Jcoco Chocolate Review

Jcoco Chocolate 

This week the Man and I sampled Jcoco Chocolate, a chic and fashionable line of American chocolate that, in addition to being sold in eye-catching packages, makes a point of giving back to the community. I was happy to see that the label has a no GMO symbol on it, and the ingredients are all natural. From their website:

Each jcoco box is packaged in vibrant, eye-catching colors, printed on 100% recycled paper, and each contains three individually wrapped one-ounce bars.  They're perfect for sharing with friends or saving to enjoy later. All jcoco flavors are all natural, non-GMO, and Kosher.

It's hard to miss these bars on the shelf. The bright, bold colors of the outer boxes grab your attention right away. The design is clean and classy. Inside each package are three individually wrapped 1-ounce bars, and the artistic inner packaging -- colorful foil surrounded by stylish wrappers -- keeps the chocolate fresh. The swank images on the bars inside are great, fun and more than a little bit cool. I never thought to combine fashion and chocolate, but it seems to work in this case. I mean, chocolate and art isn't a stretch, so why not get a taste of fashion with your chocolate?

The Man and I picked two flavors to taste: the Black Fig Pistachio and the Jingle Berry.

The first thing I noticed in sampling the bars is that the chocolate is straightforward and basic, which is good when the flavors added are on the surprising side. Too complex a chocolate would compete with the added tidbits in each bar. The texture is softer than some of the other chocolates we have sampled, but it still had a nice snap, just not the very crisp, clean snap of the Amano bars.

Black Fig Pistachio bar.

With the Black Fig Pistachio bar, the figs are cut in large chunks, so it's hard to judge the texture of the chocolate. That said, the flavor is fantastic. It's earthy and deep, and I love the seedy texture of the figs combined with the softer chocolate. It just works nicely. Figs are a better option that any other dried fruit in this bar, because the fig is less potent than something like raisins. This result is a better balance of flavors. With figs, there's an intriguing, subtle fruity flavor, and the sugars aren't so shocking and concentrated. Plus, figs contain more moisture than raisins, so the texture is chewier. Because pistachios have a slightly sweet and salty flavor, it's the perfect nut for this bar. It needs that tiny burst of both flavor and crunchy texture.

Jingle Berry bar.

I was glad I sampled the Jingle Berry bar twice, because the first time I tried it, I got a burst of pine flavor that was overwhelming, like I had just snacked on a Christmas tree. It was definitely a fluke, because the second time I tried the Jcoco bar, the flavors were very well balanced. Depending on where and when pine nuts are harvested, the taste of the kernel can vary wildly. It's possible that in my previous tasting, I was hit with a rare and wild deviant pine nut that snuck into a milder group of nuts. The Man agreed that the pine nuts and Goji berries were a very interesting combination with the dark chocolate. I find goji berries sweet, very slightly sour and even a tiny bit bitter, however, the chocolate, while dark, is not bitter. We felt the combination works perfectly. With so many flavors on the tongue, each one is enhanced. The only thing missing to hit each taste region on the tongue is a touch more salt. I think a teeny little bit of pink Himalayan salt would have been excellent with this bar. Still, it was very good, and it makes a wonderful holiday gift.