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Finally, we get to the third of three Dolfin chocolate bars in our Belgian-pepper trifecta. And, I think this might even the best of the three.
First we have dark, 60% cocoa, Belgian chocolate: nicely balanced. Smooth. Delicious.
Next, add white pepper and cardamom. Yum-my. Really – an interesting and savory mix. The white pepper has such a light flavor, and the savory gingery cardamom…
This is really a wonderful journey, though, in trying all three of these Dolfin bars together really allows you to experience the variety of peppers and cocoa percentages (32 to 52 to 60 percent). After all three, not only are we a little wired, but eager to try more Dolfin bars…

Another fantastic Belgian chocolate, this time a dark – 52% cocoa – from the Belgian chocolatier Dolfin. This one is purely pink – peppercorns, that is.
We know well enough know to expect a solid chocolate from the Dolfin folks, and this is no exception. Smooth, nicely balanced, just enough sweet, just enough bitter, and the pink peppercorns gives just the right hint of ‘light’ pepper. That’s the beauty of a bar like this – it really makes you appreciate the subtle difference between a lighter, higher note from pink peppercorn, as opposed to the earthier, more pungent black pepper. (what about white pepper, you ask? there’s a chocolate for that.)
So now we’re two-thirds of the way through our Dolfin pepper chocolate trifecta. Read on…

Dolfin is a fantabulous Belgian chocolate maker. They have a number of interesting sounding chocolates, so on a recent trip to NYC we picked a couple up to try. Two words made this an easy pick: hot masala.
For the uninitiated, what exactly is hot masala? It’s essentially a spice mix: start with ginger, add cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon.
What an awesome flavor combination: creamy, vanilla-y milk chocolate, and then the flavors creep in and take over.
I need to make a mention of the fantastic gourmet packaging, too: this chocolate is packed exactly like a pouch of rolling tobacco. Inner plastic pouch, wrapped in a plastic wrapped paper wrapper. An absolute pleasure to open and handle! This was not too expensive either, $3.95 for a 70g bar.
Needless to say, if you come across this bar, try it.

Another interesting chocolate we picked up courtesy of our friends at Chelsea Market Basket in NYC. It has ginger flavor, and, unexpectedly, guarana extract. Yes, it’s Red Bull in a chocolate. Even more bizarre, is the marketing on the back panel of the chocolate. See, from the front, you read “Sexy” first, then “Fine Belgian Dark Chocolate.” Then, on closer reading, the smaller type: “Ginger” and finally, “Energizing” well, of course its energizing silly, it’s chocolate!
Ok, so back to the back – there’s a violator across the panel that says:

Advantages
1 bar = 3 cups of coffee

Now, what the heck is this? Chocolate as a energizer bar? How bizarre is this?
We should have known when we read:”NewTree Sexy is chocolate in stilettos… …Naturally stimulating guarana extract adds an extra perk for a seductive treat.”
Ahh… it’s not an energizer or monster bar, it’s a Viagra bar. Yup.
Ok, it’s 73% cocoa, it’s Belgian chocolate. It’s got some ginger shavings. I think the ginger is purely to hide that weird guarana taste. The chocolate is good, it’s smooth, and balanced. The jury is still out on this one.

No bones about it, the folks at Chuao make some really good chocolates. We especially love the Spicy Maya. But this one folks, this might actually have too much going on.
There’s the chipotle chile first, then the the salt, and then – are you ready for this? – popping candy. Yes – pop rocks in chocolate. It’s an interesting effect – you sense the texture – as if there’s cocoa nibs or nuts. Then they dissolve, and pop! The effervescence overwhelms your tongue. But you’re still processing the smoky chipotle and savoring the salt. Then there’s all this popping going on.
It has such a nice smoky heat to it, the chocolate is a nice, smooth, 60% Venezuelan chocolate (like all of Chuao’s bars). The first taste or two was great, but then the popping was too distracting – I really want this bar with out the pop rocks.

Hachez makes some fantastic German chocolates. We last reviewed their Strawberry and pepper dark chocolate, and just recently found this one. Again, their combination of Ecuadorian cocoa, and fruit prove to be an interesting mix.
This German chocolate is smooth, creamy and rich – 77% cocoa – and the blueberry is just enough of a subtle hint to offset the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The crunchiness of the nibs holds everything together nicely.
But, not to be overly critical: it’s almost too dark – the blueberry is almost not enough.

Among the many Belgian chocolates I recently found at Chelsea Market Basket, this was one of the most interesting I tried. Now, it’s important to note that I say interesting – it is not my favorite, but I am glad I got to try this.
You open this bar up – it’s a delicious smelling 54% Belgian chocolate. You take a bite, and wham! Right away you’re blindsided with the szechuan pepper. It doesn’t sneak up on you, it doesn’t gracefully enter the chocolate room, it jumps on top of your tongue and rodeo rides it until you give up. And after you give up, it’s still around – remember you were eating chocolate? The pepper lingers on the back of your tongue like Anbesol.
Alright, so perhaps I’m a little over the top. Try this chocolate and you tell me. I can see where this might turn some people off. Me, I like it: I think it’s interesting.

This was an interesting find – kudos to Chelsea Market Baskets in New York City for the recommendation. Made in Italy, in the laboratorio Don Puglisi, it comes in a plain wrapper, tied with a red string, and a card:

Handmade in the Aztec tradition, the unique opaque patina and rustic, brittle texture are the result of a cold production process that maintains the full flavor of each ingredient.

Opaque patina indeed – one first glance it appeared that the chocolate had melted and resolidified. This is exactly the appearance the card warns about: one closer inspection you can see the actual granules of cane sugar used.
So, on with it: how is this chocolate? Awesome, simply awesome. It’s almost an unchocolate. You take a piece into your mouth and bite into it; it’s more like a chocolate sugar cube. The sugar dissolves, mixing into the 45% cocoa, and then 15-20 seconds later, the chili kicks in – medium spicy, just the right amount.
The best way to summarize this bar? It’s like eating a spicy hot chocolate – you feel like you should be drinking it.

Speaking purely as a marketer, this intrigued me on the level of curiosity. Would this compare to other dark chocolates we have sampled? Was this merely a branded version of an organic chocolate produced by some larger chocolate concern? Would this hold up? Would it have been worth it?
In short, to my best estimation, the answer to all of these is yes.
This seems to have higher acidic note, but is grounded with a berry note – blueberry? blackberry? currants? – that keeps the taste interesting.
It has a good mouthfeel – it is creamy, smooth, but it has a waxier feel than average.
It’ll make you feel good, as it’s made with Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa, and proceeds benefit Newman’s Own Foundation.
But, it still tastes a little generic. I got spoiled with that Dagoba bar – after that, this is like going to a Hershey’s bar.

Dagoba has a phenomenal line of organic, single origin chocolates. We tried another in the line this past weekend, called “conacado,” after the Conacado Fair Trade co-op in the Dominican Republic.
This is truly a wonderful chocolate – the flavor covers a wide spectrum of sweet tart fruit (cherry? cranberry?), coffee, hazelnut, and vanilla.
This hits it home in all the categories – earthy but smooth mouthfeel, great consistency, great taste. It says organic, and it feels organic – not like that crazy tree-hugging, Prius-driving, recycled hemp clothes aunt of yours, but like you’re on the cocoa farm, trying samples alongside the farmer.
So, if I haven’t been clear enough – this is a really good chocolate; a Top 10 contender.
Five-year-old’s thoughts: “Bitter; I can taste a little bit of sour (simultaneously eating a Tootsie Pop), grape juice.”

Picked this interesting chocolate up while down in Cancún, Mexico. Marketed as a traditional, Aztec-style chocolate, this massive 200g bar had me at “Chile.”
“It tastes sweet and a little bit spicy. And, it feels smooth and good.” – 5-year-old.
This really is quite interesting, both from taste and consistency perspectives. The mouthfeel is not at all like the typical dark chocolates – it’s gritty, and the ground cocoa is crunchy – almost like eating a Nestlé Crunch bar. It’s almost as though this is an anti-Lindt chocolate: it’s not overly sweet, indulgently smooth and obviously fattening. The initial taste is bitter and waxy, and as the chocolate melts and you crunch some chiles, more chocolate favor is imparted, on the wave of heat from the peppers. I was a little put off from the initial bite, but after the next few bites, more of the chocolate comes through.
Ingredients listed are simply “70% cacao, sugar, chile, lecitina [soy lecithin].” It’s wrapped in a wax paper wrapping, and the outer wrap brands it as part of the line of “Maria Tepozteca” line of chocolates, despite that name being absent from the rest of the wrapper.
So, despite the fact that it doesn’t actually say so on the wrapper, I am led to think this made in a more traditional style, more Aztec-xocolatl-ish. Either that, or this is poorly-made (or weirdly-made?) Mexican chocolate.

“It’s delicious, and it has a little taste of [fruit] punch in it. It tastes a little bit like grape juice.” - 5-year-old
“It tastes like Giselle.” – 3-year-old
Surprisingly, it doesn’t immediately taste like Hershey’s chocolate. We think there might be a little too much pomegranate; the sweet and tart fruit almost overwhelm the chocolate. Okay, so maybe that’s a good thing because it’s Hershey’s?
The chocolate is creamy and smooth, and a little too sweet for my taste. That does make this a good chocolate to introduce oneself to dark chocolate with. The bits of pomegranate are chewy, and stick to your teeth. Interestingly enough, my 5-year-old was pretty accurate with review: among ingredients listed are fruit juice concentrate (apple, cranberry, pineapple and elderberry juice concentrates). So, overall, the chocolate is overpowered with fruit juices and tastes, but has a good consistency.

On the sudden news of Michael Jackson’s death, I can not help but wonder if this is all part of a grander plan. It can be said that Michael adored Elvis, to the extent that he married into the family. Like Elvis, he became incredibly successful at an early age, and spent the later part of his career struggling with fame, drug addiction and familial disagreements. Unlike Elvis, who managed to eke out a late-career comeback with concerts and tours, Jackson was days away from starting an almost-inhuman run of concerts in London, running all the way into spring of 2010.
Samuel Roy, in his book “Elvis: Prophet of Power” said “Elvis’ death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society.”
In 2005, nearly thirty years after Elvis’ death, Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate. He also reclaimed the top spot in 2007 after Kurt Cobain topped the list in 2006.

Let’s look at the stakes Jackson is facing. He was about to kick off a ‘comeback’ tour that would have made him between $50 and $100 million, as well as [attempt to] re-establish him as a pop music icon. Beyond that, there is the vast spectrum of a decade’s worth of allegations swirling around Jackson, from yet-unknown perversities to child molestations; avoiding persecution by ‘vacationing’ in foreign countries with questionable extraditional policies; repeated counts of unfathomable behavior no sane parent would stand for; well-documented financial turmoil of Neverland, his music catalogs, his eccentric spending habits. I can really sympathize with a plan to rescue his image, rescue his financial position, and do all of this from the comfort and safety of an estate in a distant country.
Does it seem so apparent to anyone else?
What better way, and what better timing, than to engineer a sudden death? When else would have been a better? He has slipped from the tabloids’ interest, his popularity in the U.S. has never been lower, and the mystery surrounding his death and the inevitable-Elvis-like-phenomenon would slowly take over?

And the estate, the licensing, all of the hits, all would generate a nice solid steady income…

Compared to the Frey orange dark chocolate, the orange flavor is much more even and subtle, but the freeze-dried orange peel itself is distracting. The chocolate is nice – the Belgian dark chocolate is smoother, more buttery, than the swiss counterpart – but it’s just those damn peels that get in the way.

We’ve had Frey before – generally we’ve tried to find chocolates with pepper – but here we find some orange. We don’t like it so much. The orange powder tastes a bit crystallized, but we wonder if it’s intentional. We’re also wondered if this might be happen to be a bit stale.
The chocolate part – Swiss chocolate – is fine, it’s okay.