Dars Bitter
Name: Dars Bitter Chocolate
Brand: Morinaga
Place Purchased: Jbox
Price: $1.25
Size: 50 grams
Calories per ounce: unknown
Type: Chocolate
This was one of the purchases from Japan I was most worried about ordering through the mail because of the summer heat. Luckily it made the trip in perfect condition.
Morinaga makes excellent consumer chocolate and for a decent price. I've had their Hi-CROWN chocolate and liked it very much. This one is about half the price and still comes in a snazzy package great for sharing. (In fact, I shared about a third of this with others.)
Inside the box is a mylar sealed tray with an array of a dozen chocolate nuggets, each a diminuitive bite of chocolate. Because I ordered this directly from Japan, there is no English wrapper on it and I can only glean a few things from the packaging. One is that it's 45% cocoa solids and the other is that it's dark chocolate. I have to say, if they're not putting a lot of sugar in it, and it's only 45% cocoa everything else must be cocoa butter and that's a good thing. This is exceptionally creamy and smooth dark chocolate with a wonderful smokey chocolate flavor with a slight cognac note to it. Not too sweet and not at all grainy.
Bonus to Moninaga for putting a freshness date on there too.
Rating - 9 out of 10 ... if only I could find it easily nearby
4 Comments:
You're in LA, right? Have you looked at Mitsuwa in Little Tokyo? They have lots of candies like this, though I confess I have not seen this one. (Haven't been looking for it though...)
There are several locations, including one in Mar Vista (intersection of Centinela and Venice) and one on Western in Torrance. Can't think of the cross street there, sorry...
There are lots of other Japanese grocery stores in the area. Look at Marukai in Little Tokyo (another in Gardena, I think) and another little store (whose name I forget!) in Little Tokyo.
Hi Bruce, yes, I love Mitsuwa Marketplace and have found lots of stuff there (including Morinaga's Hi-CROWN Chocolate which is also excellent).
However, for the Dars, I only saw the milk chocolate. I'll keep trying though, as I know that some stuff sells out with them (and there are lots more varieties of Pocky I need to try).
I know there's another small market in Little Tokyo that's in that plaza but I don't remember the name of it. They also have a good selection of candy but not this particular one the two times I've gone through in search of stuff that's on my Japanese candy wishlist.
I also ended up ordering a lot of black sugar candy and will post about that soon.
Cybele, I was down in Little Tokyo today and I went in Marukai. They have got Dars, and I *THINK* they have these. There was dark, white and milk. $1.39 each.
This is in Weller Court. I can't for the life of me remember the streets, but that's what Google's for:
123 S. Onizuka St., #101, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Phone: (213)893-7200
Hope that helps!
I was completely certain that that was just a box of condoms for a moment. You almost got me on that one. Crazy Japanese candy.
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