John&Kira's: Mighty Urban Garden Mint Bar

Hey, guess what? Remember how I said it wasn't at all summery in DC on Tuesday? Yeah, well, it turns out that chocolate covered dried mango, even if well-executed by TCHO, won't change that. It's still not warm here. And we're supposed to get ice tonight? OK then. 

You know what else can elicit summer memories? Fresh mint. Mostly because my mom let it grow out of control in our garden and by August, she was shoving it into everything (including lasagna, if I recall correctly). So a mint chocolate bar will also make me think of summer - especially one with fresh mint rather than mint extract or oil. Luckily, John&Kira's was obviously thinking of me when they put together the Mighty Urban Garden Mint bar, with dark chocolate, cocoa butter, sugar, and fresh mint leaves from a garden in Philadelphia.

A nice, simple ingredient list. The dark chocolate features an earthy aroma with a bit of cherry, and only a subtle mint aroma. This is unusual for a mint bar, as they usually need to be wrapped in an extra layer of plastic when stored near other bars to prevent flavor and aroma contamination in the other bars.

However, the mint is evident in the flavor, with an herby, rather than sweet, character, in a way reminiscent of basil. As this flavor builds throughout the melt, the chocolate flavors – a cooling vanilla with a bit of a caramel note – remain prominent and well balanced with the mint. The melt is generally smooth, though it turns a bit waxy in the middle. Overall, the bar is a delightful alternative to mint-oil laden bars, and does remind me of a summer herb garden.

A summer herb garden that would be taken out by tonight’s predicted ice.