Saturday Sacrament, March 14, 2009

Sisters and Brothers, as promised, your Chocolate Priestess will reveal the companion piece to the Absolutely Divine Dark Chocolate bar: the "Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar" with 30% Cacao. This is also a 3.5oz bar with primarily natural ingredients, though this time it has "artificial flavoring added," according to the label. Also made by CVS under the "Responsible Farming" mark, how does this bar compare to its 70% cacao sibling?

The shining paper label this time has a dark burgundy strip down the center, making it very easy to distinguish it from the dark blue of the 70% variety. On the back we find the Nutrition Facts, which list 7g of saturated fat per serving, no trans fat, and very little cholesterol or sodium, but also no dietary fiber; the dark chocolate version did contain some fiber. Remember, this bar has 2.5 servings in it, so calculate accordingly.

The tabs are easy to lift, but the paper sticks, making it more difficult to open than it should be, and I find that I must slip a finger between the paper and the Mylar wrapping on the bar itself. The Divine protects me from paper cuts, suggesting that this revelation is needed to be free from all influences beyond the packaging and the taste of the chocolate itself. The gold-tone plastic unwraps very easily and reveals that the bar has broken, though because of the deep etchings into the bar it has neatly broken such that four 1.5 × 1.75 inch pieces are on one side of the fracture and six on the other.

The rush of scent that the dark chocolate had when I opened it is not repeated with this version, but the scent does linger much longer and at a greater distance (even a yard away, but then I have a great sense of smell), temping me to rush this revelation. But your Chocolate Priestess is strong, and she will do her duty to you all, Sisters and Brothers, and fully experience what this bar has to offer. The pieces again break very easily, almost without a sound, and soon I have ten individual pieces.

It has been three hours since I ate anything and thoroughly cleansed my palate, so as I bring the first piece to my lips I am assured of fully experiencing this chocolate. I also recommend, Sisters and Brothers, that you turn off all music and unnecessary input to your senses when you use chocolate as part of your journey toward connecting to the Divine. Not only is this a meditative approach that many religious and spiritual people use, but it allows you to better appreciate what the sacred substance has to offer in each form.

The chocolate itself feels dry to my fingers, which I did not expect, given that it is milk chocolate and claims to be "creamy." Likewise, when I take that first bite it seems drier and a bit more bitter than 30% should be; again it makes almost no sound when my teeth break off a quarter of the square. It tastes quite average, and not particularly like chocolate, but also not like the paraffin that, sadly, some companies use today to supplement their products and give them more form.

In order to get a new experience, I hold the second bite in my mouth to see if it will melt; it takes well over a minute for this quarter-square to fully melt, but while it does so it floods my taste buds, my nose and even my mind with light sensations. Eating it quickly, as I do the third quarter of this first piece, does not have this same effect, so I recommend that you allow it to melt in your mouth for the full experience.

What this 30% cacao bar offers isn't for the casual consumer but for those of us willing to let it melt in our mouths and fully feel our senses expand and react. At a reasonable price, this could be a useful tool on your journey.

Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.