Chuao Pretzel Toffee Twirl, and Ravishing Rocky Road bars.

Chuao Chocolatier bars pronounced “chew-WOW) are not made for purists.

That’s because they come loaded with everything imaginable and then some. Panko breadcrumbs. Potato chips. Toasted corn chips. Bacon. Chipotle. Pop Rock-style candy bits. You name it.

These imaginative bars are the creation of Chef Michael Antonorsi and his brother Richard, whose Venezuelan ancestors once owned a cacao farm.

After moving to San Diego from Venezuela, the brothers forged a career in high-tech, before deciding to go into the chocolate business. Michael Antonorsi trained as a chef and pastry chef in France, before opening his first chocolate cafe in Encinitas with his brother in 2002. They named it Chuao, after Venezuela’s cacao-growing region.

Now with three stores in Southern California, Chuao Chocolatier makes bonbons, bars and drinking chocolate.

The bars, which come in 2.8-ounce ($6) and mini .39-ounce sizes (8-piece assortment for $9.95), come in an array of flavors. I had a chance to try a few sample recently.

A sampling of the mini bars.

The Pop Corn Pop milk chocolate bar has the fun taste of popcorn along with the surprise of those popping candies that tickle the tongue. Although I think Pop Rocks have had their moment, the popcorn was a nice addition that added a buttery, subtle corn flavor with a slight edge.

Ravishing Rocky Road with almonds and mini marshmallows will satisfy any kid of any age.

The Maple Bacon Bar surprisingly tastes barely of bacon. It’s more sweet with a slightly charred aftertaste.

Pretzel Toffee Twirl is a dark chocolate bar with great crunch from salty mini pretzels and bits of toffee.

My favorite bar might be one of the simpler ones. Honeycomb is just that — dark chocolate enrobing bits of honeycomb. You can really taste the honey, which adds a complex and much more interesting sweet note.

The bars are available on the Chuao site, as well as at Crate and Barrel, Sur La Table and REI.