K + M Extravirgin Dark Chocolate Bars
June 7, 2019
K + M Extravirgin dark chocolate, made in Napa, CA, has a secret. They hand craft their bean-to-bar chocolates with extravirgin olive oil in order to boost the antioxidant properties as well as enhance the cocoa bean’s flavor and the bar’s smoothness.
According to their website, www.kellermannichocolate.com, by adding a small amount of MANNI organic extra-virgin olive oil through their proprietary chocolate-making process, the chocolate retains three times the amount of antioxidants compared to the traditional method. They say it’s, “Good for your body, good for your soul”!
K+M stands for Keller and Manni. Thomas Keller and Armando Manni both excelled at their specialties; American cuisine and antioxidant rich olive oil, respectively. They put their skills and products together to from a unique chocolate experience.
Tasting the K+M Chocolate Bars
The 75% Dark Chocolate, with Madagascar cocoa, and the Dark Milk Chocolate, with cocoa from Ecuador, share the distinction of being organic, single origin, bean-to-bar chocolates. The dark Madagascar bar has pleasant caramel notes with a hint of citrus. The dark milk Ecuador bar has stone fruit flavors with notes of brown sugar and a hint of nuttiness. Both have smooth textures and melt evenly in the mouth, dispersing flavor all the way through.
I enjoyed these bars, although I found them a bit pricey. True, they are thoughtfully crafted and unique, but $14.95 is a hefty dollar amount for a retail chocolate bar. While I appreciated the tasting experience, I wouldn’t go back and buy them again. In my opinion, there are so many other excellent chocolates for less. Even when I have to add in shipping, I can score a Raaka bar for under $10 (in all fairness though, the Raaka is 1.8 oz, while the K+M is 2.5 oz).
This summer, imagine serving some chocolate candies your guests have never seen! We took an old recipe book and updated it for easier use.
Click here to get your own copy of this fascinating cookbook.
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