Dandelion Chocolate’s New Hawaii Bar + 2 More!
When thinking about 2 ingredient bean to bar chocolate makers, Dandelion Chocolate is among the first brands that come to mind. While chocolate overall is a much smaller world than coffee, I think of them as similar to Blue Bottle - a very reliable and delightful go-to maker.
Started in 2010, Dandelion’s first factory was on Valencia St. in San Francisco’s Misison neighborhood. It’s a ~2000 square foot factory and cafe space that’s a model for urban chocolate factories built in retail friendly walkable neighborhoods. Anyone can stroll in, see chocolate being made, order a drinking chocolate or try a few origins and purchase a bar.
They’ve since expanded in 2019 to a much larger Potrero Hill factory and cafe space which produces chocolate on a significantly larger scale (more on their new factory).
Visiting one of their factories is a great way to learn more about how chocolate’s made. They also lead farm origin tours visiting where they source chocolate which can make for a fun trip abroad to learn about where chocolate begins.
Over the last couple years, their chocolate has been among the easiest to purchase online. With free shipping on orders over $25, it’s easy to order a few bars from anywhere in the US. Their bars are priced very reasonably ranging from $10-$13.
Especially if you’re new to craft chocolate, I can’t think of a better company to start your journey. Any of their 70% bars are worth trying and each is very different.
Here’s a few I recently tried:
Mililani, Hawaii
Nose: Plum, black licorice, grape
Mouth: An explosion of strawberry bubblegum flavors initially followed by dark grape and candy notes (but with the brightest sweetness removed).
This is an enjoyable and unique bar - I’d give this one as a gift more-so than get one for myself. Like many great craft chocolate bars, it’ll surprise people with the unexpected flavors.
I was curious to try their Hawaii bear because Manoa Chocolate (who makes and sources their chocolate in Hawaii) was one of the rare few Hawaiian bars I’ve tried.
Rating: 3.5/5
Cahabón, Guatemala
Nose: Bright, marshmallow, grape, hint of apple
Mouth: It took a moment for the flavors to kick in and then there's a very mellow black tea flavor with a little bit of sweetness and then not a lot after that.
There's a marshmallow and roasty flavor that's present throughout along with some traditional dark chocolate notes.
I'm surprised that there aren't as many flavors in this bar because this origin is one of my favorites and I remember it being much more vibrant. Perhaps this was unique to the 2021 harvest or the way they roasted these beans.
Rating: 3.5/5
Maya Mountain, Belize
Nose: Bright fruit, tangerine, orange
Mouth: Straight to the point delightful cherry, peach and assorted fruit flavors. It's not too intense. There's some really nice and delicate dark chocolate flavors with some strawberry taste that lingers.
This is a really nice balanced bar - especially for the price ($10) this would be one of my go to bars.
If you’re a fan of less fruity and more coffee like flavors, their Tanzania bar is a good one to try. Because it’s not too overpowering or too sweet, I could see it paring nicely with the right glass of red wine.
Rating: 4.5/5
Have you tried a Dandelion bar recently? If so, please share what you thought!