55 gram bar - Vancouver, Canada
Neither dark chocolate nor traditional white chocolate, this special-release bar from Kasama lives somewhere deliciously in between.
Its defining ingredient is Philippine muscovado sugar, a minimally processed cane sugar with a deep brown color, moist texture, and naturally rich molasses character. Kasama blends it with cacao butter and whole milk powder, creating a creamy, caramel-toned chocolate with far more depth than a typical white chocolate.
Roasted Philippine cacao nibs are ground into the chocolate and scattered across the back of the bar, adding crunchy texture and a distinctly cocoa-forward counterpoint to the muscovado’s dark, almost toffee-like sweetness. The result is creamy, roasty, and richly layered, with notes that suggest molasses, caramel, toasted sugar, and cacao.
Kasama describes it as a “tanned chocolate,” and the name and artwork build on that idea. The package illustration was created in the Philippines by Vancouver-based artist Isabel Fernandez, and the bar’s concept references morena, a term used for Filipinas with brown or sun-kissed skin, and reyna, meaning “queen” in both Spanish and Tagalog.
It’s an unusual bar in the best possible way: a celebration of Philippine sugar, cacao, and identity, with enough familiar caramel and cocoa flavors to make it immediately irresistible.
Tasting notes: Molasses, Caramel, Toasted sugar, Roasted cacao nibs
Cacao Origin: Philippines
Ingredients: Philippine cacao beans, Philippine muscovado sugar, Organic cacao butter, Whole milk powder
