Terra Nostra is a chocolate company that produces a line of high quality organic and fair trade chocolates that have a little something for everyone. I was introduced to Terra Nostra’s wonderful chocolates while at the All Candy Expo earlier this past year. What specifically caught my attention about this company’s chocolate was their line of bars made with rice milk. This was a big discovery for me considering I’m lactose intolerant. It’s exciting to see that dietary concerns are now being addressed in chocolate!
The first bar I tried was the Ricemilk Chocoâ„¢ Bar with Dark Truffle Center for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted to see how the chocolate itself tasted and since dark chocolate technically shouldn’t have dairy in it, I figured this bar was a good way to introduce myself to the flavors of Terra Nostra’s products. My other reason? Well, it’s simply that I prefer dark chocolate. Before tearing into my new treat, I glanced at the wrapper and was pleasantly surprised to find that these bars are also vegan.
The dark chocolate in this bar is sweet and earthy with a very odd aftertaste. It took me a bit to figure out what the flavor was and I eventually identified it as olive oil. The smooth truffle filling layered in the middle is very thin and I found it only provides a textural component to the bar. It doesn’t taste any different from the “normal” chocolate that surrounds it. The texture is smooth but greasy and overall I didn’t particularly like it. I found it diminished my enjoyment of the bar, which is a shame since the chocolate is really nice on it’s own. The truffle center doesn’t do it for me.
The second bar I sampled was the plain Ricemilk Chocoâ„¢ Bar which is more like the traditional solid milk chocolate. It smells rich and sweet with no hints of dairy at all, which is unusual since we’re so used to Hershey and Cadbury.
The bar has a beautiful color with a nice gloss to it which is very enticing. The chocolate is smooth in the mouth; not too sweet and has a nutty taste to it. I’d almost expect it to have been made with soy milk or perhaps have hazelnuts in it if I didn’t know any better. As it melts in the mouth the texture becomes a little waxy and the flavors don’t develop too much, but stay nice and clean. I wish it had a little more chocolaty-ness to it, but I am still extremely pleased with this bar. It’s delicious, satisfying and allows me to get a “sweeter” chocolate fix of milk chocolate without the lactose side effects.
The last bar of this line I tried was the RiceMilk Chocoâ„¢ with Almonds The chocolate has a nice middle-brown color and almond pieces seem to be quite small from the look of it. You only notice hints of them in the chocolate on the backside of the bar. The smell is lovely: chocolaty with notes of dairy (even though it’s rice milk!) and the nuttiness of the almonds. The flavor is wonderful with good, rich cocoa flavor with notes of caramel and a roasted quality. The rice milk adds that wonderful sweet creaminess to it so it tastes like the real thing. The almonds, which you notice but which don’t steal the show, enhance the creaminess of the chocolate in both texture and flavor. I love, love this bar.
Overall, I’m impressed with Terra Nostra’s RiceMilk Chocoâ„¢ chocolate. I really like how they’re providing options for people like me who have limitations on certain foods, while still making a delicious and authentic product. I also really appreciate the fact that the chocolate is organic and fair trade, so not only does the chocolate make my body happy, but the environment too. That’s reason enough for me to pick up more of these next time I see them at the store.