90 gram bar - Austin, TX
A Dubai chocolate bar walks into a Sicilian café…
…and instead of ordering something flashy, it goes straight for the sesame.
This one leans rich from the start. Creamy 58% milk chocolate—made with Tanzanian cacao—opens with soft notes of red fruit and plum, just enough brightness to keep things lifted. Then the sesame arrives.
Not subtle.
The Ispica sesame—deep amber, intensely aromatic—brings a roasted, almost tahini-like richness that feels both savory and sweet at the same time. It’s smooth, a little toasty, a little earthy, and it settles right into the chocolate rather than sitting on top of it.
As it melts, the flavors round out: berry notes from the cacao, a gentle citrus lift, and that lingering sesame warmth that keeps going long after the chocolate is gone.
It’s bold, but not loud. Luxurious, but not trying too hard. The kind of bar that doesn’t need to announce itself—you just get it once you taste it.
Why It’s Special
This bar is built around a single ingredient—and a very good one.
The sesame comes from Ispica, Sicily, where the Gambuzza family has been harvesting it by hand since the 1960s. These aren’t commodity seeds—they’re organically grown, deeply flavorful, and prized for their intensity and richness (the kind used in top-tier tahini and traditional Sicilian sweets).
Kesshō pairs that sesame with a 58% milk chocolate made from Kokoa Kamili cacao in Tanzania—known for its red fruit and citrus notes. The result is a thoughtful contrast: roasty, nutty depth against bright, fruit-driven chocolate.
It’s a quiet fusion—Sicilian and Asian influences meeting through technique and flavor rather than flash.
About Kesshō
KESSHŌ—named for the Japanese word for “crystal”—is grounded in the idea that great chocolate forms through balance, patience, and precision.
Co-founders Liang Wang and Mark Huetsch bring a cross-cultural approach to everything they create. Liang’s background in pastry and chocolate, shaped in Beijing and refined in Tokyo, pairs with Mark’s blend of technical and cultural studies to form a partnership rooted in both craft and curiosity.
Their early work together in Beijing centered on reinterpreting Asian ingredients in new ways. Since moving into bean-to-bar chocolate in 2018—and now working out of Austin, Texas—they’ve expanded that idea globally, sourcing exceptional ingredients and building flavors that connect places and traditions.
Each bar reflects that philosophy: thoughtful, layered, and quietly expressive.
Ingredients: Sesame Seeds, Whole Cocoa Beans, Honey, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Kataifi (Wheat Flour, Water, Salt), Whole Milk Powder, Toasted Sesame Oil, Salt
Contains: Milk, Sesame, Wheat
Made in a facility that also processes tree nuts, wheat, and eggs
