When I met Chuao Chocolatier at the All Candy Expo, I knew I had found something special. I have already reviewed their Bonbons and signature ChocoPods, and now I am going to review their creative line of chocolate bars. Chuao’s bars really represent the theme of the company: unique, creative and delicious. The bars come in Caracas, Spicy Maya, Earl Grey and Chinita Nibs Bar flavors.
I was really excited to try these, especially since I am already so smitten with Chuao’s other delicious creations. These bars, like the rest of Chuao’s products, use Venezuelan El Rey chocolate as a base and then enhance its flavor by using fresh unique ingredients. All that aside though, what I was really curious about was tasting these to see if they were going to be bar sized versions of the solid ChocoPods: rich, creamy, and 100% addictive. When I opened the wrappers, just a whiff of their aromas told me a loud “yes!”
Caracas: 41% Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Pistachios and Macadamias: Very milky smelling with a nice creamy color. The bar is beautiful, nicely formed and studded with full sized nuts. The chocolate is sweet and creamy and has a soft snap when broken apart. The chocolate takes center stage and is the dominant flavor. The nuts are really an afterthought in the mouth flavor-wise, but they add a wonderful textural crunch. I just couldn’t stop focusing on the delicious chocolate.
Caracas: 60% Dark with Almonds, Pistachios and Macadamias: Same formula as the milk chocolate with nuts, and it’s amazing what a difference in cacao percentage makes. This chocolate is dark and mysterious with a full snap and a complex aroma. It melts nicely in the mouth and fades away so you get the taste of all the nuts. And you really notice the nuts in this one: from the flavor of each almond, macadamia and pistachio and how the saltiness compliments the chocolate. The overall flavors of the bar also pleasantly linger in your mouth teasing you to go get more.
Chinita Nibs Bar: Nutmeg with Candied Cacao Nibs: Smells very warm and rich, and you really notice the nutmeg right away. It lends a nice, roasted scent to the whole bar. It has a hard snap and it’s a good clean break that really released the nutmeg smell, it’s so strong! You can also see bits of the cocoa nibs in the break. I took my first square to taste and just had to chew the first piece, I couldn’t help myself.
The nutmeg in this is really strong, definitely the predominant flavor. I don’t really taste the cocoa nibs at all, but they provide a wonderful crunchy and gritty texture to the smooth chocolate. The chocolate is a nice dark chocolate too. It’s smooth and rich and really just sits back and lets the nutmeg shine. I taste some acidity toward the end as the flavors start to fade away, as if the chocolate is crying out “remember how delicious I am!” This bar has some very unique tastes going on and I really feel it’s a good bar for the winter. The nutmeg brings forth tastes of apple pie and eggnog and an overall warmth to the chocolate. Something I could cuddle up with on a cold day.
Spicy Maya Bar: A beautiful bar that’s a larger version of the Spicy Maya ChocoPod (yes!) with a nice dark color and bright sheen. It has a wonderful snap and had a little give with a very satisfying crack sound. There’s a flawless break that releases a smell that’s complex and warm. I can sense the cinnamon but none of the chili. It’s such a comforting smell, I feel like I need to be sitting next to a roaring fire to complete the atmosphere it evokes.
The chocolate cleaves nicely when bitten into and has a wonderful smooth melt in the mouth. The flavors in this bar are balanced perfectly; the bitterness of the dark chocolate, the warmth of the cinnamon and the subtle spiciness. They work in such a way that neither overpowers the other: the richness of the chocolate balances the chili, the chili heightening the cinnamon and the cinnamon adds an extra level of flavor to the chocolate. A real work of art. I really recommend this to any chocoholic and this is the bar to introduce yourself to the chocolate/chili combination if you’ve never had it before.
Earl Grey Milk Chocolate: Despite being milk chocolate it still had a nice snap, although much softer than the Spicy Maya, with a clean break. The chocolate has a nice color that’s a little paler than the dark chocolate, but still very deep and rich. It smells a bit milky with a flowery essence to it. It melts nicely in your mouth and you get the richness and creaminess of a very good milk chocolate. The chocolate flavor is paired by the unique taste of the Earl Grey. It doesn’t really impart a “tea” taste to it, but more like an herbal essence that changes into a floweriness that blends in and ends with a hint of citrus. It works really nicely with the milky chocolate. This flavor makes a lot of sense to me, since Earl Grey is often served with milk. A refreshing and very delicious bar.
Once again, Chuao delivers some incredibly delicious products for all us Candy Addicts. Some of the combinations I’ve seen in other bars before and others I haven’t, but once you taste how good these are, you’ll realize how each of them are truly unique and are all worth a taste. The variety is great, so there’s a bar to fit any mood. (Feeling a little nutty today?) I’m going to get my hands on more of these for future chocolate cravings, and I suggest you do the same!
Buy Chuao chocolates online:
- at Amazon.com
I’ve wanted to try the Earl Grey for a while, and the Chinita sounds nice too — I love nutmeg. It’s good to know that these get your approval. :)
January 25th, 2008 at 9:40 amI really like the Spicy Maya – the flavors do blend really well together, no one stronger than another. But the Chinita was WAY too overpowered by the nutmeg for my taste (and I like nutmeg!) – it was like someone spilled the nutmeg accidentally.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:03 pmThanks for the review—I’d like a bite of each, please!
January 25th, 2008 at 5:52 pm