Review: Wild Ophelia American Roadtrip Chocolate

Today, Whole Foods had their Wild Ophelia bars on sale for $2.99 (they're normally $4.99). I've been curious about them, and could not pass up this deal, so I bought two.

Wild Ophelia is branded as the "sister" to Vosges Chocolate. I've reviewed two of their bars before: the fantastically fun Woolloomooloo bar, and the so-delicious-I-forgot-to-share Blood Orange Caramel bar.

It seems like Wild Ophelia is just an alt label, as they explore more down-to-earth US flavor combinations.

I am curious about their beef jerky flavor because Daphne and I tried to chocolate-coat jerky once, and the result was horrific. My curiosity isn't $3 strong, and it's certainly not $5 strong, so I'll just have to wait to see if they're ever sampling it. The Vosges bacon bar is exquisite, though, so maybe they're on to something I missed.

The insides of the boxes have a neat old-western-looking motif, which is interesting, considering that they're not actually engineered to be fully opened.

Since the hibiscus peach bar was labeled 41% cocoa, I expected it to be darker than the peanut butter banana bar.

As it turns out, they're both 41% cocoa, it's just not touted as prominently on the pb&b box.

Immediately, the hibiscus peach bar was overwhelming in its rich, fruity chocolate aroma. Because of this, I tried it first.

The chocolate was very smooth, with the only little "crunches" coming from pieces of freeze-dried peaches. The hibiscus adds a tart edge that accentuates the peach's sweetness, and the overall flavor is strong and overtly fruity.

I made the mistake of tasting the pb&b bar immediately. The flavor of this bar is much more understated, though, so I had to wait a while, cleanse my palate, and try again.

This bar is also creamy smooth, save some bits of dried banana. The peanut butter adds a richness to the chocolate, and the overall effect is much less sweet than the other bar.

I like them both, but think that I'll enjoy the peanut butter and banana bar more if I eat it first, because the flavor profile is so much subtler. The hibiscus peach is definitely more "fun," taste-wise.

Here's a little intro video to the Wild Ophelia brand. Leave a note in the comments as to how many times you count her say the word "movement."