We’re going to go on an adventure. Sweet. Textured. Calories. Not that you should worry about those. Not while you read this little review of a confectionary legend known as Compartes Chocolates, which I personally discovered whilst randomly scouring the internet for images of chocolate bars, as I *do* worry about caloric intake.
They they were: an array of bars with quirky flavors. I had never heard of this this well-established purveyor of chocolates, which had been in business since the ’50s. Yeah, native to the Los Angeles area. That’s a helluva long time to be making sweets.
A few bars (which are generally priced at $9.95) I ordered so that I too may be in the know. I picked through the extensive catalog and selected three. Here’s what I thought…
#1: Cereal Chocolate Bar
This jumped out to me because I’ve been a long-time fan of cereal, particularly anything with a marshmallow. Look! You can SEE the magical ‘mallow shapes IN the chocolate. Not only do you get the “Lucky Charms” experience, there’s also some corn flakes embedded in this bar. A bite of this dandy tasted like a spoonful of Lucky Charms Frost Flakes cereal. Seriously, it’s a thing and you should have experienced it by now.
Now, if you don’t like your chocolate on the SWEET side, you prefer a tinge on the semi-sweet side, then this might not appeal to you. I found this bar to be highly favorable. Sweet-tooth slayer!
#2: California Dreaming Brownie Dark Chocolate Bar
When I undressed this selection, a potent coco aroma struck me, and that is a lovely thing. It’s pleasant to have food that meets multiple senses. I confess spending a few more seconds inhaling the scent.
The taste that followed was quite a strong. The dark chocolate (at 72% cocoa, if I recall) was not timid. This left the brownie portion of the bar to be more of an echo than the lead. Now, the chocolate tastes quality; not like your generic, mass-produced waxy chocolate, so no complaints. I was hoping for more brownie-flavor to show up though, truth be told.
Of course I finish the whole thing with no regrets. Dashingly noir.
Bar #3: Campfire S’mores Dark Chocolate Bar
Again, marshmallows. I do love them. I also adore a crunch to my food. This dark chocolate-based bar did not have as striking a scent as the Brownie one. It was still a smooth experience, though. The crunch was prominent enough for my liking. I was actually surprised by the distinct flavor of the graham cracker, elevating that element from mere texture to a star flavor. Through this experience I’ve realized that I prefer my chocolate to be on the milder side. 70% cocoa might be a bit of a heavyweight for my delicate palate. More like unrefined, am I right?
I was pleased with the volume of graham, but left a bit wanting on the marshmallows, but that’s my level of fascination with ’em. There’s never enough. If I were to be as objective as possible…with chocolate…then I would say that the disparate parts were represented proportionally. Rustic Revelry.
There you have it…my venture (thus far) into the wonderful world of Compartes Chocolates. There’s so many more chocolate bar creations I’ve yet to try that I’m certain this won’t be my last review of Jonathan’s wildly inventive recipes. There’s avocado chocolate, for crying out loud!
Writeous Ink 