Developing the Genmai Bar

GENMAI BAR

Tea and Chocolate

This is the first chocolate bar created in our line and continues to be the most popular. When I first started the company, my mind with clouded with ingredients that I could blend with chocolate. I had no focus. So I went down to my local neighborhood Asian market and slowly walked down every aisle until I spotted a bag on Genmai–roasted brown rice. I little lightbulb flashed above my head. “Genmai (roasted brown rice) Cha (tea) and chocolate. That’s gotta be a winner!” Genmai Cha is the staple tea that is often served at Japanese restaurants. The translation of this tea flavor into a chocolate bar has made this our signature bar. Of the seven bars we have created, this one is the one people most talk about.

Our Genmai bar, balanced by the deep nuttiness and crunchiness of the brown rice, is followed by a pleasant floral tea aftertaste. People have often described this chocolate bar as being a high-end or adult version of a Nestle Crunch bar. The flavor profile of this bar is complimentary. The sweetness and smoothness of the milk chocolate is contrasted and balanced with the deep nutty flavor and the crunchiness of the brown rice.

Country of Inspiration: Japan

The Label: The artwork on the front of the label is inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking coupled with the long tradition of family crests or mon used on clothes which distinguished individuals or signify membership in a specific clan. The pattern of tea leaves wrap from front to back of the label.

Update: We entered the Genmai bar in the 2013 International Chocolate Awards, a world wide chocolate competition for fine chocolate makers and chocolatiers. We earned a double gold, winning for the United States and for the Americas! Awesome!