We talked about Belgium chocolate last time. This time, we are going to look at the most classic chocolate directly from south-east Asia. Cacao Trees are specific to the tropical environment and used to be extremely expensive because of this. It is also one of the local ingredients that the Philippines is the most proud of. With climate change at the door, even BBC said that cocoa beans could become rate and expensive again in the near future. That is your cue to eat all the chocolate you can now because you have a legitimate excuse.
Theo & Philo Brand Story
Theo & Philo is meant to mean "chocolate and love." People with some basic understanding of Greek influence on prefixes might understand it as "god and love" like I did.
The prefix "theo-" that we are familiar with can be seen in "theology." It came from the Greek word theos and means god. Theo & Philo took it from the scientific name of Cacao Tree, Theobroma Cacao, using it to refer to chocolate. Theobroma would translate to food of the God, which is fitting considering how amazing chocolate is.
Philo came from the Greek word philos which means love. You are probably more familiar with this one. We see it in philosophy (love and wisdom). Founder, Philo Chua, wanted to express his love for chocolate and his pride in the Philippines.
Theo & Philo Chocolate–Fair Trade and Sustainable Operations
Theo & Philo uses the best Cacao from the southern Philippines island, Mindanao, local Bacolod sugar, and the excellent traditional method of manufacturing. On the package of each chocolate reads "Made in Manila." This simple Bean to Bar trade model is all completed in one production area. Not only does it give the chocolate a unique tropical flavor, but it also reduces a lot of pollution and damage that transportation of ingredients could have caused to the environment.
They are also dedicated to protecting local cacao farmers, guaranteeing stable and fair trade. As you devour the delicious chocolate, you don't have to be burdened by the sweat and tears of exploited farmers.
Theo & Philo Chocolate–Luxury Packaging and Numerous International Awards
I definitely judge a book by it's cover so when I saw the gorgeous packaging of Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates, I fell in love. I immediately got 5 from Sabor del Sur. I couldn't help but paint matching nails and took product photos of every single flavor. They were too pretty! And made every single photo I took look cool. This make them excellent presents as well. The beautiful packaging saves you the trouble of even wrapping them. I got the single packaged ones, they also come in gift boxes of 3 or 5.
They also won the approval of multiple international awards. Between 2018-2019, they received a total of 18 medals from Academy of Chocolate (AOC) and International Chocolate Award (ICA), including 3 silver medals, 12 bronze medals, and multiple commendations. So it's definitely an impressive choice of a gift that would earn you some bragging rights.
Theo & Philo Chocolate–Varied Flavors and Low-Carb Friendly
There are 10 special and daring chocolate flavors, all incorporating unique tropical ingredients. All of the flavors are low in sugar. Out of the 5 flavors that I chose this time, the highest sugar content was 17.6g for the entire bar and the highest net carb was at 24.2g per bar. They are pretty high in fat because of the cacao which makes them very satiating. So they are actually pretty keto friendly. You can eat an entire bar in a day and still be in ketosis without compromising fat burn as long as you don't ingest more than 5–10g of other carbohydrates that aren't dietary fiber (carbs other than vegetables). Personally, I was really full after having 1/3-1/2 bar. Even though they are delicious, I don't really feel like gobbling them all down at once. It's the kind of dessert that you take time enjoying and tasting.
Flavors: 90% Dark Chocolate, 70% Dark Chocolate, 65% Dark Chocolate with Labuyo Chili, 65% Dark Chocolate with Calamansi, 65% Dark Chocolate with Mango, Chili & Cacao Nibs, 60% Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Mint, Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame and Nuts, Milk Chocolate with Barako Coffee, Milk Chocolate Adobo, Milk Chocolate Turon.
Theo & Philo 90% Dark Chocolate
Price: NTD$250
Shop here: https://shope.ee/3AXgviOiQb
Nutrion label:
44g per bar. Calories 341 kcal; Protein 4.4g; Fat 22g; Carbohydrates 15.4g (including Sugar 4.4g, dietary fiber 6.6g. Net carbs 8.8g）
This one has very simple ingredients. Just Cacao beans and sugar. It is slight sour and slightly bitter with a rich cacao aroma,
There are many layers to its taste. You can actually feel the different taste areas on your tongue that you learned in elementary school. First, there's a slight sourness coming from the sides of your tongue near the root and you can feel that more saliva is being produced because of this. Chew a bit more and you will start tasting something bitter at the root of your tongue. At the same time, there is sweetness coming from the tip of your tongue which softens the bitterness and balances your palette.
This is perfect for people who normally love dark chocolate.
Theo & Philo 70% Dark Chocolate
Price: NTD$250
Shop here: https://shope.ee/af9xdcik
Nutrion label:
44g per bar. Calories 253 kcal; Protein 4.4g; Fat15.4g; Carbohydrates 24.2g (including Sugar 11)
I believe this is the kind of dark chocolate that most would find widely acceptable but is still dark chocolate. Even though it 70%, you can't really taste any bitterness. For some reason, after chewing it for a bit I felt like there was a taste and scent that resembled osmanthus honey, making the chocolate especially smooth. But in reality, it only contains cacao beans, sugar, and cocoa butter. I thought it was odd so I tried it a few times but I still felt the same way. Perhaps the combination of cocoa butter and Bacolod sugar created a special aroma.
Theo & Philo 65% Dark Chocolate with Labuyo Chili
Price: NTD$250
Shop here: https://shope.ee/9URkTK14M5
Nutrion label:
44g per bar. Calories 244.2 kcal; Protein 2.2g; Fat15.4g; Carbohydrates 24.2g (including Sugar 17.6g)
This was my absolute favorite and it is also the winner of an AOC Bronze medal in 2019. Some of you may know that I love spicy food and cannot live without it so I've tried a lot of different chili flavored chocolate from various brands. But I've never found anything that I particularly liked until now.
When you break off a piece of this chocolate, you don't see pieces of dried chili. When you first bite into it, you would only taste chocolate. But almost immediately after, you feel a slight pinch of numbness and spiciness. Once you swallow it, your mouth is filled with the sweet scent of chocolate while the spicy taste lingers on the root of your tongue. It's very smooth. It's spicy enough but not too aggressive. Perfectly complemented by the richness of the cacao and the sweetness of the sugar.
I happened to have chili chocolate from Domori and Tabasco in our fridge so I compared them. My mom and I both agree that Domori peperoncino chocolate was not spicy at all, we even wondered if we ate the right thing. With Tabasco chocolate, I felt like I was just eating solid Tabasco. So... Theo & Philo wins this round.
Theo & Philo Dark Chocolate with Black Sesame and Nuts
Price: NTD$250
Shop here: https://shope.ee/5fF1uKs7J1
Nutrion label:
44g per bar. Calories 264 kcal; Protein 4.4g; Fat15.4g; Carbohydrates 24.2g (including Sugar 11g)
This is the best selling flavor on Sabor del Sur's website. It is also the winner of an AOC Bronze medal in 2019 and an ICA Bronze medal in 2018.
You can see pieces of nuts peeking through the surface when you first unwrap it. The ingredients listed cashews (my favorite!) and candied olives. Break off a piece and you will see complete black sesames, not powder. The black sesame and nuts spread evenly and densely across the bar of the chocolate, creating a very special texture. As you chew on it, the scent of black sesame balances out the sweetness. The fat from the sesame and nuts also make the chocolate more smooth and creamy.
Theo & Philo Milk Chocolate with Barako Coffee
Price: NTD$250
Nutrion label:
44g per bar. Calories 244.2 kcal; Protein 4.4g; Fat15.4g; Carbohydrates 22g (including Sugar 17.6g)
You will immediately be caught by a pleasant whiff of coffee when you break off a piece. As you chew on it, you can feel the crunchiness of granulated coffee beans being crushed between your teeth. It's not the smooth texture we would usually associate with chocolate, but the grainy texture was interesting and unexpectedly therapeutic. The more you chew, the more coffee aroma it releases. There's a hint of bitter from the coffee. Like it's name suggests, it tastes like a rich and strong cup of latte.
Theo & Philo Brand Info
Brand name: Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates
Price: NTD$250 each
Sales channels: as linked above
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