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| Assorted Cacao Gems, DAGOBA |
Today is World Chocolate Day! I'm revealing the
Cacao Gems from
DAGOBA because of their program that works with female cocoa farmers around the world called Inspired Chocolate Empowering Women. The Cacao Gems come in three flavors in this box -- Milk Chocolate Ginger Lime, Dark Chocolate Lavender Blueberry, and Picante Chocolate. We'll look at each in turn but first some information about the world connections. The focus of all of the cacao sources for these are from family-owned South American and Africa cacao farms. African and South America are some of the major cacao farming regions in the world and as such big impersonal plantations have been common. Let's see how these Cacao Gems taste when the beans are grown on a smaller scale and combined by an American company to help celebrate World Chocolate Day. DAGOBA sent us a free box of their
Assorted Cacao Gems to test out and write about for you; no other form of compensation was received in exchange for sharing our experiences in today's post.
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| Ginger Lime DAGOBA Cacao Gem |
Ginger Lime is made with 37% milk chocolate that to some of you may taste dark because most American chocolate caps out around 25-35% cacao content. The label has a lime green color to it that helps us remember what flavor is inside. When I opened it I could immediately smell both the lime and the ginger scents, I can't smell the chocolate at all but when I bite off 1/3 of this I can taste it. There are tiny pieces of ginger inside that make a bit of a crunch when I chew and they stick just a touch to my teeth. The lime is a cooling sensation as well as a flavor, the ginger is not as intense as I thought it might be, it help add an interesting edge to the lime. The milk chocolate is creamy and smooth, it is the first and final flavor I taste. Letting another 1/3 fo the gem melt on my tongue brings out the lime and chocolate flavors leaving the pieces of ginger to be crunched up at the end. I like just chewing it and I discover that I like this flavor quite a bit. Good job, DAGOBA!
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| Lavender Blueberry DABOGA Cacao Gem |
Lavender Blueberry is 59% cacao. Some of you may be giddy at the idea of a darker chocolate being healthier but remember studies show that health benefits really only being in 70% and higher levels of cacao. The light purple of the wrapper makes me think of lavender and that scent was very strong when I opened it followed by a light blueberry sweetness and chocolate fragrances. As the gem sat out more, the blueberry scent increased while the lavender decreased; interesting. Let's find out what it tastes like. It makes a soft sound when I bite off a third of it and immediately my mouth is flooded with dark chocolate and blueberry. The lavender flavor builds up with each chew turning the blueberry a touch sour but not in a bad way. The dark chocolate flavor stays consistent. This gem is smooth though it does have a tartness from the combining flavors. I like it but oddly not as much as the Ginger Lime and that really surprises me given my preference for darker chocolates.
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| Picante Chocolate DAGOBA Gem |
Picante Chocolate is 74% cacao with chilies and cacao nibs both. This may be intense because of the spice but also because nibs tend to be bitter but if you like darker (like Your Chocolate Priestess) this is a promising variety to test out. The bright red label hints at the intensity I hope is underneath the wrapper. When I opened it the chocolate was the strongest scent followed by a bit of spiciness. This generic spiciness builds as the gem sits out so I wonder just how strong the chocolate will be. I take 1/3 bite of it and discover this chocolate has a creaminess taste than the previous gem. That turns out to be a good thing because the burn from the chilies builds up with each chew. When I encounter a tiny nib, there is a burst of more chocolate but the spice is definitely very strong. This is gem to eat slowly unless you are a huge fan of chilies.
All three of these flavors were as the labels claimed. While I liked them differently, I didn't dislike any. The chocolate was a strong flavor in each either dominating or combining well with the other flavors. When you put the experience of eating together with the focus on family farmers, these earn Sacrament Status from The Chocolate Cult. If these Cacao Gems sound good to you, check them out. Plus leave us some comments so that we and DAGOBA know how you feel about them.
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