I think that to date, Phinney 3400 is my favorite brand of chocolate. It’s smooth, has a lovely mouthfeel and a distinctive flavor. I have tried all of their bars except for the Coffee Dark Chocolate and here’s a run down:
- Bread & Chocolate Dark Chocolate — from their webiste: An innovative twist on a traditional pairing, featuring dark chocolate with buttery, toasted artisan breadcrumbs and the perfect amount of salt. My thoughts: Buttery and salty with a nice crunch that becomes a lovely chewiness (the bread crumbs I suppose). Delicious and unique.
- Vanilla Milk Chocolate — from their website: A harmonious blend of finely ground Madagascar vanilla bean and milk chocolate. My thoughts: Beautifully smooth with a lovely greenness to the chocolate. It reminded me a bit of flaxseed.
- Chai Milk Chocolate — from their website: Milk chocolate with a warming blend of chai spices and black tea. My thoughts — The same milk chocolate from the Vanilla Milk bar (if I’m tasting correctly) combined beautifully with a warm spicey flavor. The cardamom flavor burst through and the ginger gives it a nice warmth. My husband tried this bar too and really enjoyed it.
- Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate — from their wesite: Milk chocolate with toasted coconut and savory curry spices. My thoughts — this was the only bar that I didn’t care for. The overwhelming tast of cumin was just too much for me. While the chocolate was lovley and smooth, the heat and savory spaces where all I could taste.
- Nib Brittle Dark Chocolate — from their website: Dark chocolate with organic roasted cocoa nibs in sweet and crunchy brittle. My thoughts — This was the first Phinney 3400 bar I had and it knocked my socks off! It has a rich, round full flavor — fruity at the beginning and and carmelized at the end. It has an almost cooked flavor — like a brownie — and the nib brittle gives it a nice crunch and a sweet (carmelly) salty hit. Excellent bar!
All the bars are shiney and well tempered with a wonderful bite. In addition, the chocolate is all organic and fair trade certified. A plus in my book!
If you are in Chicago, you can pick these up at Hannah’s Bretzel (this is where Pete finds me a lot of my chocolate bars). They are also available at Chocosphere and online at Theo Chocolate’s website.