Taza Chocolate is Worth Toting on Your Travels

It’s another East Coast chocolate bar up for review today: Taza Chocolate, based out of Somerville, Massachusetts. This chocolate bar is very unique in its circular shape and texture. The bar is “stone ground,” meaning that the cocoa beans are “unrefined” and “minimally processed,” according to the labeling on the package.

Unwrapping the Taza Chocolate Mexicano requires removing a sticker on the back that keeps the paper secure. The sticker showcases various certifications/seals the chocolate holds: USDA Organic, Taza Chocolate Direct Trade Certified Cacao, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten-Free and Dairy Free/Soy Free/Vegan and Pareve.

There are two chocolate bars, or what could be termed “discs,” in each package. The chocolate discs are beautifully designed, as evident from the picture, with the letters “T” “A” “Z” and “A” (Taza) imprinted within each piece of the circular pie. The chocolate begs to be photographed because of its novel shape, design and rich color. Many Taza Instagram taggers (and Taza’s website) suggest making hot cocoa/drinking chocolate/hot chocolate out of the discs. Once the disc is tasted, one can certainly discover why it would be suitable for drinking: the flavor is extremely full-bodied and decadent.

Tasting this “cacao puro” is fairly close to what nibbling on a cocoa bean tastes like; there’s a bitterness coupled with earthy notes, and also, a gritty mouthfeel, attributed to the stone ground beans.

There are two ingredients in the Taza chocolate discs: organic cacao beans and organic cane sugar. The cane sugar adds to the texture. Do you know what it feels like to bite sugar crystals? That’s a bit what this Mexicano disc delivers. Be sure, however, that it adds charm. Isn’t describing someone with “grit” a true compliment of their resilient character? Associate that positivity with the texture of this Taza Mexicano chocolate. The texture is subtle yet evokes distinctive personality.

Taza Chocolate also makes “Amaze” and “Origin” bars, which appear a bit more “traditional,” as in: rectangular. After tasting this 70 percent dark “Chocolate Mexicano” by Taza, tasting their other goods is equally, if not even more, alluring.

*Please note that all chocolate bars consumed and reviewed are randomly chosen and purchased with personal funds. This bar is approximately $4.99.