Vivani Dark Chocolate with Orange

3.5oz (100g)

Ingredients: Organic cocoa liquor, o. raw cane sugar, o. cocoa butter, o. orange oil

11g sugar/42g serving (26.2% by wt.)

Corporate Info: Vivani is a young subsidiary of Germany's Weinrich (a.k.a. corporate-sounding Ludwig Weinrich GmbH & Co. KG), and I've seen a selection of its bars all around Seattle, including today's Dark Chocolate with Orange. Vivani's focus is on being organic, so much so that the company's unveiling was at an organic trade fair. They also make claims about the positive effect of their farming practices on local communities as well as avoiding genetically modified ingredients (like common emulsifier soy lecithin), a widespread concern in Europe.

Appearance: Slightly reddish and fairly matte.

Smell: Rich with a little spice.

Taste: Texture is fatty-creamy and mouth-filling, the kind that coats your tongue and teeth and makes you want to sip some water. That's not good or bad, just a matter of preference. The flavor reminds me of what perfumers call “Orientals”—”exotic” woods and spices like nutmeg and cedar that make the whole bar taste rich, with the bitter edge of citrus peel. (To be clear though, this is relatively subtle, not like, say, Leysieffer's cardamom bar.) All in all, orange oil doesn't really do it for me as a chocolate additive, but from a more objective standpoint I think the unexpected complexity it contributes is pretty neat.

Conclusion: Vivani Dark Chocolate with Orange offers that complex orange oil spiciness that may or may not be right up your alley.

Vivani Dark Chocolate with 85% Cocoa

3.5oz (100g) bar

Ingredients: Organic cocoa liquor, o. cocoa butter, o. raw cane sugar

6g sugar/42 g serving

Vivani's 85% cacao bar is another organic, pure chocolate + sugar mix, but the German company also produces interesting flavors like green tea and lemon (and far more in Europe). I've had the green tea one before, and while I didn't love it, I respected that it really did taste of bitter matcha powder.

The 85% bar smells great. I mean, if you're not trying to be extra observant it just smells like chocolate, but up close it's actually pungent and earthy—very intriguing. The flavor and texture aren't a combination I'm used to: The consistency is super-rich, the kind that feels like it's melting right into smooth cocoa butter, which I usually associate with mild chocolate, but bitter definitely predominates here. It's not at  all sour, and the other flavors aren't especially intense aside from the astringency. It's all a bit too much for my liking, but still interesting. I wonder if it might be good for baking?

Conclusion: Vivani Dark Chocolate with 85% Cocoa is smooth and bitter.

[Note: I forgot to take the photo until after I'd opened the bar. Obviously.]