finish was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

Overall, Lindy described Dark as Midnight as "the everything chocolate" due to its many fruit scents and flavors, its contrasting sweet and sour taste, and its smooth yet occasionally gritty melt. It was certainly the boldest raw chocolate we've tasted.

You can purchase Dark as Midnight online for $5.99 directly from Fearless or for $5.95 from Chocosphere.

Review: Fine & Raw 78% (Ecuador)

Lindy's Rating: 5.0

Richard's Rating: 5.5

chocolate maker (unknown) bar 78% region Ecuador plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 54g ~ 1.9oz cocoa solids 78% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $8.50

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, not glossy, uneven sheen, scoring, bubbles aroma floral, earth, nut (almond), coconut, spice snap hard taste sour, wood, earth, bitter melt smooth length medium finish bitter, somewhat sour

Fine & Raw hand-crafts all of their raw chocolate in Brooklyn from cacao paste made from single origin fair trade Ecuador cacao. They are working on opening a new factory to begin producing bean to bar chocolate. The company supports the environment, with cacao from farmers using sustainable practices at the start and recycled packaging using non-toxic vegetable inks at the end. Daniel Sklaar uses only organic ingredients and his raw chocolate never exceeds 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48°C) during processing. He makes one unflavored chocolate bar and seven flavored chocolate bars, as well as bonbons.

78% was made from cacao paste, blue agave nectar, and cocoa butter. The ingredients were raw and organic, but the bar was not certified. The bar was scored into ten pieces and came wrapped in gold-sided foil inside brown paper. There was no best before date on the bar we reviewed.

The chocolate had a color that was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth, but not glossy. It had an uneven sheen. There were bubbles along the edges. The bar had a hard snap.

The aroma was floral and earthy, with a nutty almond scent as well as some coconut. I also smelled spice. The combination was nice.

78% had a sour flavor pretty much throughout. We both tasted a woody flavor and a bitterness that grew towards the end. I experienced an earthiness as well.

The chocolate had a smooth melt, leaning towards less smooth. The length was medium, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 30 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The finish was bitter and somewhat sour.

You can purchase 78% online for $8.50 in the U.S. directly from Fine & Raw.

Review: Stirs the Soul Honey Dark Chocolate

Lindy's Rating: 7.5

Richard's Rating: 7.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Honey Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 84% added fat cocoa butter sweetener honey emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring aroma earth, floral, fruit (tropical), honey, spice snap medium hard taste sour, floral, fruit (pear), earth, roast, spice, dairy, hint of sweet melt less smooth to smooth length short finish slightly sour, slightly acidic, slightly tannin

Daren Hayes hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate as Stirs the Soul in Portland. His raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. He makes two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar), and three unflavored bars (Blissful Dark, Dark, and Honey Dark), each with a different low glycemic sweetener.

Honey Dark contained 84% cocoa solids (cacao beans and cocoa butter). The remaining 16% was local unfiltered honey from the Willamette Valley. All of the ingredients were raw and the cacao was organic and fair trade. The bar was not certified. As with his other unflavored blend chocolates, this tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in an orange-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 116, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Honey Dark is second from the left).

The color of the chocolate was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with a glossy top. The snap was medium hard.

Honey Dark's aroma included the now familiar earth, floral, fruit, and spice scents. There was an earthy honey scent as well. The fruit smelled to Lindy as a dried tropical fruit, and she described the earthy scent as wet.

To Lindy, the chocolate tasted sour at the start, followed by floral with a slight sweetness, roast, and dairy. I experienced the same sourness at the start, but it was combined with a pear fruit and earth flavors for me. After that, I tasted the floral with spice, earth, dairy, and a hint of sweetness.

The melt seemed less smooth to Lindy, though I felt it was smooth enough to qualify as smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving a short length. The finish was slightly sour and slightly acidic to me, and slightly tannin to Lindy.

Overall, Lindy enjoyed this raw chocolate more than roasted chocolates of similar percentage cocoa solids. This was another good raw chocolate from Stirs the Soul.

You can purchase Honey Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Blissful Dark Chocolate with dates

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Blissful Dark region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 83% added fat cocoa butter sweetener dates emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring aroma earth, floral, spice, fruit snap hard taste earth, spice, fruit (date, raisin), tangy, acidic melt smooth length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Stirs the Soul hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate. Their raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. Rather than including cane sugar, chocolate maker Daren Hayes uses alternative low glycemic sweeteners (agave, date, honey, and coconut palm). He makes two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar), and three unflavored bars (Blissful Dark, Dark, and Honey Dark), each made with a different sweetener.

Blissful Dark was sweetened with dried dates. The remaining 83% consisted of cocoa solids: cacao beans and cocoa butter. All ingredients were organic and raw, though the chocolate was not certified. The tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in a teal-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 125, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Blissful Dark is on the left).

The chocolate had a color slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth with a glossy top. It had a hard snap.

The aroma of Blissful Dark was close to that of Dark, with scents of earth, floral, spice, and fruit. The spice scent seemed slightly stronger.

Blissful Dark tasted similar to Dark, too, with earth, spice, and fruit flavors combined with a nice tanginess. The fruit flavor differed, though, and tasted like date and raisin (rather than the pear experienced with Dark). There some acidity as well.

The melt was smooth. The length was short, with the chocolate flavor lasting about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone. The aftertaste was initially somewhat sour, but that dissipated, and then the finish was slightly acidic.

Overall, I may slightly prefer Dark's pear fruit flavor notes to that of Blissful Dark, but they are both good raw chocolates.

You can purchase Blissful Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Review: Stirs the Soul Dark Chocolate with agave

Richard's Rating: 6.0

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Dark Chocolate region (unknown) plantation (blend) cacao trees (unknown) year (unknown) size 28g ~ 1.0oz cocoa solids 84% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients (none) list price $3.20

color medium-dark brown PANTONE 19-1015 Bracken texture smooth, glossy, scoring, uneven sheen aroma earth, floral, fruit, spice snap hard taste fruit (pear), earth, spice, tangy, sweet, sour melt smooth length short finish slightly sour

Stirs the Soul hand-crafts stone-ground bean to bar raw chocolate. Their raw chocolate contains only organic or wild ingredients and never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C) during processing. Rather than including cane sugar, chocolate maker Daren Hayes uses alternative low glycemic sweeteners (agave, date, honey, and coconut palm). We've previously reviewed his two single origin chocolates (Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar).

Dark Chocolate was made with only cacao beans, cocoa butter, and agave. It contained 84% cocoa solids. All ingredients were organic and raw, though the chocolate was not certified. The tiny one ounce bar was scored into six pieces. It came wrapped in a bright yellow-sided foil inside a paper sleeve. The bar we reviewed was labeled as lot # 133, but had a blank best before date. As you can see in the picture below of four Stirs the Soul chocolate bars, it had an unusual curved shape (Dark Chocolate is 2nd from the right).

The color of the chocolate was slightly more red than Bracken (PANTONE 19-1015). The surface of the bar was smooth and had a glossy top, with an oval of uneven sheen. It had a hard snap.

Dark Chocolate had an earthy aroma, with floral and fruit scents, and some spice. The taste consisted of fruit, earth and spice. The fruit included pear and the spice tasted tangy. The flavor was also both sweet and sour.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted 15 to 20 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The finish was slightly sour.

Overall, another good raw chocolate. I liked the unusual tangy flavor.

You can purchase Dark Chocolate bars in packs of three for $9.60 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.

Sale: 20% off Michel Cluizel, Côte D'Or, Scharffen Berger at WWC

This week World Wide Chocolate has 20% off Michel Cluizel, Côte D'Or, and Scharffen Berger chocolate using coupon code SPECIAL20 during checkout (through April 10th).

They are still continuing several of their 15% off sales by nationality:

• Amano, Blommer, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Lake Champlain, Patric, Potomac, Scharffer Berger, Taza, and Vermont Nut Free chocolate using coupon code AMERICAN15
• Cacao Barry, Bonnat, Bernard Castelain, Michel Cluizel, Yves Thuries, Francois Pralus, and Valrhona chocolate using coupon code FRENCH15
• Divine, Hachez, and Viviani chocolate using coupon code GERMAN15
• Amedei, Domori, L'Artigiano, Maglio, Slitti, and Venchi chocolate using coupon code ITALIAN15

You can view the full list of promotions here.

REMINDER: Only one coupon code is allowed per order.

In addition, the first 30 buyers to add "Free Cafe-Tasse Squares" in the Comments field during checkout will receive 5 free bite-size chocolate squares of Café-Tasse chocolate.

World Wide Chocolate only ships to United States, APO (military), and FPO (diplomatic) addresses. Full information can be found at World Wide Chocolate shipping policies.

Review: Stirs the Soul Origins Madagascar

Richard's Rating: 6.5

chocolate maker Stirs the Soul bar Origins Madagascar region Madagascar plantation (blend) cacao trees Trinitario year 2011 size 47g ~ 1.65oz cocoa solids 88% added fat cocoa butter sweetener agave emulsifier (none) flavoring (none) other ingredients salt list price $6.25

color medium brown PANTONE 19-1431 Fudgesickle texture smooth, image imprint, bubbles aroma earth, fruit (berry), wood, sweet (caramel) snap medium hard taste fruit (pear, berry, papaya), sour, earth, wood, acidic, sweet melt smooth length short finish somewhat sour, slightly acidic

Stirs the Soul has been making bean to bar raw chocolate bars by hand since 2006. Their motto is "conscious raw chocolate", and chocolate maker Daren Hayes ensures the temperature during processing never exceeds 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44°C).

Using only only organic or wild ingredients combined with organic and fair trade cacao, Stirs the Soul also avoids cane sugar by using low glycemic sweeteners, such as agave, date, honey, and coconut palm. Their chocolate is produced in a nut, gluten, soy, and dairy free environment. Stirs the Soul makes two single origin chocolates: Origins Ecuador and Origins Madagascar.

Origins Madagascar contained 88% cocoa solids and was made from Trinitario cacao beans, cocoa butter, agave, and salt. The cacao beans came from Madagascar and the cocoa butter was made from the same cacao beans. All of the ingredients were raw other than the salt. Although the bar was not certified, the ingredients were all organic and the cacao was fair trade. The 1.65 ounce bar was unscored, had raised areas, and was imprinted with a design of cacao pods. It came wrapped in two layers, wax paper under orange-sided foil, inside a paper sleeve. The bar was made on 20 October 2011 and had a best before date of 20 April 2012.

The color of the chocolate was a medium brown Fudgesickle (PANTONE 19-1431). The surface of the bar was smooth, but had several bubbles. The snap was medium hard.

Origins Madagascar had an aroma with earth, fruit, and wood scents, along with a caramel sweetness. I thought the fruit scent included some berry.

The chocolate tasted of fruit, earth, and wood. Sourness, acidity, and some sweetness were also present. The fruit flavor was a mix of pear and berry, with papaya near the end.

The melt was smooth. The chocolate flavor lasted about 15 seconds after the chocolate was gone, giving it a short length. The finish was somewhat sour and slightly acidic.

I found myself surprised by the slight sweetness of this 88% chocolate. Overall, another good raw chocolate. I liked Origins Madagascar a little more than Origins Ecuador due to the complex fruit flavor.

You can purchase Origins Madagascar bars in packs of two for $12.50 in the U.S. directly from Stirs the Soul, or internationally if you phone them at 503-774-4903.