Il Morso Chocolate

Chocolate.  Such a guilt-free little indulgence.  We all love to sneak a little chunk of chocolate from time to time (or, uh, daily in my case), right?  I always pair mine in the morning with my cup of coffee, I love how the sweetness and bitterness compliment each other so well.

But, after my first cup, I do drink mostly decaf, since I drink a lot of coffee, and don't want to be bouncing off the walls (nor do I want to deal with caffeine addiction again - been there, suffered through that).  It still adds up to normal amounts of caffeine, but, is far more controllable this way.  But sometimes, even I need an extra jolt to get going in the morning.

"The Coffee Shortcut. Open & Eat Coffee. No water needed."

Enter Il Morso chocolate.  This isn't just any old chocolate, it is ... caffeinated chocolate.  Oh boy.  Their tag line is "Feel a noticeable lift, similar to a shot of Espresso!"  Oh yes.  And, feel good about it!  The chocolate is 100% organic, 100% fair trade.  Only 1 gram of sugar, 2.5 grams of fat, and 15 - 25 calories in each shot (er, bar).

They make 4 varieties, each with differing amounts of caffeine ranging from Matcha Green Tea with
the lowest (7 mg) to Americano with the highest (18 mg).  All start with a base of cocoa butter and sugar, and add very little else.  Notably, no soy lecithin.  I've tried them all, and genuinely enjoyed them.

Matcha Green Tea (7 mg).

"Elegant & Soothing - Ceremonial grade Matcha Green Tea with a dash of organic sugar and a dollop of cream. We are mindful that the world enjoys a fine brew - we humbly offer this deliciously svelte Queen of teas. A mouth melting tea indulgence."

Like all the bars, the ingredient list is simple, with only milk powder and matcha green tea added to the base.  This is the only variety made with tea rather than coffee/espresso.

This did have some cocoa butter in it, but, it really tasted like white chocolate to me.  The chocolate was very smooth, with a pleasant, subtle matcha flavor, and a slight bitterness.

My favorite of their bars. ****.

Mocha (14mg).

"Devour Il Morso like chocolate - Feel the energy of coffee!"

The jump in caffeine content from the tea to coffee varieties is large, doubling from 7 mg to 14 mg in the next dose up, Mocha.  The mocha flavor is made with 70% chocolate and milk powder, in addition to the regular base and espresso beans.  It is also the lowest calorie, only 15 calories per square.

This was the first espresso/coffee variety I tried, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  The description of a mocha seems about right, although, it was still far more bitter than I was expecting, and not nearly as ... chocolately, which is interesting, given that it is a piece of chocolate after all.

The chocolate was smooth, with a nice snap, but, it was very bitter from the espresso.  I drink coffee black all the time, so I am used to the taste of unadulterated coffee, but I didn't really care for this.  Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for this style of chocolate?  ***.

Coffee & Cream (16 mg).

Next up, amping up the caffeine a bit more, to 16mg.

You can likely guess the ingredients by now.  Same base of cocoa butter and sugar.  Espresso beans.  And, for the "cream", milk powder, just like in the mocha.  The highest calorie, 25 per square.

The chocolate was shockingly smooth.  It had the mouthfeel of a milk chocolate, both in creaminess and and texture.  But, it was bitter.  Very bitter.  So it eat like a milk chocolate, and tasted like a dark, and then some.  Really, it tasted like chocolate covered espresso beans, which, essentially it was.

I certainly didn't taste the "cream" component, and would have never guessed it was a milk chocolate, but it was an impressive piece of chocolate nonetheless.

And yes, it definitely gave me a zing.  My second favorite.  ****.

I also tried the Americano, the most caffeinated, at 18 mg, but seem to have lost my notes on it.