Is that Chai in Your Chocolate?
I???m not a big tea drinker. I dig the herbal tea when I???m feeling ill, but standard black tea was never my thing. A friend introduced me to Chai Spiced tea a few years ago, and that was tasty, but I realized that I was pouring so much sugar into the drink; it was hardly a liquid anymore. So, I let my Chai phase pass.
I still remember the warm, sharp spiciness fondly, but really haven???t climbed on the Chai bandwagon. While perusing the candy aisle while grocery shopping (a childhood habit I just can???t seem to break), I was intrigued by Dagoba???s Milk Chocolate Chai bar. The label describes, ???Rustic grown organic milk chocolate infused with crystallized ginger and chai essence.???
Wondering what in the world ???Chai essence??? was, I visited Dagoba???s website and found the ingredient list: crystallized ginger, ginger oil, cinnamon oil, clove oil, anise oil, cardamom oil, anise oil, black pepper oil. Sounds interesting enough, but does black pepper oil really belong in a chocolate bar? I???d soon find out.
As I unwrapped the bar, I was met with the pungent, warm smells of ginger and anise. With a 37% cacao content, the chocolate scent was rather muffled. I broke off a section and put it in my mouth. The crystallized ginger is evident as soon as you bite into it, you can feel the crunchy crystals. The chai spices are tasty, warm but with a kick (must be the black pepper oil). But, the chocolate flavor is rather overpowered by the spices. It???s all chai, and very little cacao.
If you are a tea lover looking for a new way to enjoy chai, this would be a wonderful option. But, if you are hoping for a new chocolate treat, move on to something else.
