Harbor Sweets is a Massachusetts based handmade chocolatier that makes cute molded chocolates, sometimes with various add-ins. They claim to “[celebrate] outdoor living [and] embrace the coast, gardening, and equestrian-sports”, hence the existence of a chocolate called the Tallyho!
I got a free sample 16-piece box of their dark chocolate Perennial Sweets, which I’ll review on Friday, and this Sand Castle Dark Chocolate and Caramel Bar.
The hefty bar of dark chocolate was prettily molded into an epic example of a sand castle. I was impressed by the level of detail to the molding. I could make out the castle’s stonework.
The chocolate was snappy with a thick, mouth-coating melt that left a slightly fatty/greasy feel after it melted away. It had a nice duskiness and a nice, light touch of sweetness, which is exactly how I like my dark chocolate.
The caramel was not oozy at all. As you can see, when the bar was broken in half, it stayed right where it was. It was thick and sticky when chewed and gave my jaw a nice workout, but it also had a nice smoothness to its texture.
While the caramel had a light butteriness when I carved out a chunk to taste in isolation, that flavor was so subtle that it was overwhelmed when mixed with the chocolate.
I appreciated the quality of the dark chocolate and caramel, though I wish the caramel had more intensity and complexity to it. Still, it was a tasty treat.
Based on flavor alone, I’d give it an OM. I have to take into account, however, that the bar costs $5.95, which is on the steep side for a 2.3 oz bar, so an O?with the expense factor. I don’t think it’s something I would splurge on for myself, but the beautiful visual detail would make it a nice gift.
Varsha