A Terrific Dark Chocolate Cacao 70

Today I am going to review a chocolate that I was very surprised to see in an international grocery store here in Thailand. I must say that I am also very thankful for finding it, for it is one of the best chocolates I’ve ever tasted. It is Cacao 70 by Morinaga. Morinaga has a big presence in Thailand.

The packaging for this chocolate is very posh and the 24 square individually wrapped pieces are the perfect size. The chocolate is 70% cocoa mass, so the chocolate flavor is very strong. The packaging available here is all Japanese, so I can’t be more clear on the chocolate content. Sorry.

I have been enjoying Morinaga’s Cacao 70 for a few days now and I must say: it’s incredible! I love it! Where has true dark chocolate been all my life? This makes milk chocolate taste horribly sweet and bland.

I have even done a taste tests between Cacao 70 and some other well known and loved dark chocolates and none could stand up to this one. They all taste too sweet after eating cacao 70. The chocolate has the perfect balance of bitter and sweet and the texture is perfectly creamy. The aftertaste is also very pleasant. The chocolate flavor stays with you for a while, which helps me not to over indulge. I find it to be the perfect chocolate fix.

I’m not sure where you can get this, but if you see it, I encourage you to buy it! You’ll be glad you did.

Choco Flake Bitter

Choco Flake Bitter is a recent find for me in Thailand. It is another chocolate product made by the Japanese chocolate company Morinaga. They are essentially corn flakes covered with dark chocolate. I bought the package on a whim just to see if they would be any good. They are actually quite excellent! I was pleasantly surprised especially since the label says it only has 8% cocoa powder and 3% cocoa mass. It also has sugar and palm oil and another powder.

After doing the math and looking at the Thai translation more closely, I see that the chocolate coating is actually 42% cocoa powder and about 2% cocoa mass. If you can get your hands on this, I recommend it! If you can't, I bet that you could come up with you own version of chocolate covered corn flakes.

I also have to show you back of the package. I like the illustrations used to help the consumer understand how to open, pour, store and eat Choco Flake Bitter. At least that is what I think that is what they instruct.

Velvet Bitter

Today I am going to review a Japanese chocolate that I have greatly enjoyed here in Thailand. It is somewhat difficult to find high quality Dark chocolate in Thailand and when I came upon Bitter Velvet I was delighted.

Due to the decline of the population of children, confectioners in Japan have been forced to change their marketing of chocolates by stressing quality and by drawing consumer’s attention to the richness of the ingredients. And Velvet Bitter is certainly a rich chocolate. It is part of Japanese candy maker Morinaga’s chocolate product line. According to a manager of Morinaga’s the bitter chocolate covered by a harder layer of dark chocolate is made for chocolate lovers who like to indulge themselves while relaxing at home. And I must agree.

I have taken great delight in relaxing on the couch with one of these small bits of dark chocolate. It lives up to its name. It has a very velvety texture that feels wonderful to on the tongue. The bitter sweet flavor of the chocolate is intense and has a very small hint of fruitiness.

Needless to say I am a fan! The only problem is that I have only been able to find the one package I bought at the store. I went back a week later and they had no more. I’m keeping my eyes open for more Velvet Bitter and I suggest you do so as well.