A Kick of Flavor in Dark Chocolate Bars from Alter Eco

Alter Eco makes many types of dark chocolate bars. Some are flavors we are familiar with like caramel, sea salt, or orange. Others are rarer to find in the bar form of chocolate such as raspberry, quinoa, or brown butter. Today. We're going to look at five flavors of the regular bars that Alter Eco offers. We were sent these free bars for testing and review here on The Chocolate Cult; no other form of compensation was received for honestly sharing our experiences with the products.

We'll cover these six bars in the order you see them in the top photograph from left to right.

We'll begin with the 70% Burnt Caramel bar in this orange paper wrapper you see above in the photo; all of the wrappers that you'll see today are recyclable and have the same basic design with the bottom 40% a sold color with the flavor name on it. A little more difficult to see but still visible in the photos it he face that there are lighter pieces of something in the bar; the ingredient list identifies these as "salted caramel granulates" so I'll be talking about those soon. The bar has a slight caramel scent that blends well with the dark chocolate when I unwrap it. The prescored sections broke apart fairly easily which released a bit more chocolate fragrance. It is rare to see any of those granulates within the bar so they must be few and far between. The bar makes a soft sound when I bite into it but the individual granulates crunch when I encounter them. The caramel and the salt flavor builds up with each chew and the caramel sticks to my teeth a bit though a couple extra chews frees them. The dark chocolate's bitterness intensifies with each chew as well so by the end of eating one section, I can feel the cocoa buzz start as my eye dilated and my vision brightens. I've never been a fan of burnt caramel but this seems like it was rescued in that sweet spot that brings out the tang of caramel without the burnt flavor. I like it a lot!

A sort of raspberry color marks the wrapper for the Seal Salt 70% Chocolate bar. I get both the dark chocolate and the salt scent when I unwrap it and again when I break a section free. this is firm but oddly doesn't make a loud sound when I take a bite. The sea salt builds up with each bite and brings out the bitterness of the chocolate more as well as I chew. I let the other half of the bar melt on my tongue Which makes the chocolate taste sweeter and even brings out a hint of fruitiness while the salt essence blends evenly as it melts. The cocoa buzz I get from this one is fainter than with the previous bar, so unless you are highly sensitive to those biochemical changes, you may not notice anything. I recommend letting this one melt in your mouth rather than chewing it to enjoy.

The Salt & Malt bar is next and it comes in with 70% cacao. As soon as I open the paper box around it, I get a strong whiff of dark chocolate. Like the Quinoa Crunch this has visible pieces of "malt crumb" on the back side but you can see it looks different. The scent is primarily the chocolate but there is a hint of something I can't say that I've smelled before. Like the previous bar, this is difficult to get to break along the scored sections. From the side after I've broken it the crumb is not all that visible or large as the back suggested. The crunch this makes isn't as loud as the quinoa-rice was in the previous bar. The intense dark chocolate flavor builds up with each chew and it makes my eyes water a bit as well as dilate; welcome cocoa buzz! I can barely taste the malt at the beginning and it disappears by the end, but in the middle I get that slightly sweeter than caramel malt flavor in the middle for about five or so chews. As for the "salt" it also barely registered with my taste buds and normally I'm quite sensitive to it because I live in a "no salt added" household. This is a unique bar, I would say try it out, but don't expect the malt to be like you may know it in a malted milk or in beer. Note: The "malt crumb" is made with wheat, barley, and whey ingredients if you are allergic to any of those.

Brown Butter has a light brownish yellow color on the wrapper that reminded me of mustard (which I enjoy by the way). The ingredients are fairly simple except for the final one "natural flavor" which does really have a meaning, does it? The bar has a light fragrance of chocolate with a touch of sweetness that I was not expecting. The piece break apart with a loud snap though chewing it does not make a noise. Chewing does bring out this sharp sweet-tangy creaminess; if you have browned butter before and tasted it, it does have similar layers of flavor. The chocolate is smooth and blends into the other flavors quickly, all of them causing one final burst of slightly bitter chocolate right before the bite is gone. I let a piece melt on my tongue and I was struck by the intensity of the sweetness that has a bit of tanginess to it as well; those flavors really cover the chocolate itself so I recommend chewing not allowing this type to melt in your mouth.

Quinoa Crunch has two different sides; the front is exactly like the other bars while the back has evidence of the quinoa-rice crisps. I only smelled the dark chocolate which I think is a good sign. It was difficult to get to break along the pre-scored squares. The crisps are crunchy, but add little flavor. The chocolate has a fruity flavor that comes out more strongly with each chew but then finishes with an intense bitterness even though this claims to be only 60% cacao. This doesn't claim to be a single origin bar but the flavor of it suggests that to me. I got a cocoa buzz just from eating one square.

Of the five chocolate bars in this selection, I liked the Burnt Caramel the best but I wouldn't reject any of them. That's makes these bars Sacrament Worthy here on The Chocolate Cult.