Food Review #42 Dagoba Organic Chocolate Xocolatl Dark Chocolate

Do you want some spice in your life?

No, love is not my expertise, but food, especially chocolate; is. I hope you do have some spice(or a special someone) in you life, but if you don't (or you just want some more), Dagoba Organic Chocolate's Xocolatl Dark Chocolate bar may do the trick.

All Dagoba Organic Chocolate products are at least 95% organic, and is certified organic by the USDA. All of their products became Rainforest Alliance Certified in 2012. For more information of Dagoba Organic Chocolate, you can go to their site here.

On one of my recent trips to my local natural foods store, I spotted a large variety of Dagoba products on the store's shelves. Though I decided purchased other Dagoba products as well, the Xocolatl flavor stuck out to me the most, and I decided it would be the first Dagoba product we would review.

As soon as I returned home, I rummaged through the bags, and searched for the Xocolatl bar. As soon as I found it I felt an urge to open it instantly; eating it within seconds. I calmed myself, and I examined the packaging. It was packaged quite nicely, the smooth paper effectively covering the bar. The bold, exotic font for the logo easily conveys the chocolate sourced from exotic locations for use by Dagoba. Now, enough already, let's open this bar!

I gently open the package, and as I am about to open the second layer of packaging, I discover that there is some writing on the inner-side of the first layer of paper packaging. On it is a story directly from one of the founder's diaries (I later discovered that most bars do have this). This scored further points with me, as I love these kinds of small touches.

As I open the second layer of the packaging, the chocolate starts to come into site. The bar is divided into long sections; each with an artfully carved "Dagoba" logo on the front of each section. The chocolate's smooth surface has dozens of cocao nibs poking through the surface of the bar.

As I bite into the bar, the texture is smooth and rich, full-bodied and thick.

And now for the taste.

The flavor of this chocolate is intense. The dark chocolate in this bar is rich and full flavored. The chiles add a delicious bit of spice, while the cacao nibs contrast with their crunch. This combination creates a unique, yet delicious flavor. At first, the flavor was mainly of the rich, 76% cacao content dark chocolate and the cocao nibs; with the chiles providing warmth. But after a few seconds, the chiles begin to turn up the heat, though the bar leads with the chocolate flavor. I have tried other chocolate with chiles or peppers before, and they were awful. This shattered my belief that chile and chocolate should not mix together, if done correctly like Dagoba Organic Chocolate has done, it is a delicious combination. This seems to be the closest chocolate bar product in the market to the ancient Aztec xocolatl chocolate drink. But better, much better

If you want some spice in your life, Food Review #42 Dagoba Organic Chocolate Xocolatl Dark Chocolate bar which gets a 10 out of 10, will do the trick! Perfect for your love or for yourself, it is great for Valentine's Day or any day! It is available at stores around the world and on Dagoba's online store here.