CHOCOLATE BARS
Different cacao beans make different chocolate. We make an ever-changing range of single-origin & flavored bars.
Bars are available at our café and online store.
Single-origin Bars
All chocolate starts with cacao beans, the magical seeds of the cacoa tree, Theobroma cacao. But not all beans taste the same. Cultivars such as criollo, trinitaio, or forestero each have distinctive flavor potentials, just awaiting a chocolate-maker’s discovery. Different cocoa-growing areas of the world have diverse soil types, temperatures, and humidity levels, further influencing taste and texture. To top it off, regional fermentation practices result in unique and complex flavor precursors that are selectively developed during roasting.
The net result is that chocolate made from beans of different origins can taste deliciously unique. Like fine wine, the flavor of every harvest will be unique, further adding to the pleasure of discovery. Chocolate has six-hundred flavor compounds, more than red wine. From the deep and lingering notes in our single-origin Ghana chocolate, to the dynamically-emerging highlights of our single-origin Madagascar bar, Nuance Chocolate’s Single Origin Series brings you the best of every bean. To discover the full range of the “food of the gods,” try every bar (or a flight at our café)—and then choose your favorites.
Flavored Bars
Nuance Chocolate is all about chocolate. Which is why we don’t sell turtles and pretzel sticks. Not that there’s anything wrong with good candy, but we feel that premium chocolate should never be relegated to a supporting role, which often occurs with commodity chocolate. Rather, we always put our chocolate where it deserves to be: front and center, the star of the show.
But being the star of the show doesn’t preclude introducing a good supporting role. Which is why we developed our Flavored Chocolate Series. Like a reliable sidekick, an additional ingredient or two—such as toasted coconut flakes, roasted chili powder, or whole Madagascar vanilla beans—make for a delicious and dynamic duo.
Milk Chocolate Bars
Milk and chocolate go together like...well...milk chocolate! While dark single-origin chocolate is getting all of the attention these days, good milk chocolate can be just so blissfully satisfying.
Nuance makes several different types of milk chocolate, including an amazingly-rich Swiss-style "dark milk" bar. Stop by the cafe for a taster flight.
About Percentages
The percentage marked on every bar indicates the total ratio of cacao to other ingredients. Cacao is any product of the bean, which generally includes solids and cocoa butter. For example, our 70% Madagascar bar has 30% cane sugar and 70% cacao.
In general, chocolate with higher percentages have more flavor. But not necessarily the flavors to which many are accustomed. For example, both a 70% Madagascar bar and a 70% Ghana Forrestero bar are incredibly flavorful—but the Ghana bar has heavier dark-chocolately notes, while the Madagascar has brighter high notes and greater complexity.
Buying a chocolate bar based solely on its cacao percentage is like buying a bottle of wine solely on its alcohol percentage. Instead, choose based on the cultivar of the bean, fermentation style, roast, and FLAVOR.