Wild Ophelia 44% Cacao Beef Jerky Milk Chocolate Bar

parent co.: Vosges/Wild Ophelia

net wt.: 2 oz.

quantity: 1 bar (4-.5 oz.sections)

country: united states

description: beef jerky, smoked paprika and deep milk chocolate deliver the power of the magical cacao bean

that's right, there is a beef jerky bar. and it is pretty much what you'd expect - salty, kind of beefy, overall weird but not at all bad. the chocolate is very smooth and creamy but the saltiness and the slightly salty, very beefy smell of the bar itself can be a little overpowering. it actually has a really pleasant aftertaste once the beefiness disappears. i think the hardest thing to get over is the initial smokiness; the package states that there is smoked paprika in there which probably lends to that smoky taste, but actual beef jerky is in the ingredients list (which has worcestershire sauce, soy sauce AND liquid smoke in it) so this is for reals. i do enjoy the salt-chocolate combo, and this chocolate actually has some caramel notes in it so it works, however i think it just takes some getting used to the beef aspect. i was actually very pleased to find this bar at the cost plus world market in town; this company, wild ophelia, makes wonderful and weird chocolate bars out of chicago. apparently it's an offshoot of vosges chocolate company who are well-known for their bacon chocolate bar, so i guess the jerky is the next step. wild ophelia has several other interesting flavors, one of which - southern hibiscus peach - will be the next review. so check it out, candy is back in style! also, found some swedish candy to intro the sweden scene - wait for it...

rating: 6

ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, dry whole milk powder, soy lecithin, vanilla), beef jerky (beef, water, organic soy sauce [water, organic soybeans, salt, organic alcohol], worcestershire sauce [distilled vinegar, water, molasses, corn syrup, salt, flavorings], liquid smoke, flavorings), salt, smoked paprika

allergen information: contains milk, soy

Dagoba Seeds

another organic bar from Dagoba. this time around it's seeds: hemp, pumpkin and sunflower in dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt. the first thing i noticed here was the earthiness of the bar - the combination of seeds with sea salt complements the bitterness of the dark chocolate very well. the salt taste is very mild, coming in near the end, almost as an afterthought. the seeds don't add as much of a crunch as i had hoped, but they do add something to the texture (i always prefer a textured chocolate to a smooth). the dark chocolate itself is quite good, Dagoba just makes a good chocolate - smooth and creamy. these bars always take me awhile to finish, they're pretty hefty and super-rich, plus the flavors and ingredients are usually not things that i'm always craving but when i do have a hankerin' for some gourmet chocolate, Dagoba is at the top of my list.

rating: 6

Harlekijntjes Salt Licorice Drops

here in the states we have grown accustomed to the sweet licorice flavor that abounds in such candies as licorice pastilles and twists, but over in europe (especially scandinavia/germany) they enjoy a much more intense salty licorice. i found these at sunrise asian market, where they have a surprisingly large amount of european candy (mostly from holland). i love sweet licorice, and i have to admit that i did not know what i was in for when i purchased these; they are very strong, salty and a tad sour. kind of like sour milk, not sour lemons. it's definitely something that i would have to get used to, but i do enjoy them. they are chewy, but more like Jujubes than taffy. this is not for the faint-of-heart licorice fan.

rating: 6