Do you like rich, decadent dark chocolate cookies? if so, then please put this lovely chunk of love right into your Barometer shopping cart. This minimally processed bar looks and tastes more like a cookie - or a bittersweet chocolate soufflé with an initial crunch - than a traditional chocolate bar. A blissful bite disintegrates in your mouth leaving delicious, crunchy chocolate shards in its wake.
Soma Old School Dark is a nod to chocolate as it was back in the day - simple and pure - with just two minimally processed ingredients: Madagascar cacao beans and whole crystals of organic cane sugar. The Soma chocolate makers grind the ingredients together in their vintage melangeur without further processing, refining or conching and with such artistry that the texture becomes that of a buttery cookie. The bar has subtle fruity notes, characteristic of beans that hail from Madagascar.
If you prefer milk to dark, then try the Old School Milk Chocolate Bar, also part of the Barometer Chocolate collection.
Husband and wife team, David Castellan and Cynthia Leung turned their hobby and passion into a business in 2003 and are now considered among the best chocolate makers in the world.
Their delicious and beautiful micro-batch bars regularly win top prizes at the International Chocolate Awards, and my teacher, Dr. Maricel Presilla, co-founder and Americas Director of the International Chocolate Awards is their fan not only because they produce superior craft chocolate, but also because when they don't receive an award they are genuinely interested in learning what they need to do to improve their next batch of bars. Cynthia and David listen and take criticism with appreciation and a desire to do their absolute best, implementing the advice of experts with dedication and humility.
In their former careers, David was pulling late nights as a pastry chef and Cynthia worked long days at an architecture firm. They draw upon their rarefied skills to do their beautiful work creating all things chocolate at SOMA, with a long list of high-quality, tasty confections, as well as single origin bars made from the most exclusive of beans. These treats are available in their two specialty shops and Cocoa Bean Lab in Toronto, or you can find several of their amazing bars and treats right here, at Barometer Chocolate!
I was drawn to Soma Chocolate not only because it is mind-blowing, but also because of the name. You see, as a proud resident of the South Orange / Maplewood, New Jersey community, also referred to as "Soma," I feel it is my civic duty to carry this stellar brand. Cynthia and David chose to name their dreamy company "Soma" as a nod to the drink used in ancient India as part of the Vedic culture. It was likely a juice made from a hallucinogenic mountain plant that was considered a sacred drink, similar to ambrosia. In fact, it was regarded as a drink of the gods. In Aldous Huxley's book Brave New World, Soma represents a way to escape pain, discomfort, embarrassment, sadness and anger, all while enhancing joy, arousal and an overall sense of well being. I'll raise my square of Soma Chocolate to that!
The craft chocolate industry has exploded since Cynthia and Dan started Soma in 2003. I love and admire their approach to artisanal chocolate making. When asked if Soma has visions of expansion in a 2018 interview, Cynthia said, "I never thought there would be so many opportunities to grow big, and I never thought that's what we'd be trying to avoid, but we just want to stay small - and great." Amen to that.
- Ingredients: Madagascan Cacao Nibs, Organic Cane Sugar
- Net Weight: 90g. / 3.7 oz.
- Country of Origin: Canada