The Birdie bar has a 72% cacao content with hazelnuts, black currants and fleur de sel. All Bixby Bars are certified gluten-free, GMO-free, mostly organic, vegan, handmade, kosher and are made with Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa, which is similar to Fair Trade. These are all things that I enjoy and appreciate about good chocolate. But when I tasted the Birdie bar, I noticed that there was something else in there, too. Something crunchy and airy. After a few small nibbles I figured it out: rice. This bar has crispy brown rice in it, and a significant amount at that.
I don't know what your personal affiliations are with rice in chocolate bars, chocophiles, but I know my own, and they're not so good. My first thought was, "Did I mistakenly buy a Crunch bar?" How sad. No offense to Crunch, but it's not my personal cup of tea. While I enjoy the texture that rice adds, I suppose I can't get beyond the fact that it's taking up space that could be allocated to more chocolate. Especially since the Birdie bar already has an appropriate amount of texture from the hazelnuts, black currants and salt.
I really wanted to like the Birdie Bar. I appreciate what the company stands for, and I can see myself in the creator. She appears to be about my age, and it goes without saying that she's passionate about chocolate. However, it was hard for me to look past how much of the bar was compiled of non-chocolate matter, especially since that matter went unadvertised. I think if I had known that I was getting a bar with rice, my experience would have been different.
According to the company website, Bixby focuses on making bars that specifically combine chocolate with dried fruit, nuts and spices for a healthier chocolate experience. That makes sense, but I still don't understand how the rice plays into that. If you have some ideas, chocophiles, or if there's a specific bar you'd like me to review, please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading! Strawberry kisses :* :* :*