Bi Rite Bars: A Taste Tour of the Newest Bars

By Ben Narasin Tue., Apr. 17 2012 at 9:00 AM

Categories: Sweet Beat

We love Bi-Rite Creamery and their signature Salted Caramel ice cream, and we love Michael Mischer and his designer chocolate bars with their creative inclusions, so how could we not be excited about their love child, the new Bi-Rite Creamery chocolate bars?

After Bi-Rite's private-label chocolate lost its partner Charles Chocolates, the company initiated a "months-long collaboration" with Michael Mischer to reformulate Bi Rite Creamery's existing flavors -- and create new ones. They sourced ingredients together under what Bi Rite calls Mischer's "masterful care" and whipped up the bars in the small production facility of Mischer's (Oakland) shop. Bars carry a Bi-Rite Creamery label with Michael's name in the fine print.

Here's our taste tour of what they came up with:

Rocky Road
They say: Fluffy marshmallows, crunchy California almonds, and dark milk chocolate
We Say: The chocolate is lush, the almonds provide a nice counter in texture to the fluffy mini marshmallows, and the overall flavor is pleasant if a bit mellow for something that carries the expectations of the rocky road name.

Salted Caramel
They say: The Creamery's most popular ice cream flavor is the inspiration for this bar; silky-smooth salty-sweet caramel in perfectly-paired dark chocolate
We say: Gooey middle layer of caramel is a nice goosh of contrast in the same dark chocolate. Again, the flavor is a bit lighter than we would have expected. There's none of the almost burnt note of the ice cream original and only a negligible hint of salt. Nice, but mild.

Peanut Butter Caramel:
They say: A classic peanut butter chocolate pairing: nutty Project Open Hand peanut butter and silky sweet caramel in rich dark milk chocolate
We say: Mild peanut butter flavor dominates the caramel, as it should. Mellow and luscious.

Dark Milk Chocolate:
They say: Because the chocolate alone is just that good!
We say: Thick, dense, and lush.

Overall, all are very good , though milder than we would have expected.

Contact Ben Narasin at sfoodieben@gmail.com . Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie, and like us on Facebook.