Candy Bar Lab

I mentioned in my last Kingsbury Chocolates post that I would possibly try out the ChocObama Bar in the future. Well, thanks my friend who picked one up for me, here it is.

Structure
A mint-flavored milk chocolate bar with a dark chocolate Barack Obama bust printed on the back.

Texture
Nothing special about the texture other than it’s really smooth milk chocolate.

Taste
Wow, the mint flavor is REALLY intense - like I just brushed my teeth with Altoids. I couldn’t really taste the chocolate in fact because the mint really took over.

Verdict
This is a quality product with really smooth milk chocolate and while the mint flavor is intense, it doesn’t taste good. Ultimately, I’m giving this a negative review because it just doesn’t work as a candy bar. These should be served in smaller pieces as after dinner mints. There’s just no way for one person to eat the whole bar - especially in one sitting.

This is my second shot at a lime flavored, dark chocolate candy bar. The first one by Choxie didn’t quite live up to my hopes, but hopefully this one by Dagoba will find the right balance of taste and texture.

Structure
A 10-segment, molded dark chocolate bar with lime flavoring and small bits of macadamia nuts mixed in.

Texture
The macadamia nuts were completely unnoticeable. In fact, I ate a few sections of the bar and started writing this post before I took another glance at the picture and noticed they were in there. That’s how unnoticeable they were. You’re pretty much getting plain chocolate with this product. Fortunately, the chocolate was rich and very smooth.

Taste
The macadamia nuts were once again unnoticeable. The lime flavor was VERY subtle at first, but became increasingly noticeable on the finish. The chocolate was delicious (better than Choxie), so I wasn’t too upset by the light application of lime flavor.

Verdict
This candy bar desperately needs some texture, which it should have gotten from the macadamia nuts. They simply needed to be bigger and more plentiful. The lime flavor was a little underwhelming, but that can be forgiven because the chocolate is pretty good. In the end, I would have preferred a plain dark chocolate Dagoba bar to this effort.

A couple months ago, I stopped into a place in downtown Washington, DC called Artfully Chocolate because I was told they make a seriously delicious cup of hot chocolate. After looking through their dozen or so varieties of hot chocolate, I decided on the “Audrey Hepburn”, since the description was pretty much an espresso cup full of melted chocolate. It was incredible. If you’re ever near Logan Circle in DC, I highly recommend stopping in and getting yourself a cup.

Before I left though, I couldn’t help noticing the rack of candy bars they had on the counter under the label Kingsbury Chocolates. It turns out the same people who run the cafe also make their own chocolates at their Alexandria, Virginia location. They produce a bunch of candy bar varieties, including the dark chocolate and cocoa nibs one I picked up on my way out and the “ChocObama” Bar.

Structure
A 28-segment, molded dark chocolate bar with roasted cocoa nibs mixed in.

Texture
The chocolate is perfectly tempered with a firm snap and smooth feel. The cocoa nibs add just a hint of crunch to each bite.

Taste
The dark chocolate is deep without any unpleasant bitterness or acidity - just the way I like it. The taste of the nibs isn’t too noticeable because the chocolate already has a rather intense flavor, but I suppose they add to the overall taste of the whole bar.

Verdict
This is a pretty simple bar that’s perfectly executed. I’ll definitely stop into their cafe next time I’m in the area and pick up another variety, possibly the “ChocObama” Bar.