Maria Tepoztlan Chili Chocolate

This beautiful chocolate box was purchased at the duty free store in Cancun, Mexico. For my money, there just aren’t enough chili flavored chocolate goods on the American market. How amazing would it be if a mainstream company like Hershey’s came out with a bar that provided the punch of a little ground chili? Or maybe Swiss Miss made a spicy hot chocolate? At least adding your own is very easy.

The Aztecs were one of the first peoples to appreciate cacao beans. They grinded cocoa seeds combined with sugar and “drank or ate it for its energetic, reinvigorating and stimulant properties.” This rich bar contains only four ingredients, 70% cacao, sugar, chili and lecithin. No milk involved. The bar is weighty feeling even at 7 oz. And it’s probably close to a half-inch thick. If you ever got into a fight, they wouldn’t be a bad bar to bring along with.

It tastes very pure but at 70% cacao, it doesn’t have the bitterness to go with it. It tastes like a high quality milk chocolate, then in the back of your throat the slight burn from the chili hits you. There are also small bits of cacao bean inside the bar which provide a nice textural contrast. One piece is very satisfying, especially with a glass of red wine. The bar is made in Yucatan, Mexico. Note that it doesn’t mention explicitly if it’s vegan, or processed in facility that processes nuts, wheat, etc.

Apparently I was in the minority in terms of liking this. Googling the brand, quite a few people posted about getting a waxy, gross taste. Maybe it can be chalked up to the higher expectations that come from the price tag of $8-$10. Here is one review from Of Agates and Madeleines.