While dark and milk chocolates often steal the spotlight, white chocolate holds its own with a dedicated following and a distinct taste. Crafted using cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids, white chocolate strikes a delicate balance, presenting a creamy texture and a sweetness that resonates with many palates. In this guide, we'll introduce you to some standout brands and bars that have earned their place in our regular rotation. Read on to discover the white chocolate bars that have left an indelible mark on our taste buds and why we believe they are truly special.
What is White Chocolate?
White chocolate is distinctively different from its dark and milk chocolate, primarily in its ingredients. Unlike other chocolates, white chocolate is composed of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids, without the cocoa solids that give most chocolates their deeper hue and cocoa-rich taste. The key component, cocoa butter, is extracted from cocoa beans, giving white chocolate its signature creamy texture and smoothness. This absence of cocoa solids results in a sweetness that lacks the typical bitterness of dark chocolates, offering instead a mild, milky flavor profile. While there's been some debate about whether it truly qualifies as "chocolate" without the cocoa solids, the expertise chocolatiers invest in crafting their white chocolate bars solidifies its esteemed position in the gourmet chocolate universe.
Brand Spotlight: Profiles and Recommendations
Pump Street Ecuador Hacienda Limon White 44%
Brand History: Pump Street Chocolate is a family-run bakery and chocolate maker located in Suffolk, England, known for its dedication to quality and craft. Transitioning from artisan bread to bean-to-bar chocolate, Pump Street has garnered acclaim for its approach to chocolate making. Sourcing cacao beans from the finest single estates and cooperatives around the world, they roast, grind, and conch in small batches, focusing on bringing out the distinct flavors of each origin.
Chocolate Bar Description: Made from pure Heirloom Cacao Preservation accredited cocoa beans from Samuel von Rutte's Hacienda Limon farm on the Guantupi River in Ecuador. A creamy, rich white chocolate made with cocoa butter pressed in house.
Tasting Notes: Creamy
OmNom Coffee + Milk 38%
Brand History: Omnom originates from Reykjavík, Iceland. It began as a project between two friends curious about making chocolate. Their early success led them to set up a chocolate-making lab in a converted gas station. Today, Omnom focuses on crafting high-quality chocolate using the best ingredients.
Chocolate Bar Description: OmNom's Milk+Coffee bar stands out due to its unique ingredient choice. Unlike typical chocolate bars, it uses only coffee beans and some cocoa butter for texture. This bar is essentially a celebration of coffee, offering a distinctive taste and experience.
Tasting Notes: Coffee Beans & Cream
Amedei Pistacchi Chocolate Bar 29%
Brand History: Amedei Tuscany, rooted in the Tuscan region of Italy, mirrors the nation's commitment to culinary artistry. The brand, established from Tuscany's heart, is renowned for choosing prime cacao beans from top global plantations. Every bar from Amedei Tuscany goes beyond mere taste; it's an immersive experience, showcasing a blend of Italian expertise and the essence of global cacao.
Chocolate Bar Description: The red, white and green of the Italian flag come together in a bold chocolate statement: white chocolate, the famed green pistachios from Bronte and the red of our constant passion, combined to design a completely unexpected flavour.
Tasting Notes: Nutty
Cacao Sampaka Roses and Strawberries White Chocolate
Brand History: Cacao Sampaka was created to propagate the culture of cocoa, to revive chocolate tasting as a social custom, and to convey their passion for this legendary food of the gods. They handcraft chocolate from start to finish. They use real chocolate with no preservatives or coloring to create an evocative language of shapes and flavors.
Chocolate Bar Description: Creamy white chocolate dances with crisp dried strawberries and rose petals. The rose aroma enhances the bright berries with a pleasant crunch and lingering sweetness. Reminiscent of childhood fruity cereals with dried strawberries soaked in milk. The addition of rose comes through as an aroma and plays a supporting role in crispy strawberries and sweet white chocolate.
Tasting Notes: Strawberry and Floral
Akesson's Madagascar White Chocolate 43%
Brand History: Akesson's Organic Chocolate is the first "Tree to Bar" chocolate maker. The Akesson family started with a single plantation in Madagascar. Today, Bertil Akesson has expanded the company's cacao network with plantations in Madagascar, Brazil, and Indonesia. If you tried craft chocolate or world-famous chocolatier chocolate, it is likely that it came from one of Akesson's cacao plantations. Akesson's Organic Chocolate bars have won a multitude of awards and is regarded as one of the best craft chocolate bars on the market.
Chocolate Bar Description: An exceptional, single-estate white chocolate bar. Madagascan cacao beans pressed into pure cocoa butter renders integrity to the ingredient with a sweet, creamy flavor. The world's first-ever single-estate white chocolate bar. Certified organic.
Tasting Notes: Toasty, Rich Chocolate and Creamy
Valrhona Dulcey 35%
Brand History: Valrhona is a French chocolate company founded in 1922. The company produces a wide range of high-quality chocolates, including dark, milk, and white chocolate, as well as chocolate bars, pastries, and other confections. Valrhona's chocolate is known for its rich, intense flavor and is used by many professional pastry chefs and chocolatiers around the world. The company is based in the small town of Tain l'Hermitage in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
Chocolate Bar Description: Dulcey 35% is a bar of smooth, creamy chocolate with a velvety and enveloping texture and a warm, golden color. The first notes are buttery, toasty, and not too sweet, gradually giving way to the flavors of freshly-baked shortbread with a pinch of salt.
Tasting Notes: Buttery, Toast and salt
Dick Taylor Strawberries and Cream
Brand History: Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor have always loved crafting. With a background in woodworking and boat building, they have always worked with their hands. Craft is a guiding principle in their lives. After hearing about the craft chocolate movement in the late '00s, they saw similarities in woodworking and craft chocolate making. They became fascinated with the idea of the chocolate experience and in 2010 bought their first chocolate-making equipment. Their chocolate captures and highlights the subtle flavour nuances in the cacao they source from around the world, with the goal to make an enjoyable chocolate experience for us.
Chocolate Bar Description: To create this decadent bar, Dick Taylor layered their award-winning 72% Belize dark chocolate with single-origin white chocolate made with A2/A2 whole milk and freeze-dried strawberries. The result is a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treat that tastes JUST like the real thing!
Tasting Notes: Red Fruit and Creamy
Rose & Pistachio 'Falooda' White Chocolate
Brand History: Mirzam chocolate maker drawn by the stars, tells the story of the spice trade through the lens of craft chocolate. This Emirati company, with five distinct lines of artisan chocolate, expresses the tale of the Middle East’s ancient role as seafaring traders, with each bar speaking to the history, culture, and traditions of those along the maritime Spice Route.
Chocolate Bar Description: A smooth white chocolate base sprinkled with chia seeds, bright green pistachios, and crunchy rose candy.
Tasting Notes: Nutty and Floral
White chocolate offers a unique taste distinct from its darker counterparts. Through this guide, we've highlighted brands that showcase its versatility and richness. Each brand tells a story, from OmNom's unique coffee fusion to Amedei Tuscany's Italian heritage. For a deeper dive into these flavors, explore our white chocolate collection. If you're keen on regular tasteful discoveries, consider the Kekao Box, which curates some of the best chocolates monthly. Dive into the world of white chocolate with us.
