American Heritage Chocolate is a new line from the folks at Mars that “allows us to take a sweet bite out of history.” They claim “historic and modern recipe interpretations” that are made using colonial methods.
Above photo courtesy of Mars
I got sent an old-timey looking wooden crate full of free samples: some chocolate sticks and a giant chocolate block. The chocolate sticks came packaged in a rustic-looking muslin drawstring bag.
The ingredients list is refreshingly basic: chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, spices, natural flavors, annatto, salt. The label notes that it’s all natural, with no preservatives, and my press pack names the spices as cinnamon, nutmeg, chili pepper, orange, and vanilla.
The bag contained four cocoa powder-covered sticks, each about the size of a stick of classroom chalk (is that even a valid reference point these days?). The press pack suggested eating it as-is or stirring it into a hot drink. I went with the former.
The sticks had a sharp break with a smooth melt that lacked creaminess. They also smelled just like bubblegum. I wasn’t okay with that… Fortunately, they didn’t taste like it!
Instead, they had a nice, deep richness with a slight spice burn and an innocuous astringency. The chocolate tasted sweetly fruity. Then, the flavor of cinnamon spices came through and lingered to the finish.
The chocolate block was a solid 5.13 oz bar that was too daunting to bite into. Since the ingredients list was the same as that of the sticks, I’m going to assume that it’s the same as the sticks and not review the block today. Instead, I’m going to save it for grating into hot cocoa once the weather gets colder.
I appreciate that Mars has been thinking out of the box – taking the retro trend to the extreme, if you will. And I appreciate the unique flavor of the chocolate. An OM.
Varsha