Pascha chocolate is a really good option if you have allergies and/or dietary restrictions. Pascha chocolate is vegan, Kosher, preservative-free and GMO-free. It is also made in an allergen-free facility. This means that not only are these allergens not in the actual chocolate; they're not even allowed in the building where the chocolate is produced in order to prevent cross-contamination. Pascha has eliminated the major, most common allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, eggs, wheat and gluten. You might be thinking, besides nuts, why would any of these other things be in chocolate? You'd be surprised. If nothing else, many chocolate bars contain soy lecithin, which is an emulsifier. Basically it helps hold everything together, yielding a smoother, more uniform product.
Pascha's tagline is "passionately pure," and indeed, it is. The ingredient list is very short. There are no added fillers, no frills. That being said, this is not the most complex bar I've ever had, though I recognize that this probably has something to do with its extremely high cacao content as opposed to the brand itself. 85% cacao is intense, chocophiles. Intense even for me. You're basically eating cocoa powder, and that's what it tastes like. This bar is much firmer, chalkier and less likely to melt in your mouth than other bars. I did enjoy it, though, and oddly enough given its very slight sugar content, (only about 8g in half of the bar), it satisfied my sweet tooth after only one or two small squares.
If you're not a super dark chocolate fan, never fear! Pascha makes many different bars with varying cacao contents. Even though this is not my favorite bar of all time, it was still pretty good, especially when one considers the tall order Pascha has decided to fill. As a society, we seem to have a lot of special dietary needs as well as expectations for where our food comes from and how it's produced. Pashca has managed to address the major concerns in these arenas. Let's review: this bar is organic, Fair Trade certified, bean-to-bar, vegan, Kosher, preservative-free, GMO-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free and gluten-free. That's pretty impressive. Whether your personal concern is an allergy or a desire to know that your food was ethically produced, you have to admire their overall commitment. As someone who grew up babysitting children with life-threatening nut allergies, (kids who could not eat nut-free chocolate if it was made in a facility that processed nuts), I'm thrilled that there's at least one type of chocolate on the market for them to enjoy. At $5 per 3.5 oz. bar, Pascha has also made it affordable. Kudos to you, Pascha, for making an equal opportunity chocolate.
Pascha's tagline is "passionately pure," and indeed, it is. The ingredient list is very short. There are no added fillers, no frills. That being said, this is not the most complex bar I've ever had, though I recognize that this probably has something to do with its extremely high cacao content as opposed to the brand itself. 85% cacao is intense, chocophiles. Intense even for me. You're basically eating cocoa powder, and that's what it tastes like. This bar is much firmer, chalkier and less likely to melt in your mouth than other bars. I did enjoy it, though, and oddly enough given its very slight sugar content, (only about 8g in half of the bar), it satisfied my sweet tooth after only one or two small squares.
If you're not a super dark chocolate fan, never fear! Pascha makes many different bars with varying cacao contents. Even though this is not my favorite bar of all time, it was still pretty good, especially when one considers the tall order Pascha has decided to fill. As a society, we seem to have a lot of special dietary needs as well as expectations for where our food comes from and how it's produced. Pashca has managed to address the major concerns in these arenas. Let's review: this bar is organic, Fair Trade certified, bean-to-bar, vegan, Kosher, preservative-free, GMO-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free and gluten-free. That's pretty impressive. Whether your personal concern is an allergy or a desire to know that your food was ethically produced, you have to admire their overall commitment. As someone who grew up babysitting children with life-threatening nut allergies, (kids who could not eat nut-free chocolate if it was made in a facility that processed nuts), I'm thrilled that there's at least one type of chocolate on the market for them to enjoy. At $5 per 3.5 oz. bar, Pascha has also made it affordable. Kudos to you, Pascha, for making an equal opportunity chocolate.