Well Fed On the Town

Bittersweet, the chocolate cafe with locations in San Francisco and Oakland, now sells ki’Xocolatl chocolate bars from Belgian chocolatier l’Amandine. The ki’Xocolatl line celebrates the ancient Mayan chocolate tradition while using modern European chocolate-making techniques. Ki’Xocolatl chocolate is made of organic criollo beans grown in Mexico.

I tried the ki’Xocolatl dark chocolate with red pepper and spices. The bar is 72% cacao solids with crunchy bits of cacao interspersed throughout. The bar has strong notes of coffee, followed by cardamom and vanilla, with a growing aftertaste of red pepper. The warmth of the pepper deepens the cacao flavor while balancing the sweetness of the chocolate. The cacao bits add texture, making the bar fun to chew, but also make the bar a bit crumbly and less smooth.

My only real gripe with this tasty bar is the packaging. The bar is hermetically sealed in cellophane that is exceedingly difficult to open without the help of teeth or kitchen sheers. I managed to mangle open the packaging in time to satisfy my chocolate jonesing. There should be an international standard for chocolate bar packaging stiuplating the maximum time required to open it. If X is the time it takes to open a chocolate bar, and Y is the deliciousness of the chocolate, Z is the level of withdrawal the chocoholic experiences in the interim. The following totally scientifically derived graph illustrates this fundamental principle of chocolate statistics.

Due to its deliciousness, the Ko’Xocolatl bittersweet bar with red pepper and spices falls somewhere between “Grr…” and “Argh!!!” levels. Nonetheless, this is a spicy, earthy bar. If you like spice in your chocolate, this is your bar.

ki’Xocolatl chocolate bars
Bittersweet Cafe
5427 College Avenue
Oakland, CA
(510) 654-7159