Do you have a taste for rare treasures? If so, I think you’ll love this limited edition “The Lost City” Jaguar Cacao Nibs 72% Dark Chocolate Bar.

This was a favorite at a recent private tasting I hosted for Barometer Chocolate top fans. The Honduran bar, with lovely notes of roasted almond and rich cocoa, is studded with a soft and delicious crunch from “jaguar cacao,” a blonde bean. 

Jaguar is a genetic varietal cousin to traditional cacao that is typically used to make chocolate bars, and it goes by different names. Peruvians call it “macambo” and Mexicans call it “pataxte” or “jaguar cacao.” It is only wild harvested, and therefore, quite rare.

If a delicate, buttery macadamia nut flavor with a satisfying light crunch appeals to you, then you’re in for a real treat with this bar.

Denise Castronovo, the maker of this unique bar, sourced the jaguar cacao directly from a women’s chocolate cooperative of widows, whose land was once firmly in the grips of drug traffickers. These brave women restored peace to the community with the help of USAID. 

Cacao agroforestry is a ray of hope. It preserves rainforests and offers a promising alternative to cattle ranches that are merely fronts for narcotrafficking. A majestic jaguar graces the packaging for the bar because jaguars are safe from the threat of poachers and can freely roam within the cacao forests, thanks to all of those caring individuals (like Denise Castronovo and the women farmers) who feel called to work with chocolate.  

• Silver Winner 2024 at the International Chocolate Awards

• Net Weight: 62 g. / 2.2 oz.
• Country of Origin: USA