Chokolate Journeys

Chokolate Journeys Bean to Bar Chocolate Sommelier, Judge, Reviewer; championing those in the Bean to Bar Chocolate industry while exploring the world of fortified wine

Solkiki ‘The Elvis’ chocolate bar takes a classically known combination - the peanut butter and banana sandwich - and pu...
25/04/2026

Solkiki ‘The Elvis’ chocolate bar takes a classically known combination - the peanut butter and banana sandwich - and puts their bean to bar, artisanal, innovative magic on it 💫

My taste journey - I was welcomed by a sweet, caramelly, nutty, chocolatey aroma. As there were chunks of freezer dried banana and candied redskin peanuts in the chocolate, I decided to let the chocolate melt a little and then chew. This allowed all the flavours to amalgamate and sing together! And sing they did!! The silky smooth chocolate gifted me flavour notes of browned butter caramel and banana caramel as it melted. This was interspersed with mini explosions of nutty peanuts and crunchy freeze dried banana pieces. It was like a flambéed banana dessert with added chocolate and peanuts. Solkiki, what a multi-textural, morish, marvel! Thank you! ☺️

*Facebook review no.117. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

Kasama Chocolate limited release Chumphon Collective, 70% Thailand cacao chocolate bar, was crafted in celebration of As...
17/04/2026

Kasama Chocolate limited release Chumphon Collective, 70% Thailand cacao chocolate bar, was crafted in celebration of Asian Heritage Month, which is May (this bar was from 2025). And a celebration it was!

My taste journey - the chocolate’s melt started with the sweet flavour of Muscat wine. Notes of dried golden raisin and sultana, with a delicate sweetness of lychee and clover honey, came in waves of flavour; raising and falling as the smooth, creamy chocolate melted. These flavour notes evolved, developed, and deepened into notes of black cherry and prunes, sweetened with a butterscotch syrup. The finish was long and reminiscent of plum pudding soaked in Muscat. Divine!

Kasama, it was an honour to taste this chocolate bar💫

About the beans - were grown by Cacao Farmers of the Chumphon Collective, a microlot farm in Southern Thailand, nurture these fine flavour cacao beans.

About the wrapper - “…was illustrated by Amy & Sha from the Chumphon Collective and symbolizes prosperity & friendship within the chocolate community. Inspired by Thai folklore, the Nang Kwak (นางกวัก), is a beloved goddess of good fortune…to bring prosperity and positive energy. The golden midges symbolize friendship…key…in supporting cacao farming.”

*Facebook review no.116. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

I find it fascinating how the use of different sugars, in bean to bar chocolate, plays with the cacao’s flavour profile....
26/03/2026

I find it fascinating how the use of different sugars, in bean to bar chocolate, plays with the cacao’s flavour profile. These Planet Cocoa Sticky Date Pudding, mini Easter egg halves were crafted with date sugar and are an example of this!

My taste journey - as soon as the chocolate commenced its melt, sweet and pure flavour notes of dates and date sugar arose. They resonated with a note of vanilla bean paste and were cushion by a note of roasted cacao nibs that had been ground into a thick, smooth, viscous, and rich chocolate sauce. These were date-filled, sticky and simply delicious! ☺️

Thank you Janette! 💫

*Facebook review no.115. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

Kasama Chocolate Costa Esmeralda’s, 70% Ecuador cacao chocolate bar gifted me a clean, clear and uncomplicated taste exp...
18/03/2026

Kasama Chocolate Costa Esmeralda’s, 70% Ecuador cacao chocolate bar gifted me a clean, clear and uncomplicated taste experience. The cacao used in this bar is a “single estate cacao…grown [on the] Emerald Coast in northern Ecuador. [A] family owned and operated farm, situated on emerald green hills overlooking the ocean, [which] grows unique strains of native Ecuadorian ‘Nacional’ cacao…”

My taste journey - commenced with a collage of black and dark purple coloured flavour notes; cassis, blackberry, black cherry, and raisin. These were joined by subtle notes of woodland spices, pepperberry, pine and the faintest touch of meyer lemon. The chocolate had a smooth texture and creamy melt, which carried these flavours and allowed them to meld, mature, and evolve together into a note of pinot noir at the finish.

Thank you Kasama! A elegant expression of this cacao 🤎🫘

Batch no.49.

*Facebook review no.114. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

Solkiki Extremely Limited, Nono-Batch, Direct Trade, Heirloom Lot No.1, 66% Wild Bolivian cacao, chocolate bar brought m...
12/03/2026

Solkiki Extremely Limited, Nono-Batch, Direct Trade, Heirloom Lot No.1, 66% Wild Bolivian cacao, chocolate bar brought me lovely memories of days long gone 🥹

My taste journey - first the aroma of earthy-sweet leatherwood honey on warm porridge; something I often had when I was young. This evolved into flavour notes of a honey oat slice, with pockets of sweet, plump, juicy sultanas; reminiscent of a slice my Mum used to bake 💛

Solkiki, thank you, this bar was heartwarming and soul up-lifting 💫

*Facebook review no.113. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

~ Chocolate and Wine Tastings ~Folks! I am hosting monthly gatherings from April onwards in Devonport, Tasmania. Come an...
02/03/2026

~ Chocolate and Wine Tastings ~

Folks! I am hosting monthly gatherings from April onwards in Devonport, Tasmania. Come and join me for a casual evening of cacao, chocolate and wine.
Zero prior knowledge required.
Bookings required.

I look forward to connecting with you! 🍫+🍷

Kasama Chocolate Ala Eh! 71% Malvar, Batangas, Philippines cacao chocolate bar was vibrate and alive with flavour 🎉 My t...
24/02/2026

Kasama Chocolate Ala Eh! 71% Malvar, Batangas, Philippines cacao chocolate bar was vibrate and alive with flavour 🎉

My taste journey - commenced with the aroma one would experience when walking through a rainforest; musty-yet-fresh air, moist moss, damp undergrowth, wet leaves, and soft wood. Such a gentle aroma camouflaged the flavour notes that followed. As the smooth chocolate rapidly melted, it engulfed my palate with flavour notes of pawpaw, guava, dragonfruit, star fruit, lychee, and ripe banana, that danced together with pleasantly tangy passionfruit and pineapple, and sweet honey-vanilla infused cream. It was like enjoying a creamy, sweet, tropical fruit chocolate smoothie. Delightful!
Ala Eh! Kasama! Wow! 😮

About the beans 🫘
“…made with unique cacao beans grown in the town of Malvar (Bayan ng Malvar) in the Philippine province of Batangas where cacao trees grow alongside Jackfruit (langka). The cacao beans were grown by our friends Kay & Karl from 1919 Cacao Farm and fermented in boxes made of jackfruit wood…”

Batch no.17

*Facebook review no.112. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

I was first introduced to Wewish Chocolate by Cocoa Encounters Thank you! That lead to the opportunity to taste this But...
19/02/2026

I was first introduced to Wewish Chocolate by Cocoa Encounters Thank you! That lead to the opportunity to taste this Butterfly 70% Thailand cacao chocolate bar 🦋

My taste journey - began with a sweet floral aroma of cherry blossoms. This lead into flavour notes of sweet strawberry jam coupled with golden almond shortbread. These flavour notes spun together in playful whirlpools as the chocolate melted. It reminded me of enjoying a jammy dot (thumbprint) biscuit; a delightful melange of sweet berry and nutty/toasty shortbread biscuit 🍓🍪

Thank you Veerapat Veerasaranakit and Kathryn Laverack 🙏🏼

*Facebook review no.111. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

Foundry Chocolate Semuliki Forest 70% Uganda Cacao chocolate bar, Infused with Thomson Whisky New Zealand Ex-Bourbon Bar...
11/02/2026

Foundry Chocolate Semuliki Forest 70% Uganda Cacao chocolate bar, Infused with Thomson Whisky New Zealand Ex-Bourbon Barrel Aged Single Malt Whisky, was a very unique tasting experience.

My taste journey - from the aroma that welcomed me to the flavours that followed, this chocolate bar was awash with waves of dark dried fruits (raisins, currants, prunes, black cherries) soaked in oaky Barrel Aged Single Malt Whisky. Which, along with notes of caramelised panella sugar and warming chai-esk spices, created the flavour experience of enjoying a slice of rich, dark, decadent, unctuous fruit cake. The chocolate’s leisurely, smooth and viscous melt allowed ample opportunity to savour these flavours well after the chocolate was gone.

Thank you David and Janelle. Another incredible special release!☺️

And folks, I have a handful of these bars left if you need a Valentine’s Day gift! 💝

Special Release Microbatch no.UBB07

*Facebook review no.110. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

I’m starting 2026 with friends in chocolate Kasama Chocolate And their Limited Release Echague, Isabela, 70% Philippines...
20/01/2026

I’m starting 2026 with friends in chocolate Kasama Chocolate And their Limited Release Echague, Isabela, 70% Philippines cacao chocolate bar; a delightful surprise experience for my taste buds!

My taste journey - as the smooth chocolate melted, clean, clear notes gently made themselves known; pleasantly sweet brown sugar toffee sauce, glided with medjool date and raisin paste. These rested on a cushion of rich, decadent chocolate mousse, all covered in a cloak of thick, syrupy Grand Muscat wine. As the chocolate’s melt progressed, these flavour notes grew, reached an apex and then slipped away. They left me with a long, warm and satisfying finish of muscat🍷

Thank you Kasama 🥹

About the beans: “This limited release batch of chocolate is made with rare cacao beans grown and fermented in the northern Philippine town of Echague (formally “Camarag”) in the Cagayan Valley province of Isabella. The cacao beans were fermented using special boxes made of Gmelina wood and slow-dried over multiple days by [Kasama] friends Kuta Earl & Ate Jesus Ann.”

About the packaging design: is by [Kasama] friend, Maryland-based designer and educator Ana Mengote Baluch. The colours draw inspiration from the vibrant Camarag flower found throughout Echague, while the pattern reflects the rich indigenous weaves and textiles of the Gaddang and Yogad people of the Cagayan Valley.”

Batch no.2

*Facebook review no.108. For the full back category of bean to bar chocolate reviews, please visit my Instagram page thanks*

~ Chocolate Experiences ~I host personalised Bean to Bar Chocolate tastings & pairings with wine (or a non alcoholic bev...
12/01/2026

~ Chocolate Experiences ~

I host personalised Bean to Bar Chocolate tastings & pairings with wine (or a non alcoholic beverage) for
- private or social gatherings
- birthdays & celebrations
- business event or team building activities
- online and/or in-person

Also, new gatherings/workshops coming soon!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing unique flavour and taste experiences in 2026!

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Devonport, TAS
7310

Telephone

+61437464172

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