3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory Organic Bars
Product: 3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory Organic Bars
Price: $3.15
Size: 2.0 Oz
URL: http://www.theochocolate.com/
Named after the address that where their chocolate is made - Theo Chocolate puts an interesting twist to an old favorite with these Fair-Trade Organic Bars. When I first saw these bars appear I was impressed by the unusual artwork on the packages. They really stand out from the crowd with their vibrant colors. This is one of the strong points about this product. It just makes you want to try it by their original packaging. Let’s begin by some background about this product.
Theo Chocolate sources their Fair-Trade & Organic beans from Panama, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. You can see how each bar resembles the culture of the bean they use for that particular bar. The artwork helps paint a picture of what you are about to eat.
Theo Chocolate is different by a unique process of roasting, blending, and conching to their chocolate to bring out its distinctive flavor with each region their chocolate is from. By sourcing their beans from these unique regions Theo Chocolate is able to tailor their chocolate and “feel” with each flavor.
The Dark Chocolate bars are a min. of 65% chocolate and the Milk Chocolate a min. of 40%. Available in 6 different flavors I will review the ones that I have tried.
Vanilla Milk Chocolate: The Vanilla bean is sourced from Madagascar which is unique but must be very expensive. It has a very creamy and delicate taste that would explain the types of ingredients used and chocolate making process. Overall it wasn’t anything special enough for a second purchase.
Chai Milk Chocolate
Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate: The most unique bar I’ve tasted. It uses a combination of spices (coriander, turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, red pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves) with Toasted Coconut. The curry has a strong flavor while the coconut is subtle and works as a way to balance out the spices. It’s hot & spicy… the most unique ways I’ve eaten chocolate. I’m not a huge fan of the flavor but that’s completely personal. You have to like hot & spicy to really appreciate it. This bar is an example of a product with great execution and a superb final product.
Bread & Chocolate Dark Chocolate: The 65% dark chocolate has a subtle flavor but you can definitely tell that it’s dark. This bar has bits of “French Bread” mixed in which taste like little crisps. It just adds some texture to the bar. I wasn’t very impressed with the it. It’s not worth paying $3.15 for a dark chocolate bar that doesn’t deliver. It’s a unique idea but the final product is sub-par.
Nib Brittle Dark Chocolate: Another dark chocolate bar. The taste is delicious and you nibs add a nice touch but it’s nothing special.
Coffee Dark Chocolate: My favorite. This bar has a strong espresso flavor that goes well with the dark chocolate. Be prepared, this bar not only has strong flavor but a powerful energy kick.
Conclusion: I love the packaging artwork which really made me want to purchase and try so many. I’m impressed with the Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate as it’s so unique. The Bread & Chocolate bar looked to be hopeful but I was let down. The rest were just OK - Nothing special. I still need to try the Chai Milk Chocolate because it’s a unique flavor. Overall, a few unique bars but the rest can be passed up.
Taste: 7.5/10
Originality: 8.0/10
Packaging: 9.0/10
Value: 6.5/10
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Overall: 7.8/10