Antidote Dark Chocolate Bars

Seeing red? Feeling blue?  There’s an Antidote for that.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of incredible chocolate bars on the market but Antidote Dark Chocolate Bars are in a league of their own. Created by Red Thalhammer who was born, raised, and educated in Austria before moving to New York City, Antidote Dark Chocolate Bars differ from other bean-to-bar chocolate makers in that she uses half raw and half roasted cacao to make bars that are comparatively low in sugar (0-8 grams per 1.1 ounce serving) but off the charts in flavor.

Thalhammer sources her certified organic cacao beans from the southwest area of Ecuador where the beans are known to have a superb floral aroma and flavor. Combining organic raw and roasted cacao beans with organic cacao butter to make chocolate that is either used to make 100% dark chocolate or combined with organic whole cane sugar to make 73%, 77%, or 84% dark chocolate, Antidote then uses fruit, nuts, seeds, salt, and spice combinations (mostly organic) to make ten dark chocolate bars:

• 73% Coffee + Cardamom 
• 73% Mango + Juniper
• 73% Almond + Fennel
• 77% Ginger + Panela
• 77% Banana + Cayenne
• 77% Rose Salt + Lemon
• 84% Vanilla + Nibs
• 84% Lavender + Red Salt
• 100% with crunchy Nibs
• 100% with bits of delicate Dates

The pairings on the chocolate bars add just the right amount of flavor to make you think you’ve never tasted anything so sublime in your life. The 73% coffee + Cardamom tastes like a dark chocolate bar was melted in a cup of espresso with a hint of spice while the 84% Vanilla + Nibs will give you a full appreciation of why vanilla and dark chocolate are so often paired together.  For the chocolate connoisseur who favors the flavor of cocoa over sweetness, there is the 100% dark chocolate bar with no added sweetener. One bar has cacao nibs while the other has the sweet delicate addition of dates.

Each 2.3 ounce bar sells for $7.50 – $8.50  although larger quantities (6, 10 or 12 bars) can be purchased for $70-$85 (or as low as $6.25 each) on-line directly from Antidote:  www.antidotechoco.com. The company also sells “minis” – 36 individually packaged 2-pack “minis” that sell for $58 – $63, which are perfect to place in a purse, backpack, or briefcase for a snack to be enjoyed later on.

To read more about Antidote chocolate bars, go to the company website:  www.antidotechoco.com.