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Let me introduce you to Finca Manantiales Monticristi. I couldn’t find much information about this chocolate maker, but I believe it is a family-run cacao farm, located in Monticristi, Ecuador. Montecristi is a town in the coastal region of the Manabí province in Ecuador, and it’s the capital of Montecristi Canton. Montecristi was formed during the first years of the Spanish conquest, around 1536. The area is renowned for exceptional cacao growing conditions. The Finca Manantiales farm has been a cacao producing family-run farm for at least two generations. The family started making chocolate in 2023 and use exclusively the Nacional-Fino de Aroma (cacao Arriba) cacao grown on their farm. Finca Manantiales Monticristi has won 2 awards, both from the International Chocolate Awards in 2025.

Now let me introduce you to Finca Manantiales’ 74% chocolate bar. It’s made from only 3 ingredients: single origin cacao from their farm, cane sugar, and cacao butter.

Sight: clean molding, mostly shiny finish, dark brown color (I apologize for my photography skills–I’m seeking profession help)
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: mild/moderate intensity; pleasant and chocolatey
Mouth Feel: mildly chalky texture with thin melt
Taste: it has an intensely chocolate flavor with earthy and nutty notes, but then adds a note of honey
Astringency: mild

Summary: It’s a bar that at first I thought would fall into my “nice chocolate” list. You know the list–good quality, didn’t taste bad, but… With multiple samplings over the last few days, I’ve recognized it for what it is–complex and more than just nice. Deep chocolate flavor, along with an earthiness and nuttiness that finishes with a very pleasant creamy honey flavor? Come on. Now that’s a good bar of chocolate.

While waiting in line for the NWCF in October, I talked with fellow chocolate enthusiasts. Among other things, I asked a few veteran festival goers, “Which booths do I absolutely need to hit?” Many said, “Mestico!” Let me introduce you to Mestico Chocolates. Mestico was founded in 2017 by Rogério Kamei and his wife, Claudia, in Bahia, Brazil. Their cacao farm, Bonança Farm, is located within the municipality of Itacaré, where the Rio de Contas meets the ocean. The area is known for its stunning beaches and amazing surf culture. Rogerio is a third-generation cacao farmer and former mechanical engineer, who established the brand to add value to his family’s cacao farm. His goal was to create a stable income amid fluctuating cacao prices and promote sustainable farming practices. Mestico was one of the first companies to use its own cocoa butter in its chocolate bars. Most bean to bar brands buy deodorized cocoa butter that was produced from ordinary cacao by other manufacturers. Mestico Chocolates has won 28 awards through the International Chocolate Awards, Academy of Chocolate Awards, and Bean to Bar Brazil Award.

Now let me introduce you to Mestico’s Hidromel 77% Intense Dark chocolate bar. As mentioned, the cacao is single origin from Bonanca Farm in Brazil. Besides using their own pressed cocoa butter, they also use a honey-infusing fermentation process for the cacao. The process begins with fresh cacao fruits, which are opened and combined with water and honey in a fermentation tank. The beans undergo a two-month fermentation in the honey and water solution. Then the cacao continues with the regular process of being dried, roasted, and processed into chocolate.

Sight: dark brown with shiny surface; clean, sharp molding; outer packaging attractive, but the inside is wonderfully informative
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity, chocolatey
Mouth feel: creamy and smooth, soft melt
Taste: an initial deep cocoa flavor with a secondary note that’s tangy like yogurt along with a light flora honey flavor
Astringency: none

Summary: This is a deliciously complicated bar–chocolate paired with a delicately floral mead flavor. I’m trying to figure a way to get more without flying to WA state for the next NWCF. Darn it, I might just have to go back to the NWCF next year.

Special edition: This is not a chocolate that was at the NWCF in Oct 2025. A friend recently went to Egypt. And as true friends do, she brought me chocolate. Let me introduce you to Masison Choc. Maison Choc was founded by Clara Dayoub. She was a business major in college but had chocolate dreams. Literally. So she went to the Le Cordon Bleu in France and studied chocolate making. She went back to Egypt and founded her store, Maison Choc, in 2020. The store makes its own bean to bar chocolate bars and other tasty treats. Clara currently sources cacao beans from five countries—Guatemala, Madagascar, Venezuela, Uganda, and Vietnam. My search was not exhaustive, but no awards for her chocolate were found.

Now let me introduce you to Maison Choc’s 70% Bolivia Sugar Free chocolate bar. I naturally shied away from this bar because, well, it’s sugar free. Yuck. It’s sweetened with monk fruit. Yuck. Of note, I thought I was allergic to monk fruit, but I guess I’m not ’cause I ate this whole bar without trouble. The cacao beans are from ElCeibo–a group of >1200 small farmers that grow organic cacao beans.

Sight: good molding with clean lines and good surface shine especially considering the multiple flights in a carry-on bag that this bar endured; dark brown with reddish tint; the packaging is excellent–it’s simple and elegant on the outside while the inside is packed with information and your very own tasting card with instructions and flavor wheel
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity and sweet
Mouth Feel: creamy and smooth with even melt
Taste: with initial vanilla flavor note that includes an oaky-ness that reminds me of bourbon, and finishes with a soft delicious combo of vanilla and chocolate
Astringency: none

Summary: I definitely recommend this bar. Such a smooth bar with a wonderfully sweet, oaky, vanilla flavor–much like a bourbon flavor. It was such a pleasant surprise and changed my natural distrust of chocolates with the phrase “sugar free”. Now to see if I can get my hands on more of it …

It’s National Hot Chocolate Day. That seems fitting. It was -10 degrees F when I woke up this morning. We did get to a balmy 17 degrees F at the peak of the day, so that’s something. I guess.

Sadly, there won’t be a chocolate review from me for this week as I have that most wonderful of winter time afflictions, a cold. Once my taster is back to normal, I’ll definitely get back to it!

What does one do during a snow-pocalypse? Eat chocolate, of course. (And video the dogs plowing through snow drifts.) And, of course, this weekend’s chocolate is from the NWCF. Let me introduce you to Palato Chocolate. It was founded in 2007 by Chef Mónica Pedemonte and started as a high-end catering service that, with time, shifted its focus to Honduras’ world-class cacao. All of their chocolate is made with cacao from various locations in Honduras. The company’s headquarters and production facilities are located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They strive for sustainability and quality, but also promote the growth and modernization of cacao cultivation in Honduras, to improve the lives of thousands of producers and contribute to the nation’s economic development. Palato Chocolate has won 18 awards from the International Chocolate Awards, Chocolate Alliance Awards, and Academy of Chocolate.

Now let me introduce you to Palato’s 70% chocolate bar. This single origin bar is made from Mayan red cacao beans sourced from La Masica, Honduras.

Sight: dark brown; clean, sharp molding in a modern design
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity; chocolate
Mouth Feel: ready melt that’s a little chalky
Taste: it has an initial mild bright/tangy flavor with a little floral note, followed by an earthy dark chocolate flavor
Astringency: mild

Summary: This is a good, solid chocolate bar that’s usually moderately priced. There’s a little complexity to it, and I like what the company is doing. In short, this is an average bean to bar chocolate bar, but it knocks the socks off of anything you’d get at your local grocery store.

You can’t help but listen when this chocolate maker starts talking chocolate. He talked a group of us eager tasters through the flavors of his various beans/bars at the NWCF, and it was plain to see his enthusiasm. Let me introduce you to Foundry Chocolate, launched by David Herrick and his wife, Janelle Herrick, in 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. Foundry is considered a micro-batch bean-to-bar craft chocolate company. Microbatch chocolate makers typically produce small quantities ranging from 5 to 100 pounds (2–45 kg) per batch, emphasizing hands-on craftsmanship, and for Foundry, to highlight the unique flavor profiles of each cacao origin. To further this, Foundry only uses 2 ingredients–cacao beans and organic sugar. Foundry Chocolate has won >34 awards from the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, Academy of Chocolate Awards London, NZ Chocolate Awards, and others.

Now let me introduce you to Foundry’s 70% Vanuatu chocolate bar. This single origin bar is made with cacao grown on the very remote island of Malekula, the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu. The cacao is grown by a small group of farmers from Pinalum Village.

Sight: outer packaging is attractive; dark brown in color; clean molding in classic pattern; good shine; my photography skills are declining however–the picture shows crud on the bar–that’s only in the picture and not in real life, but I’d already eaten most of the bar by the time I started this post…so a make-up picture wasn’t an option
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: mild intensity; dried fruit
Mouth Feel: creamy, even melt
Taste: initially has a deep chocolate flavor that welcomes secondary notes of dark caramel, then finishes with toast
Astringency: mild

Summary: Like the last Vanuatu origin bar I reviewed, there are no fruit flavors here. That’s not my preference in chocolate, but I love this bar. Its oh-so-rich chocolate flavor is complimented well by the notes of dark caramel and toast. This is a chocolate bar I plan to buy again and again, if I can find it as distribution in the US is frustratingly limited.

I have a confession. This chocolate maker and I are now friends. I told her we’re friends and she didn’t argue, so there you go. I didn’t know who she was, nor did I know anything about her chocolate brand, before the NWCF. I know I talked to her and her people at the festival because I distinctly remember their shiny, magenta boots. That’s hard to miss. However, we’re friends due to a shipping issue that occurred when I later placed an order to replace the bars from the festival–because they were so tasty I ate them. The issue was minor–just the chocolate maker and company owner emailing me to ensure she had the correct mailing address. Talk about customer service. It didn’t take much for me to recognize her drive, talent, and skillz. Let me introduce you to Vixen Chocolate and its founder, Sarah Delph. The company is based out of Portland, Oregon, and it makes a truly unique chocolate. Vixen infuses their chocolate with ancient Solfeggio sound frequencies, believed to harmonize the body and encourage the mind–body connection. These frequencies are widely used in modern sound healing and meditation music. Each bar is infused with a different and specific frequency. Despite being new to the game, Vixen Chocolate won a Best of Show award at the Northwest Chocolate Festival in 2025.

Now, let me introduce you to Vixen’s 72% Vanuatu chocolate bar. It’s made from beans grown in the volcanic soil on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu. Per Sarah, “Vanuatu is such a special bean. It was the very first batch of chocolate I ever made and my very first full sack of cacao beans I purchased.” This chocolate was infused with soundwaves at a frequency of 852Hz. Per Solfeggio theory, this is the frequency of intuition, clarity, and inner strength.

Sight: the packaging both outside and in, is stylish and sophisticated; sharp and well molded bar with classic pattern and shiny finish; dark brown with a hint of red; my photo makes the packaging look a bit roughed up but no, that’s just my photography
Smell: moderate intensity; fudgy and raison-y
Sound: good snap with break
Mouth Feel: creamy with a smooth melt
Taste: it starts with a fudgy, earthy flavor that’s quickly followed by the addition of a mild red fruit
Astringency: mild

Summary: Earthy isn’t usually my gig, but this bar is well balanced–its earthy, rich fudgy flavor, and fruitiness come together to create a wonderful chocolate. I don’t know if the added soundwaves make a difference, but this chocolate is better than good. From the packaging to the chocolate itself, this is a special occasion bar.

Weather is stupid. It’s cold and windy. At least the dogs look happy–both are laying on their sides with all fours sticking straight out. Guess that means I get to pass the time with chocolate. After randomly picking a chocolate bar to review out of the big bag o’ chocolate I brought back from the NWCF, I’m excited to see which one I picked. When I talked with these chocolate makers, I got a sense of their genuine commitment to making quality products, and absolute pride in their work. Let me introduce you to KAIRI Chocolate Company. KAIRI Chocolate was founded in 2017 by Deosaran Jagroo and Cherie-Anne Ramlakhan, a husband and wife team who took their passion project and turned it into an award-winning business. They exclusively use cacao grown on their family’s estate, La Carlota Estate in Guaico Tamana, Trinidad. Their chocolate is made entirely on-site from blossom to bar, or as Deosaran explained, “She’s the chocolate maker, I’m the farmer.” With a focus on quality, sustainability, and preserving traditional farming methods, they also offer training and facilities to neighboring cacao farmers to improve local cacao production. In addition, they support HEAL House, a local rehab center. From what I’ve been able to find with a brief online search, KAIRI Chocolate has won 4 awards from the Academy of Chocolate.

Now let me introduce you to KAIRI’s 70% chocolate bar. As stated, this single-estate cacao was grown, fermented, roasted, and processed on their estate in Trinidad. The cacao is Trinitario, and is grown on century-old trees.

Sight: their outer packaging has a great design–inner package includes info about Trinidad and their cacao flavor profile graph; the bar is small at 37g; clean and clear molding with a modern design; dark brown with shiny surface
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity; pleasant and floral
Mouth Feel: creamy with even and ready melt
Taste: initial jasmine and raisin/dried fruit flavors that blend with a hint of citrus and finishes with very mild bitter nuttiness
Astringency: mild

Summary: I enjoyed this bar very much and wished it was bigger so I could enjoy even more of it. Its floral-y and fruit-y notes deliciously blend with the citrus and are complimented by the mild bitterness. Knowing how tasty this bar is, I can’t wait to re-introduce myself to their Chai Spice bar…

It’s cold and snowy here. In short, I have some extra time on my hands. So let me introduce you to Levelez Chocolate. I was introduced to them for the first time at the NWCF. I like to learn about the companies I review, but I couldn’t find much on this one. Levelez chocolate is a small batch chocolate company based out of Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. It was founded by Silvia Guédez, who works hand-in-hand with local cacao farmers to craft single-origin bars that display the flavors of Mexico. They have six different origins for their cacao beans, mainly from Tabasco. Silvia began working in the chocolate business in Ecuador, where she launched Silvia Guédez Chocolatier in 2015. In 2021, she moved to Villahermosa, Mexico and started Levelez Chocolate. I know that Levelez Chocolate has at least 3 International Chocolate Awards from 2023 and 2025, but there could be more.

Now let me introduce you to the Levelez 73% chocolate bar. It combines two origins of Trinitario cacao from Mexico—beans from the valleys of Chinal, Chiapas and the mountains of Cerro Blanco, Tabasco.

Sight: dark brown, with good shine; sharp and delicate bar molding; excellent packaging–the inside of the outer package highlights the chocolate making process
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: moderate intensity and earthy sweet
Mouth Feel: soft, even melt with smooth texture
Taste: nutty and chocolatey with a brightness that’s a little sweet and a little tart, like grapefruit
Astringency: mild

Summary: I like this bar. It’s not overly complicated but it’s a good, solid craft chocolate bar. I would buy it again.

A couple days off for the holiday means a little down time. Eat chocolate and talk about it, or vacuum the dog hair off the sofa, again? Option 1, please. Let me introduce you to Azu Chocolate. I had never heard of Azu Chocolate before the NWCF. After doing some research, I’ve decided this place sounds pretty cool. Azu is a bakery and cafe in Caracas, Venezuela, in the state of Aragua. It was started by pastry chef, Maria Evans, who focuses on highlighting Venezuelan flavors in her bakes. Maria graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Madrid in 2015. She started Azu, the pastry shop, in 2017. Along the way, she developed an interest in chocolate making, which led her to create a line of chocolate bars. The cacao for these bars comes from the village of Chuao and 2 local Venezuelan estates. Interestingly, one of these estates, Hacienda La Sabaneta, was abandoned for over 60 years, leaving it overgrown and isolated in the jungle. In 2020, Daniela González, a fifth-generation descendant of the original estate’s family, successfully reclaimed it. Since then, she has built a reputation for producing pure, organic Venezuelan Criollo cacao.

Now let me introduce you to Azu’s Origen Hacienda La Sabaneta 70% chocolate bar. The cacao is fermented in wooden boxes made from farm-sourced wood, then dried gradually in the sun. The bar has 2 ingredients: cacao from Hacienda La Sabaneta and cane sugar.

Sight: detailed and sharp molding without blemishes (one day my photography skills will improve enough to highlight it); moderately dark brown; nice packaging
Sound: good snap with break
Smell: strong; sweet with a bit of cinnamon or cardamon
Mouth Feel: melts readily
Taste: the flavor starts with a light floral honey and a little spice, with a mild nuttiness at the end
Astringency: mild

Summary: From the smell to the taste, this is an unexpectedly and wonderfully complicated chocolate. I need to get my hands on more of this.