Sisters and Brothers, I'm trying something a bit new with the "Saturday Sacraments" by only listing them as Sacraments in the "Labels" section and trying for a more descriptive title to the Revelation. Earlier this week a company called "Bubble Chocolate" sent me two samples of their new product, so new that it was just released on September 15, 2009, or eleven days ago as I work on this Revelation. Each 2.82-oz. bar is etched into rectangles that are 1/2 by 1 inch in size; one bar is 38% cocoa milk chocolate, while the other is 60% cocoa dark chocolate. Immediately I noticed that the milk chocolate version has a higher cocoa content than you'd get from most mainstream milk chocolate products found in stores.
They came in two paper box wrappers that unfortunately got a bit damaged during shipping. That is also the case with the chocolate itself, which you'll see in a moment. So don't judge this product purely on my photographs; check out the Bubble Chocolate website as well for other pictures. As you can see, these are labeled very clearly so you can't confuse the two, which is good, because inside they each have identical gold plastic paper wrappers.
The smell of very intense and oddly sweet cocoa assails my nose when I peel open the gold wrappers. As you can also see, the bars have been smashed a bit, and the milk chocolate one has some color changes that suggest fat bloom, likely from changes in temperature when it was sent to me. This shouldn't change the flavor too much, but I suspect this is going to affect the texture a good deal since, unlike on their website, all evidence of the bubbles now seems melted out until I break off one of the pieces. I can't get my camera to zoom in far enough to show this, but there are indeed little holes from air infused into the candy. Despite temperature and transport problems the pieces break off fairly smoothly, though it takes a bit of effort.
The milk chocolate variety has a sweeter scent to it, a hard to describe quality that seems a bit like what I smell in carbonated beverages. I place the piece in my mouth to see if it will melt. It does start to melt, but very slowly, and it tingles a bit as the air in it is released on my tongue. The second piece I chew to confirm whether the tastes I registered are part of the chocolate or the melting. Either way, the air tingles, there is a far sweeter flavor than I expect from 38% cocoa, Sisters and Brothers, and a consistent release of all the textures and flavors each second. The result is something that I must describe as a pudding candy bar. It is entirely unlike anything I've had before. Half this bar is one serving, which has 220 calories, 9 grams saturated fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, less than 1 g fiber, 20 g sugars (explaining the sweetness), 3 g protein, 2% of the vitamins A, C, and iron an adult needs daily, and 8% of the daily calcium requirement.
The dark bar also has 2 servings, but the nutritional value is slightly different. Each serving has 200 calories, 9 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 16 g sugars, 2 g protein, and 2% of the calcium and 8% of the iron that an adult needs daily. The bar is a much darker color, and it breaks into its pieces with more difficulty. Inside I see the air holes again, and the scent is more cocoa and air, with very little sweetness compared to the milk chocolate version. The dark variety melts even more slowly, but when I chew, again there is a wonderful balance of cocoa and the air with none of the distracting sweetness. It is difficult to say what the texture of the bar would be like if it were unharmed by the temperatures it suffered during transport, but both feel a bit like there are light ridges over the external surfaces.
Given the flavors, I have to say that I strongly prefer the dark variety, but both are indeed very unique, as the company promises. Since they are a new company, keep an eye on their website for information about where you can buy their products, but I do know that some other online retailers are advertising that they have the bars — given the shipping issue I had, purchase these in person for a better experience.
Your Chocolate Priestess and The Chocolate Cult are honored to be entrusted as one of the first charged with revealing this new product to the world.
Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate. Remember, our first Pilgrimage will be to the Nashville Chocolate Walk. So become a follower or fan, buy your tickets, and then email me about joining the carpool to Nashville, Indiana. Next Saturday I'm going to reveal two types of toffee from the Nashville Toffee Company in Tennessee.
The milk chocolate variety has a sweeter scent to it, a hard to describe quality that seems a bit like what I smell in carbonated beverages. I place the piece in my mouth to see if it will melt. It does start to melt, but very slowly, and it tingles a bit as the air in it is released on my tongue. The second piece I chew to confirm whether the tastes I registered are part of the chocolate or the melting. Either way, the air tingles, there is a far sweeter flavor than I expect from 38% cocoa, Sisters and Brothers, and a consistent release of all the textures and flavors each second. The result is something that I must describe as a pudding candy bar. It is entirely unlike anything I've had before. Half this bar is one serving, which has 220 calories, 9 grams saturated fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, less than 1 g fiber, 20 g sugars (explaining the sweetness), 3 g protein, 2% of the vitamins A, C, and iron an adult needs daily, and 8% of the daily calcium requirement.
The dark bar also has 2 servings, but the nutritional value is slightly different. Each serving has 200 calories, 9 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 16 g sugars, 2 g protein, and 2% of the calcium and 8% of the iron that an adult needs daily. The bar is a much darker color, and it breaks into its pieces with more difficulty. Inside I see the air holes again, and the scent is more cocoa and air, with very little sweetness compared to the milk chocolate version. The dark variety melts even more slowly, but when I chew, again there is a wonderful balance of cocoa and the air with none of the distracting sweetness. It is difficult to say what the texture of the bar would be like if it were unharmed by the temperatures it suffered during transport, but both feel a bit like there are light ridges over the external surfaces.
Given the flavors, I have to say that I strongly prefer the dark variety, but both are indeed very unique, as the company promises. Since they are a new company, keep an eye on their website for information about where you can buy their products, but I do know that some other online retailers are advertising that they have the bars — given the shipping issue I had, purchase these in person for a better experience.
Your Chocolate Priestess and The Chocolate Cult are honored to be entrusted as one of the first charged with revealing this new product to the world.
Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate. Remember, our first Pilgrimage will be to the Nashville Chocolate Walk. So become a follower or fan, buy your tickets, and then email me about joining the carpool to Nashville, Indiana. Next Saturday I'm going to reveal two types of toffee from the Nashville Toffee Company in Tennessee.
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