Wm. Chocolate Delivers Delicious Chocolate From Madison, Wisconsin

When we think about Madison, Wisconsin, we think about beautiful landscapes. And the beloved Kringle dessert. But we never paired Wisconsin with chocolate… That is, until now. Please say hello to Wm. Chocolate, a craft chocolate maker from the upper Midwest, USA.

We purchased our Wm. bar online here, mostly to try something new. To explore new origins. And because the technicolor packaging is oh-so-pretty! Yes, chocolate packaging surely affects our decisions, also. That’s not just you 🙂

There are numerous options that you can buy online from the brand. Crunchy Coffee 70%, Dark Mint 77%, Dark Chili 77%, and more. We settled on this Dark Orange 77% bar. What sealed the deal was the description online:

“The cacao in this bar comes from organic farms integrated into the rainforest environment of southern and central Belize. There the esteemed Maya Mountain Cacao company collaborates with local growers to produce cacao of exceptional flavor, sustainability, and positive economic impact at origin.”

Wm Chocolate Dark Orange Bar 77% Bar & Cocoa description.

When we realized that we couldn’t remember ever having tasted chocolate from Belize, we were sold.

A small cardboard box of chocolate arrived in the mail from Bar & Cocoa in just a few short days after our order, with the chocolate bar(s) nestled inside with tissue paper to keep them safely protected.

Wm. Chocolate packaging

The Wm. Chocolate bar’s packaging was just as beautiful as in the online pictures. A shiny gradation of orange and green, with the Wm Chocolate logo, and Dark + Orange in bolded type. The description read 77% cacao, Belize, Single Origin, Smooth Dark Chocolate infused with oranges grown in the USA. How neat! Wonder where those oranges are from? The reverse of the package listed the ingredients — just: cacao beans, unrefined cane sugar, cacao butter and oranges. All of the ingredients have an asterisk next to them for certified organic.

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We also enjoyed looking at the chocolate bar’s molding, which just means its shape and design. In this case, each tiny square of chocolate features the Wm. logo. We actually have a hard time with the phrase “chocolate bar mold” because it does not mean what you might think of when you hear “mold.” Chocolate lovers/connoisseurs: Do you know of another word for molding? Please comment below.

WM. Chocolate tasting

To us, the snap was ideal. Sharp, even though the bar is slightly thick. The aroma was fruity, which makes sense given the orange infusion. But we think the fruity aroma may also be the cocoa beans themselves. Central American beans are often fruity, according to this great book. The aromas made us think about mango and lychee… What would the first bite reveal?

When tasting chocolate, it’s good practice to let a morsel linger on your tongue as it melts. The flavors will slowly reveal themselves to you. This bar does not “melt away” quite as evenly or smoothly as some other brands (though we’re sure that can be perfected over time; Wm. Chocolate is still “young”), this bar does have some exceptional flavor notes. To us, there’s certainly a fruitiness that comes through, but also a pleasant, slightly bitter and tangy sourness that you may encounter from sipping on fresh lychee juice or savoring a piece of dried mango, just like we detected in the aroma. It’s a very good bar, and one that we have truly enjoyed coming back to with a cup of tea in the evenings during quarantine. Perhaps what makes the bar taste even sweeter is knowing that we’re supporting a small American business (Wm. Chocolate) during these crazy times in our history.

You can buy this Wm. Chocolate bar here.

Have you tried Wm. Chocolate? What did you think? Lastly, if you’re searching for some inspiration this weekend, we have a weekly roundup of our favorite chocolate and coffee news (including special DC events) in our Friday ESPUMA. Click here.

Until next time, wishing you a time cupsoul.

This post contains a few affiliate links, which means that if you do click through and then buy something, you may help support an insatiable coffee and chocolate habit at no cost to you. 🙂 Any written opinions here are by time cupsoul/our own.