Chocolate review: Mayon Gold 60% Dark Chocolate

The first chocolate from Bicol that we tasted is this 60% dark chocolate from Mayon Gold.

Mayon Gold markets this as a hand crafted chocolate.

Details about the chocolate at the back of the package

There's a story behind this chocolate. That was covered by the price tag, which I removed to show the work and advocacy of the Muravah Foundation that produced this chocolate.

Nutrition information. Note the emphasis on this chocolate having only 2 ingredients: dried fermented cacao and coconut sugar. They seem to have forgotten to declare others that would have rendered this product easily spoiled?

Revenues from the chocolate will go to the improvement in the lives of people in the communities supported by the foundation.

The chocolate was okay considering they used only 2 ingredients (as they claim). We thought the use of coconut sugar as sweetener affected the overall taste and texture of the chocolate. I am not sure that this is the taste and texture desired by most chocolate lovers though. And in the end, to be honest, the chocolate will not be judged by the maker's objectives and advocacies but by its qualities as compared (or benchmarked) with other, more superior products. The chocolate retails for about 140 pesos for this 50g bar. I would not mind paying for a bar or two the first time but have to reconsider a next time. There is definitely a lot of room for improvement for this chocolate if they want to get to the level of the Auros and Malagos chocolates.

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Chocolates from Bicol

Traveling through NAIA Terminal 2, I was browsing the shelves of the duty free store there and found these chocolates from the Bicol Region. Bicol, of course, is located in the eastern part of the country and mostly is on the island of Luzon. The provinces comprising the region are Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, and the island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate.

An assortment of dark chocolates from Mayon Gold

They also have the larger boxes featuring the pili nut, which is probably among the products Bicol is known for. The pili is supposed to be endemic to the region and is not usually found elsewhere in the country.

Variants with turmeric and ginger, and chili. Bicol is also well known for food using chili and coconut milk (gata). They also have the 100% dark chocolate but I thought these were more suitable for cooking or perhaps crushed and toppings for dessert like ice cream.

Pilinut cruch and 90% dark chocolates

I will write a review of the chocolates I bought after we've eaten them. I did not buy the turmeric and chili variants as well as the dark chocolates with more than 80% cacao (too strong or bitter from my experience). But the quality of their 60% and 76% cacao chocolates should suffice in comparing them with the Auro and Malagos chocolates that I think stand out among Philippine chocolates.

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Street food in Bangkok

The trip last Holy Week holidays to Bangkok provided us with new experiences especially for our daughter. It was her first time in Thailand so she enjoyed the travel including our trip to an elephant sanctuary outside of Bangkok. While in Bangkok, we also tried some streetfood. I remember buying some snacks and fruits before during previous trips to Bangkok. This was the first time I got something to eat for breakfast or morning snacks.

Chicken or duck on display at a streetside shop in Bangkok

I saw this vendor from the local coffee shop where the wife was buying some coffee. He's grilling and selling what appears to be a familiar food.

This turned out to be what we would call a variant of kakanin or rice cakes.

The vendor

Deep fried bread like the donuts you can buy at the market but without the sugar coating.

The vendors have Buddhist monks as 'suki' or regular customers.

Deep fried delicacy fresh from the street vendor that morning.

The rice cake to me was a bigger version and serving of what we typically call 'tupig'. This made my day as part of my breakfast and went really well with my hot chocolate.

 

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