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Polkadot Glossary
Cacao percentages, functional mushrooms, flavor names and how ordering works — every term you'll meet while shopping Polkadot, explained in plain English so you can choose with confidence.
109 terms 4 topics
A3 terms
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Adaptogen
Also: adaptogenic herb, adaptogenic mushroom
An adaptogen is a label from herbal traditions for plants and mushrooms associated with balance and adaptation. It is a wellness term, not a medical one.
- Chocolate
Allergen
Also: food allergen, major food allergens
An allergen is a substance that can trigger an allergic reaction. US labels must declare nine major food allergens, including milk, peanuts and soy.
- Products & Flavors
Authentic Polkadot Packaging
Also: real Polkadot, genuine Polkadot
Authentic Polkadot packaging has crisp printing, consistent branding, intact seals and clear flavor and ingredient details that set genuine products apart.
B7 terms
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Batch Number
Also: lot number, lot code
A batch number (or lot number) is a code printed on packaging that identifies the specific production run a product came from, for tracing and quality checks.
- Chocolate
Bean-to-Bar
Also: bean to bar chocolate, craft chocolate
Bean-to-bar describes chocolate made by one maker from raw cacao beans all the way to finished bars, controlling roasting, grinding and conching.
- Chocolate
Belgian Chocolate
Also: Belgium chocolate
Belgian chocolate is chocolate made in Belgium, a country famed for smooth, finely refined chocolate and for inventing the filled praline.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Beta-Glucans
Also: beta glucan, β-glucans
Beta-glucans are natural polysaccharides (glucose chains) found in the cell walls of mushrooms, yeast, oats and barley, and a key marker in mushroom extracts.
- Ordering & Shipping
Bitcoin Payment
Also: Bitcoin, BTC payment
A Bitcoin payment sends BTC from your wallet to a store's wallet address. Polkadot Store Online processes Bitcoin orders once confirmed on the blockchain.
- Products & Flavors
Blue Açaí
Also: blue acai, açaí
Blue açaí refers to a berry flavor built on açaí, the deep purple Amazonian palm fruit, often blended with blueberry for a rich, tart-sweet taste.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Botanical Extract
Also: plant extract, herbal extract
A botanical extract is a concentrated ingredient drawn from plant material such as leaves, roots, flowers, fruit or bark, used for flavor, color or tradition.
C23 terms
- Chocolate
Cacao
Also: Theobroma cacao, cacao bean
Cacao is the tropical tree Theobroma cacao and its seeds, the beans that are fermented, dried and roasted to make every kind of chocolate.
- Chocolate
Cacao Percentage
Also: cocoa percentage, % cacao
Cacao percentage is the share of a chocolate bar, by weight, that comes from the cacao bean: cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder combined.
- Products & Flavors
Candy-Bar-Inspired Collection
Also: Polkadot candy bar flavors, candy bar chocolate bars
The Candy-Bar-Inspired Collection is a set of Polkadot milk chocolate bars with flavors inspired by classic American and European candy bars.
- Products & Flavors
Caramel Macchiato
Also: caramel macchiato flavor, macchiato
A caramel macchiato is a layered coffeehouse drink of vanilla, steamed milk and espresso topped with caramel, and a popular coffee-caramel flavor.
- Ordering & Shipping
Cash App
Also: CashApp, Cash App payment
Cash App is a US mobile payment app that sends money using a $Cashtag, phone number or email. It is one of the ways to pay at Polkadot Store Online.
- Products & Flavors
Cereal-Inspired Collection
Also: Polkadot cereal bars, cereal chocolate bars
The Cereal-Inspired Collection is a group of Polkadot white chocolate bars made with crunchy pieces inspired by classic breakfast cereals.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Certificate of Analysis (COA)
Also: COA, CoA
A certificate of analysis (COA) is a lab-issued document showing test results for a specific product batch, such as identity, contents and contaminant checks.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Chaga
Also: Inonotus obliquus, birch conk
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a black, charcoal-like fungal growth found on birch trees in cold northern forests, traditionally brewed into an earthy tea.
- Products & Flavors
Chamoy
Also: chamoy sauce, chamoy mango
Chamoy is a Mexican condiment made from pickled fruit, chili, lime and salt, loved for its sweet, sour, salty and gently spicy flavor on fruit and candy.
- Ordering & Shipping
Chime
Also: Chime payment, pay with Chime
Chime is a US financial technology company offering mobile banking and in-app payments. Chime is one of the payment options at Polkadot Store Online.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Chitin
Also: fungal chitin, chitin-glucan
Chitin is a tough, fibrous natural polymer that forms the cell walls of fungi and the shells of insects and crustaceans, making raw mushrooms hard to digest.
- Chocolate
Chocolate Bloom
Also: fat bloom, sugar bloom
Chocolate bloom is the whitish, dusty or streaky coating that forms when cocoa butter or sugar rises to the surface. It looks odd but is safe to eat.
- Chocolate
Chocolate Storage
Also: how to store chocolate, storing chocolate
Chocolate storage means keeping chocolate sealed, cool (60–68°F), dry, dark and away from odors so it keeps its shine, snap and flavor.
- Chocolate
Chocolate Truffle
Also: truffle, truffes au chocolat
A chocolate truffle is a bite-size confection with a soft, creamy center, often ganache, finished with cocoa powder or a thin chocolate shell.
- Chocolate
Cocoa
Also: cocoa powder, cocoa mass
Cocoa refers to processed cacao beans, especially roasted cocoa powder and cocoa mass, the ingredients that give chocolate its deep, familiar flavor.
- Chocolate
Cocoa Butter
Also: cacao butter, theobroma oil
Cocoa butter is the natural fat pressed from cacao beans. It melts just below body temperature, giving good chocolate its smooth, clean melt.
- Chocolate
Cocoa Solids
Also: cacao solids, non-fat cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the parts of the cacao bean left in chocolate. Depending on context, the term covers only the brown non-fat part or all cacao content.
- Chocolate
Conching
Also: conche, conched chocolate
Conching is the long mixing, heating and aerating step in chocolate making that removes harsh flavors and polishes texture until it feels silky.
- Products & Flavors
Cookies and Cream
Also: cookies n cream, cookies 'n' cream
Cookies and cream is a dessert flavor that combines crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with a sweet, creamy vanilla base such as ice cream or white chocolate.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Cordyceps
Also: Cordyceps militaris, Ophiocordyceps sinensis
Cordyceps is a group of fungi that grow on insects in the wild. Cordyceps militaris, a bright orange cultivated species, is the kind most sold today.
- Products & Flavors
Counterfeit Chocolate Bars
Also: fake chocolate bars, fake Polkadot bars
Counterfeit chocolate bars are imitation products sold in packaging that copies a real brand, often with poor printing, weak seals and unknown ingredients.
- Chocolate
Couverture Chocolate
Also: couverture, coating chocolate (professional)
Couverture chocolate is professional-grade chocolate with extra cocoa butter, making it fluid, glossy and ideal for tempering, coating and molding.
- Products & Flavors
Craft Gummies
Also: Polkadot Craft Gummies, craft gummy
Craft gummies are small-batch style gummies built on specialty flavors, organic pectin and real fruit juice, like Polkadot's Thai Tea and Chamoy Mango.
D5 terms
- Chocolate
Dairy-Free
Also: milk-free, non-dairy
Dairy-free means a food contains no milk or milk-derived ingredients such as butter, cream, whey, casein or lactose. It is not the same as vegan.
- Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Also: bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate
Dark chocolate is chocolate made mainly from cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar, with little or no milk, giving a bold, bittersweet cacao flavor.
- Products & Flavors
Dark Matcha
Also: dark chocolate matcha, matcha dark chocolate
Dark matcha is the pairing of Japanese matcha green tea with dark chocolate, creating a bold, less sweet flavor that balances cocoa with grassy umami.
- Ordering & Shipping
Discreet Packaging
Also: plain packaging, unmarked packaging
Discreet packaging is plain, unbranded outer packaging that gives no sign of what is inside. Every Polkadot Store Online order ships this way.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Dual Extraction
Also: double extraction, dual extract
Dual extraction is a two-step method that uses hot water and then alcohol to draw both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds out of mushrooms.
E2 terms
- Products & Flavors
Edibles
Also: edible, functional edibles
Edibles is a broad term for ready-to-eat foods, such as chocolates, gummies and drinks, that are made with an added functional or specialty ingredient.
- Chocolate
Enrobing
Also: enrobed chocolate, chocolate coating
Enrobing is coating a center, such as a filling, cookie or nut, in a thin layer of chocolate, usually by passing it through a curtain of melted chocolate.
F3 terms
- Ordering & Shipping
Free Shipping
Also: free delivery, free standard shipping
Free shipping means the store covers delivery costs. Polkadot Store Online ships every order free to all 50 US states, in plain, discreet packaging.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Fruiting Body
Also: mushroom, sporocarp
A fruiting body is the visible, spore-producing part of a fungus, the structure most people simply call "the mushroom," which grows from a hidden mycelium.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Functional Mushroom
Also: functional fungi, specialty mushroom
A functional mushroom is an edible or traditionally used fungus, such as lion's mane or reishi, valued in food and wellness traditions beyond basic nutrition.
G3 terms
- Chocolate
Ganache
Also: chocolate ganache
Ganache is a smooth emulsion of chocolate and cream (or a plant-based alternative) used to fill truffles and bonbons and to frost or glaze desserts.
- Chocolate
Gelatin-Free
Also: gelatine-free, no gelatin
Gelatin-free means a food contains no gelatin, the animal-collagen gelling agent. Gelatin-free gummies usually use pectin, agar or starch instead.
- Chocolate
Gluten-Free
Also: GF, no gluten
Gluten-free means a food has no gluten, the protein in wheat, barley and rye. In the US, the label means under 20 parts per million of gluten.
H3 terms
- Chocolate
Heat-Sensitive Shipping
Also: summer shipping, shipping chocolate in hot weather
Heat-sensitive shipping covers how chocolate and candy are sent and received in warm weather so they arrive without melting or blooming.
- Products & Flavors
Hokkaido Melon
Also: Hokaido melon, Yubari melon
Hokkaido melon refers to the prized, sweet melons grown on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, best known for the orange-fleshed Yubari King.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Hot-Water Extraction
Also: decoction, water extraction
Hot-water extraction is the process of simmering mushrooms in water for a long time to draw out water-soluble compounds, like brewing a strong mushroom tea.
I1 term
- Chocolate
Inclusions
Also: mix-ins, add-ins
Inclusions are solid pieces mixed into chocolate, like cookies, cereal, nuts, pretzels or dried fruit, adding crunch, chew, color and extra flavor.
L3 terms
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Lion's Mane
Also: Hericium erinaceus, yamabushitake
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a white, shaggy mushroom with cascading spines that grows on hardwoods, prized in cooking for its seafood-like texture.
- Products & Flavors
Liquid Mushroom Shot
Also: mushroom shot, mushroom drink shot
A liquid mushroom shot is a small, single-bottle drink that combines functional mushroom extracts with a flavored liquid base for quick, portable sipping.
- Products & Flavors
Lychee
Also: litchi, lichee
Lychee is a small tropical fruit from southern China with a bumpy red shell and juicy white flesh that tastes floral, sweet and lightly rose-like.
M13 terms
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Maitake
Also: Grifola frondosa, hen of the woods
Maitake (Grifola frondosa), or hen of the woods, is a ruffled cluster mushroom that grows at the base of oak trees and is loved for its rich, savory flavor.
- Products & Flavors
Matcha
Also: matcha green tea, matcha powder
Matcha is a finely ground powder made from shade-grown Japanese green tea leaves, known for its vivid green color and grassy, umami-rich flavor.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Measured Portion
Also: portioned squares, even portions
A measured portion is an evenly sized piece, like a square of a scored chocolate bar or a single gummy, made so every piece is consistent in size and shape.
- Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Also: milk choc
Milk chocolate is chocolate made with cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids, giving a sweeter, creamier and softer bar than dark chocolate.
- Ordering & Shipping
Minimum Order ($150)
Also: minimum order amount, order minimum
A minimum order is the lowest cart total a store accepts at checkout. At Polkadot Store Online the minimum order is $150, and shipping is always free.
- Ordering & Shipping
Mix and Match
Also: mixed order, variety order
Mix and match means combining different products and flavors in one order. At Polkadot Store Online, any mix of items counts toward the $150 minimum.
- Chocolate
Mouthfeel
Also: texture, melt
Mouthfeel is how a food physically feels as you eat it. In chocolate, it covers smoothness, melt speed, creaminess and any grit or waxiness.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Mushroom Blend
Also: functional mushroom blend, adaptogenic mushroom blend
A mushroom blend is an ingredient that combines two or more mushroom species, often as powders or extracts, to create a balanced flavor and ingredient profile.
- Products & Flavors
Mushroom Chocolate
Also: functional mushroom chocolate, mushroom chocolate bar
Mushroom chocolate is chocolate made with functional or culinary mushroom ingredients, pairing earthy, umami notes with the richness of cocoa.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Mushroom Extract
Also: fungal extract, mushroom concentrate
A mushroom extract is a concentrated preparation made by drawing compounds out of mushrooms with water, alcohol or both, then drying or reducing the liquid.
- Products & Flavors
Mushroom Gummies
Also: functional mushroom gummies, vegan mushroom gummies
Mushroom gummies are chewy candies made with functional mushroom ingredients, usually set with pectin or gelatin and flavored with fruit.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Mycelium
Also: mycelia, hyphae
Mycelium is the thread-like, root-like network of a fungus that grows through soil or wood, absorbs nutrients and produces mushrooms (fruiting bodies).
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Mycology
Also: fungal biology, mycologist
Mycology is the branch of biology that studies fungi, including mushrooms, molds and yeasts, from their genetics and ecology to their uses in food and industry.
N2 terms
- Chocolate
Natural Flavors
Also: natural flavor, natural flavouring
Natural flavors are flavorings taken from plant or animal sources, such as fruit, spices or vanilla, and added to foods for taste rather than nutrition.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Nootropic
Also: nootropics
Nootropic is a word coined in 1972 for substances studied in relation to mental performance. Today it is a loose wellness-marketing label, not a regulated one.
O3 terms
- Ordering & Shipping
Order Confirmation
Also: order confirmation email, order received page
An order confirmation is the page and email you get after checkout, listing your order number, items, total and the payment instructions to complete it.
- Ordering & Shipping
Order Number
Also: order ID, order reference
An order number is the unique reference a store gives each purchase. You use it in payment notes, support requests and returns at Polkadot Store Online.
- Ordering & Shipping
Order On Hold
Also: on hold, on-hold order
Order On Hold is the status an order has after checkout while the store waits to confirm payment. It moves to Processing once payment is confirmed.
P11 terms
- Products & Flavors
Passion Tango Lemonade
Also: passion tea lemonade, passionfruit lemonade
Passion tango lemonade is a bright, tangy flavor inspired by iced hibiscus-herbal tea mixed with lemonade, with a sweet tropical passionfruit note.
- Chocolate
Pectin
Also: fruit pectin, organic pectin
Pectin is a natural gelling agent from fruit, mainly citrus peel and apples. It sets jams and vegan gummies without any animal gelatin.
- Products & Flavors
Piña Colada
Also: pina colada, piña colada flavor
Piña colada is a tropical flavor of pineapple and creamy coconut, named after the classic Puerto Rican blended drink, and popular in sweets and gummies.
- Chocolate
Plant-Based
Also: plant based, made from plants
Plant-based describes foods made mostly or entirely from plants. It is a broad marketing term, so check whether a product is also fully vegan.
- Products & Flavors
Polkadot
Also: Polka Dot, PolkaDot
Polkadot is a gourmet confection brand known for Belgian chocolate bars, vegan gummies, truffles and shots made with functional mushroom blends.
- Products & Flavors
Polkadot Chocolate Bar
Also: Polkadot bar, Polkadot mushroom chocolate bar
A Polkadot chocolate bar is a scored Belgian chocolate bar in a dark, milk or white base, made with a functional mushroom blend and a signature flavor.
- Products & Flavors
Polkadot Chocolate Truffles
Also: Polkadot truffles, Polka Dot truffles
Polkadot Chocolate Truffles are bite-size Belgian chocolate shells with creamy centers: hazelnut, cookies and cream, blueberry jam, or berries and cream.
- Products & Flavors
Polkadot Mushroom Shots
Also: Polkadot shots, Polkadot nitrogen release shot
Polkadot Mushroom Shots are small, ready-to-sip bottles of fruit-flavored liquid made with functional mushroom extracts, sealed with nitrogen pressurization.
- Products & Flavors
Polkadot Vegan Magic Gummies
Also: Polkadot gummies, Polka Dot gummies
Polkadot Vegan Magic Gummies are plant-based, pectin-set gummies with real fruit juice and a functional mushroom blend, in fruity and café flavors.
- Products & Flavors
Pomegranate
Also: Punica granatum, pomegranate arils
Pomegranate is a round red fruit packed with juicy, jewel-like seeds called arils, prized for a bright sweet-tart flavor used in sauces, drinks and desserts.
- Chocolate
Praline
Also: praliné, Belgian praline
Praline means different things by region: a filled Belgian chocolate, a French caramelized-nut paste, or a creamy New Orleans pecan candy.
R4 terms
- Products & Flavors
Red Velvet
Also: red velvet cake, red velvet flavor
Red velvet is a classic American cake flavor: a soft, lightly cocoa-flavored crumb with a tangy buttermilk note, red color and cream cheese frosting.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Reishi
Also: Ganoderma lingzhi, Ganoderma lucidum
Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi) is a glossy, reddish, woody shelf mushroom that grows on hardwoods and has been brewed as a bitter tea in East Asia for centuries.
- Ordering & Shipping
Return Policy
Also: returns, refund policy
A return policy sets the rules for returns and refunds. At Polkadot Store Online, unopened items can be returned within 14 days of delivery.
- Products & Flavors
Royal Milk Tea
Also: Japanese royal milk tea, roiyaru miruku tii
Royal milk tea is a Japanese-style milk tea made by simmering black tea leaves directly in milk, giving a rich, smooth and mellow flavor.
S11 terms
- Products & Flavors
S'mores
Also: smores, s'more
S'mores is a classic campfire dessert of toasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers, and a popular sweet flavor today.
- Products & Flavors
Salted Pretzel
Also: pretzel chocolate, chocolate-covered pretzel
Salted pretzel is a sweet-and-salty flavor that pairs crunchy, salt-flecked pretzel pieces with chocolate, balancing crisp saltiness and rich cocoa.
- Products & Flavors
Scratch-to-Verify Code
Also: scratch-off code, verification code
A scratch-to-verify code is a hidden code under a scratch-off panel on packaging that a brand may use to let buyers check whether a product is genuine.
- Chocolate
Shelf Life
Also: best-by date, best before
Shelf life is how long a product keeps its intended quality under proper storage. Polkadot bars are described as lasting 1–2 years unopened.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Shiitake
Also: Lentinula edodes, shiitake mushroom
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is a brown-capped edible mushroom native to East Asia, cultivated on logs for centuries and famous for its deep umami flavor.
- Products & Flavors
Sicko Series
Also: Polkadot x Sicko, PD x Sicko
The Sicko Series is the Polkadot x Sicko collaboration line of white chocolate bars enriched with cacao butter, in Cookies N' Cream and Vanilla Frappuccino.
- Chocolate
Single-Origin Chocolate
Also: single origin, single-estate chocolate
Single-origin chocolate is made with cacao beans from one country, region or farm, so it shows the distinct flavors of that particular place.
- Chocolate
Snap
Also: chocolate snap, break
Snap is the clean, crisp crack a well-tempered chocolate bar makes when broken. It signals good tempering, ample cocoa butter and proper storage.
- Products & Flavors
Sour Gummies
Also: sour gummy candy, sour candy
Sour gummies are chewy candies coated or blended with food acids like citric or malic acid, giving a sharp, puckering tang before the sweetness.
- Chocolate
Soy Lecithin
Also: lecithin, E322
Soy lecithin is a plant-based emulsifier from soybeans, added to chocolate in tiny amounts to make it flow smoothly and blend its ingredients.
- Products & Flavors
Strawnana
Also: strawberry banana, straw-nana
Strawnana is a blend of strawberry and banana, the classic smoothie pairing that balances bright, tangy berry with creamy, mellow banana sweetness.
T9 terms
- Products & Flavors
Tamarind
Also: tamarindo, Tamarindus indica
Tamarind is a tropical pod fruit with sticky, sweet-sour pulp, used in Mexican candy, Thai and Indian cooking, and in chili-dusted snacks.
- Chocolate
Tempering
Also: tempered chocolate, pre-crystallization
Tempering is heating and cooling chocolate to precise temperatures so cocoa butter sets in stable crystals, giving gloss, snap and a clean melt.
- Products & Flavors
Thai Tea
Also: cha yen, Thai iced tea
Thai tea, or cha yen, is a strong, spiced black tea from Thailand sweetened with sugar and milk, famous for its orange color and creamy flavor.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Third-Party Lab Testing
Also: independent lab testing, third-party testing
Third-party lab testing means a product sample is analyzed by an independent laboratory, not the maker, to check identity, contents and contaminants.
- Products & Flavors
Tokyo Grape
Also: Japanese grape flavor, Kyoho grape flavor
Tokyo Grape is a candy flavor inspired by fragrant Japanese grape varieties such as Kyoho, richer and more aromatic than typical American grape candy.
- Ordering & Shipping
Tracking Number
Also: tracking code, shipment tracking
A tracking number is a code from the shipping carrier that lets you follow your package from dispatch to delivery. We email it once your order ships.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Tremella
Also: Tremella fuciformis, snow fungus
Tremella (Tremella fuciformis), or snow fungus, is a translucent, frilly jelly mushroom used in Chinese sweet soups and desserts for its soft texture.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Triterpenes
Also: triterpenoids, ganoderic acids
Triterpenes are natural compounds found in plants and some mushrooms, such as reishi and chaga, that give them a bitter taste and dissolve best in alcohol.
- Mushrooms & Botanicals
Turkey Tail
Also: Trametes versicolor, Coriolus versicolor
Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is a thin, leathery bracket fungus with colorful concentric bands that resemble a turkey's fanned tail feathers.
V1 term
- Chocolate
Vegan Chocolate
Also: dairy-free chocolate, plant-based chocolate
Vegan chocolate is chocolate made with no animal-derived ingredients: no milk, butterfat, honey or eggs. Many dark chocolates are naturally vegan.
W1 term
- Chocolate
White Chocolate
Also: white choc
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids, with no brown cocoa solids, giving it an ivory color and a sweet, creamy taste.
Z1 term
- Ordering & Shipping
Zelle
Also: Zelle payment, pay with Zelle
Zelle is a US bank-to-bank payment network built into many banking apps. It is one of the payment methods accepted at Polkadot Store Online.
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