Tag: Jade Chocolates

Jade Chocolates, Part 2

Krakatoa is one of thousands of volcanic islands that makes up the nation of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. The 1883 eruption was cataclysmic, unleashing huge tsunamis which killed tens of thousands of people. According to Wikipedia, “The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history.” The LiveScience website says “Barographs around the globe documented that the shock waves [from the eruption] in the atmosphere circled the planet at least seven times.” That’s certainly quite a name to live up to!

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This 63% bittersweet bar with lemongrass oil and cracked black pepper, aptly named after this volcanic island, is a “sleeping giant” in terms of flavor. At first, the black pepper wasn’t overwhelming to me, unless I isolated a peppercorn granule & chomped down on it, unleashing a warming explosion in my mouth. However, as I continued eating a couple more pieces, I realized that the black pepper had a long lasting/lingering after taste that was quite potent, but not unpleasantly so.

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Each time I see this mold comprised of 8 topsy-turvy “tiles” adorned with a leaves and flowers, I think of a childhood block puzzle that was left unfinished.

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Unwrapping the bar from the colorful Nepalese handmade paper outer wrapper and the plain wax paper like inner wrapper, you immediately smell the refreshing citrusy aroma of lemongrass oil. The chocolate itself has a creamy texture despite not having any dairy. I like to challenge myself to pinpoint tasting notes of the base chocolate; but this time, I couldn’t get past the primary lemongrass flavor. Even though I was a little disappointed not to find information about the country of origin for this chocolate on either the packaging or the website, after reading this fun interview from 2014, it sounds like owner Mindy Fong uses Guittard or Valhrona for her confections, so maybe a Madagascar origin bean could have been used?!

When you’re ready to take a flavor adventure to the Pacific Islands, check out: http://www.jadechocolates.com/

J is for Jade Chocolates

Even though I’m still recovering from a summer cold, I didn’t want to delay tasting & posting about this uniquely flavored chocolate bar. Later in the week (yippee…there will be a “bonus” bar this week!), I’ll post about the 2nd chocolate that I purchased from Jade Chocolates, so that I can properly do justice to the flavors in case my taste buds are still returning to “healthy” mode.

Though this is the 10th letter of the Eating the Chocolate Alphabet series, I’m already thinking about “round 2”! I’m toying with the idea of selecting chocolates with unusual ingredients for each letter of the alphabet (think “A” is for amaranth, for example). If I follow through with that, I’ll be regretting this week’s choice since the bar below has an incomparable “Y” ingredient…keep reading & you’ll see what I mean!

In Tagalog (the language of the Philippines), “mahal” (as a noun) means LOVE…so it makes sense that this bar includes three ingredients that are considered aphrodisiacs: cinnamon, dark chocolate and ylang ylang – see what I mean…how am I ever going to beat that for a “Y” ingredient next round?!

Jade Chocolates is located in San Francisco, California and is known for their Asian and Pacific Island influenced chocolates. Mindy Fong, owner of Jade Chocolates, is half Chinese and half Filipina, so she knows just how to evoke the flavors of these countries by blending teas and spices to her chocolates. To read more about her inspirational entrepreneurial story, check out this interview from 2012: http://untemplater.com/business/entrepreneurship/interview-with-the-founder-of-jade-chocolates-a-prosperous-career-change/

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There is a simple elegance to Jade’s chocolate bar collection. Each bar is wrapped in handmade Lokta Paper made from the inner bark of an evergreen shrub that is indigenous to the mountains of Nepal. I find it fascinating that the lokta plant self-regenerates every 5-7 years, so harvesting does not affect the ecology of the area while also providing a stable income to the lokta farmers. There is a narrow, low-resolution, slightly pixelated informational sticker keeping the outer wrapper closed, but thankfully it peels away fairly easily from the paper itself. Inside, the bar is wrapped by a plain wax paper-like rectangle. The mold that was used looked very familiar, since it’s the same one that was used for the “H” chocolate that I featured a couple of weeks ago.

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Just unwrapping the bar, I was greeted by the exotic, delicate, floral perfume of the ylang ylang oil that was used. No wonder these flowers that are native to the Philippines are used in therapeutic essential oils! Just the aroma put me in a relaxed mood/state of mind. The bar itself is fairly thick and not easily broken into segments. There was a dull snap and when the bar broke apart, I could see small pieces of toasted coconut.

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These tiny nuggets added a crunch to the creamy smooth mouthfeel and the warming Indonesian cinnamon. I can only imagine this as a hot chocolate mix. That flavor combination would be my ultimate definition of “hug in a mug” 🙂

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a country of origin for the 72% bittersweet chocolate that was used. Regardless, I think that the fruity, lightly earthy/citrusy flavor paired well with the rest of the ingredients. To me, the flavors all complemented each other very harmoniously.

In an interview, Mindy mentioned that the name “Jade” was chosen since it is an auspicious symbol and form of good luck. To read more about the company & see more of their product line, check out: http://www.jadechocolates.com/

Tune in later in the week when I feature a 2nd Jade Chocolates bar!