The Good: Interesting flavor, Wonderful quality, Does not melt easily, Good company!
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Melts fairly easily, Comparatively expensive
The Basics: The Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bars do not effectively bring out the banana flavor, but the quality of the chocolate and eventual peanut butter flavor keep it from being a total loss!
All good things come to an end . . . and for me, the stockpile of Wild Ophelia chocolates my wife gave me is now at an end. My collection of chocolates is completed with a bar of Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana. And, in some ways, it is sad for me to end on . . . not so much a downbeat as it is an unfulfilled promise. The Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar is made of predictably wonderful chocolate - all Wild Ophelia products I've had have a high-quality of chocolate - and the peanut butter flavor does manifest, but the bananas in this chocolate bar are thoroughly underwhelming and the peanut butter is more of an aftertaste than a primary flavor.
Basics
The Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar is a solid dark chocolate bar from Wild Ophelia. Each 2 oz. chocolate bar is wrapped in a cardboard wrapper. Inside the cardboard case is a thick metallic plastic wrapper (with a seam resembling a Pop Tart more than a chocolate bar). The actual chocolate bar is 4 1/2” long by 2 13/16” wide by 1/4” thick. The Bar has no identifying marks or logos on it, but it is segmented to make four 1 1/8” wide by 2 13/16” long bars. The top features ribbing that give the bar a very Art Deco look that is distinctive.
The chocolate is firm, dark and not at all waxy; this is a high-quality chocolate bar. Individually, the bars are found in the $5.99 range. Given the lack of banana flavoring in them, that makes these bars seems just a little expensive for their price.
Ease Of Preparation
Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bars are chocolate; preparing them is as easy as unwrapping the candy bar. Because the chocolate is a premium chocolate product, I recommend eating this a little at a time, not just biting right into the bar.
Taste
The Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bars smell like peanut butter and and, more mildly, of chocolate. The aroma from this candy bar is fairly strong and the peanut butter scent is definitely the dominant scent from this bar.
In the mouth, the Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bar tastes sweet. The sugary flavor in the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar develops into a milky, chocolate flavor that is creamy and more deep than a simple candy bar. The peanut butter in the chocolate bars is comparatively mild and the chocolate overwhelms that flavor in most bites. The banana in the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar manifests more readily as a texture than a flavor, but it adds a sweetness to the bites that possess the banana. While some of the bites of the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar have the flavoring of the peanut butter in them, none in my bar tasted distinctly of banana. The chocolate bar is very sweet and the chocolate is distinct and good, but the two promised flavors within the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bar are nowhere near as distinct.
The Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bar has a peanut butter aftertaste to it, which is interesting given how mild the peanut butter flavor is within the bar itself.
Nutrition
Wild Ophelia makes their fine chocolates with quality ingredients, which is arguably why the range in price in the real world and online is a bit more than other chocolate bars! With the primary ingredients being milk chocolate, peanut butter, and dried bananas, the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bars are a candy bar, not a legitimate source of nutrition needed to survive. That said, Wild Ophelia uses natural ingredients and organic ingredients where possible; none of the ingredients are unpronounceable. In a full 56 gram serving (2 ounce), there are 300 calories, 180 of which are from fat. This represents 32% of one's RDA of fat (53% of the RDA of saturated fat). Each bar has 70 mg of Sodium (which is low considering there is peanut butter and sea salt in these candy bars) and 5 grams of protein. There is a smattering of Vitamin A and Calcium (2% and 8% RDA, each) and a decent amount of Iron (20% RDA), but no other vitamins and minerals. In other words, this is not a snack to try to survive on.
While the candy bars are all natural with no artificial ingredients and have no preservatives, they do contain soy. As well, there is an allergy warning for milk, soy and peanuts, which might make them inappropriate for those who observe a Vegan diet.
Storage/Clean-Up
Because the chocolate is generally hard, though as a milk chocolate this bar is a little easier to melt than some of the others, the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bars will stain if they melt into fabrics. Despite their meltability in most environments the Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bars remain solid, these should be kept cool in order to not melt, but I have not had any problems with mine. As long as they are kept cool and dry, these bars will last at least six months (the ones my wife gave me two months ago would have lasted until February 22, 2018, had I not eaten it up first).
Clean-up is easy, so long as the chocolate does not melt. The Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate bars have wrappers that ought to be properly disposed of, but otherwise, the chocolate washes off skin and non-porous surfaces. It the chocolate melts onto fabric, consult a fabric guide.
Overall
Wild Ophelia Peanut Butter & Banana Chocolate Bars are interesting, but do not live up to the potential of their promised flavor or the quality of their ingredients.
For other Wild Ophelia candy reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Caramelized Banana Peanut Butter Cups
Beef Jerky & Smoked Salt Chocolate Bar
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Smoked Chipotle Chili And Milk Chocolate Bar
4.5/10
For more chocolate reviews, please check out my Chocolate Review Index Page!
© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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