I’ve read several reviews of Chuao products since I started candy blogging, and I’ve been wanting to try them for quite a while. Somehow, though, they never came across my path before I came to Rochester.
I found this bar of Chuao Chinita Nibs at Wegman’s, on sale because they were being “discontinued.” I think in Wegman’s speak, that just means that the Wegman’s I went to is no longer carrying them, as the Chinita Nibs are still on Chuao’s website. Here’s a good time to note that they’re $18 for 3 from Chuao. I think my bar was between $2 and $3 at Wegman’s. Score!
Unlike most chocolate bars, this one came in a loose pouch with room for air, along with the chocolate. The first thing you notice when you open the pouch is the scent: nutmeg. Of course! Because the Chinita Nibs bar is a “dark chocolate bar with caramelized cacao nibs and nutmeg.”
The bar is neatly segmented into small, thumbnail-sized pieces that break with a super sharp, clean snap. The melt on the tongue is smooth and creamy, but thin. That melt is interrupted by the bits of cacao nib that stud the bar. The bits are pretty tiny, giving the bar just a light crunch.
I found it more difficult than usual to get flavor notes from the chocolate itself, as the strong flavor and scent of nutmeg really dominates. There’s a slight bitterness to the chocolate, which may be due to the nutmeg, and the finish is strongly nutty, which is definitely due to the nutmeg. I wish I were able to taste the caramelized part of the nibs, but I couldn’t.
Overall, this bar wasn’t for me. It wasn’t bad or offensive, but I didn’t enjyo the domineering effect of the nutmeg and wished for more chocolate flavors, so it gets an O.