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.

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