Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Dagoba Dark Bars

Name: Roseberry, Lavender and Xocolatl
Brand: Dagoba
Place Purchased: Wild Oats
Price: $2.79 each
Size: 2 ounces
Calories per ounce: 157
Type: Chocolate

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I know it seems strange that I got this on the same trip as the dismal SunDrops, but it’s true. I tried the Dagoba Chai bar last spring and really enjoyed it. That was a milk chocolate bar and I was very interested in the more botanical and spice flavored bars, but alas, Whole Foods does not seem to carry them. So, the trip to Wild Oats was most fortunate in the end. All the bars contain 59% cocoa mass chocolate. It’s extra smooth and very buttery. The chocolate itself isn’t too sweet and is a nice backdrop for the flavor additions.

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Roseberry - Dark Chocolate, Raspberries & Rosehips. 59% cocoa mass chocolate. This was not one of the bars I was most interested in, but the concept of rosehips was rather intriguing. I used to try to eat rose hips when I was a kid because I’d heard they were good for you. Though they didn’t really taste very good. This bar has a wonderful fruity and flowery aroma. The raspberries provide a dash of zesty flavor. However, I found the raspberry seeds incredibly annoying. They’re big and when chewing or dissolving such a smooth bar, a big seed was a rather unpleasant finding.

Lavender - Dark Chocolate, Lavender & Blueberries. 59% cocoa mass chocolate. I’ve heard of a few lavender infused chocolates and even tried the New Tree Tranquility bar (which was milk chocolate) and still believed that there would be a better lavender chocolate bar out there. Well, this might be it. I was a little leary of the blueberries in the mix as I thought maybe they’d give the chocolate too much of a fruit punch flavor. Of the three I tried, this was by far my favorite. Where the Roseberry has gritty things in it, this bar is smooth through and through, with little chewy bits of blueberries. The lavender gives the bar a soft essence, a lingering top note that doesn’t overpower the smokey and woodsy flavors of the chocolate itself. Not sticky sweet or cloying, it’s just an incredibly pleasant bar with a good, slightly dry finish.

Xocalatl - dark chocolate, chilies & nibs. 74% cocoa mass chocolate. The darkest of the three bars, this one was much more chocolatey. Not quite as buttery, it still melted quickly and had a very nice flowery note at first, like orange blossoms. That quickly gives way to a peppery heat that sizzles on the tongue as the buttery chocolate melts away and brings out some very woodsy, earthy tones. The finish is slightly dry with some lingering plum notes and of course the warm burn in the throat. The most interesting part of this bar is that it contains no cinnamon. Most of the other “spicy” chocolate bars I’ve tried have cinnamon (and sometimes cloves) in them. What’s cool about this one is that it’s all New World spices (okay, maybe that’s not true ... seems there’s some nutmeg in there).

I am completely in love with Dagoba now and I want to try everything of theirs. However, at $2.79 for a 2 ounce bar, it’s freaking pricey stuff and I don’t plan on buying much of it anytime soon. I’m curious about their single origin line and there are still about 20 bars that I haven’t tried yet. Maybe I’ll splurge via mailorder on one of their tasting kits except for the fact that it’s more expensive on their website than in stores. Sigh. I need a corporate sponsor.

Rating - 9 out of 10

Related Candies

  1. Chocolate Hellfire Chip Cookies
  2. Chuao ChocoPods
  3. Xocoatl 73.5%
  4. Green & Black’s Maya Gold
  5. Pumpkin Pie

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:25 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     All NaturalCandyReviewDagobaChocolateOrganic9-YummyUnited States

Comments
  1. I’ve had one of the other Dagoba bars and remember it being very delicious!

    Comment by Jodi on 11/23/05 at 10:59 am #
  2. Near me is the Mediterranean Bakery Cafe that is stocked with chocolates and candies from all over the world.  I love reading your blog and would be happy to send some stuff your way… and I’m sure I’m not the only one… though, like Halloween candy, one must always be leary of accepting candy from strangers.  Definitely a dilemma.

    Comment by Nicole on 11/23/05 at 11:31 am #
  3. I haven’t been reading very long, so I’m not sure if I’ve missed your review of my favorite chocolates.  They’re ridiculously expensive, so I rarely have a chance to eat them, but I always buy them at Whole Foods when I do. 

    They’re called Lake Champlain Chocolates, and you can get them through their website as well as at certain specialty stores.  My absolute favorite is their Caramel candy bar, but the peanut butter is delish too.

    Comment by Manogirl on 11/23/05 at 1:01 pm #
  4. Hi Cybele,

    I love your site! I was wondering when you were going to write more about my beloved Dagoba.  I really like the Brasilica, New Moon, Chai and Eclipse too.  I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the rest of the Dagoba clan.  And more thoughts on the Vosges too!  The annual chocolate show in nyc every november is a taster’s dream…and a good bang for the buck.

    Keep up the brilliant work!
    smile Alice

    Comment by Alice on 11/23/05 at 4:36 pm #
  5. I’m in the process of working through a few Dagoba bars and I’m really liking them a lot.  The chocolate isn’t quite as intense as I’m used to but it’s really great in a subdued way.  The Xocolatl is next on my list.  Can’t wait to try it.

    Comment by normyk on 11/23/05 at 9:24 pm #
  6. ....>.> What’s a nib?

    I need to try these soon.  Think I can find them around here?

    Comment by Tindy on 11/24/05 at 7:32 pm #
  7. Cybele's avatar

    Manogirl - I reviewed the Lake Champlain Five Star Bar:

    http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/five_star_bar/

    Tindy - a nib is a piece of a cocoa bean that’s been roasted. They’re a little crunchy, rather smooth like a nut but not quite as buttery.

    Comment by Cybele on 11/28/05 at 10:42 am #
  8. Ohman.  THANK you for this—I’d tried the raspberry/rosehip bar once, liked it a lot, and then couldn’t remember which the hell gourmet chocolate label it was, so was searching in vain.  Dagoba.  Okay.  Yeah, I’d kind of romanticized the “eating flowers” thing too, I expect.  These were truly good, though.  Now I want to try the lavender/blueberry one.

    Great site(s), p.s., and I like your username! Cybele’s been one of my favorite goddesses…

    Comment by belledame222 on 12/08/05 at 10:28 am #
  9. What you need, my dear, is someone who lives near Dagoba headquarters to shop locally and see if she can find you a good deal. *cough*that woud be me*cough*

    Also, I get a whopping discount on Harry and David chocolate. If you’re up for trying some, email me and I’ll see what I can do.

    Comment by Jerilyn on 12/12/05 at 8:44 pm #
  10. Hi,

    Wanted to thank you for making such awesome chocolates. My Wife & I have had many of each of your varieties, with the preference being the lavender bar. We own a certified organic lavender farm in Hood River, so we are a bit slighted to that bar. We make lots of goodies with our culinary lavender, including some small batches of chocolates, truffles, etc. Nothing that we can ship, just little delights for visitors at our U-PICK farm. If you are ever looking for organic lavender, we have plenty, and do supply some chocolate makers in Calif. & New York. Keep up the good work, and know that there are lavender farmers out there luvin what you do with chocolate.

    Comment by Joe Orcutt on 10/03/06 at 3:52 pm #
  11. Dagoba Lavender was my introduction to the world of American boutique chocolate products. I still buy it once in a while. Although I usually reach out for the Dagoba Chai.

    Comment by Phillip Minton, MD on 7/06/12 at 12:58 am #
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