Castronovo - Signature Collection Puerto Rico 70% (bar) - May 3, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Castronovo Chocolate
Signature Collection Puerto Rico 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.1 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62.2 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Castronovo, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Caribbean Chocolate Cruise Week. After a week-long virtual visit to Haiti (through the magic of chocolate), it's time to explore other Caribbean destinations (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and then back to Haiti).

Historically cacao was brought to Puerto Rico (from Central and South America) by the Spanish. However, I can't remember tasting a chocolate made entirely of cacao grown in Puerto Rico, so a big thank you to Castronovo for making this possible. See information below for more information.*

Today's Signature Collection Puerto Rico 70% (bar) was from Castronovo Chocolate (Stuart, FL). Aroma notes included: dark chocolate; faint sweet floral (vanilla) green/botanical; and (appealing) pickled peppers--that faded after the package had been opened for a bit.

Texture: smooth, even, texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: well balanced, sweet and flavorful dark chocolate with intriguing, faint, fleeting pickled pepper; and fruit (ripe berry (blackberry) and date). These notes all harmonized very well together and made for a very nice dark chocolate bar.

I really liked this well-executed dark chocolate, and found it somewhat addictive--with its, well-balanced, tasty, almost piquant flavor element(s).

Maker's tasting notes: "I love this chocolate for its nice natural flavors of date, vanilla, a sweet nuttiness like pecan and a delicious creaminess..."

Ingredients: organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter. 

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that uses milk and wheat. Contains no nuts. Made in a nut-free facility (nut-free and soy-free)."

*Castronovo has been working with a farmer named Juan in Puerto Rico since 2016, on fermentation and fundraising after a 2017 hurricane. Some background on the cacao farm from Castronovo Website is pasted below:

"...Juan discovered some very old original cacao trees, growing wild amongst a variety of fruit trees in the forest. He describes the pods as being very large with red and yellow colors. Hurricane Maria in 2017 wiped out a newly planted 60-acre farm, but the old trees grown in the agro-forest on his father's land survived. Despite the setback from Hurrican(e) Maria, they have replanted and have adopted cultivation techniques to provide more resilience from future storms. They continue learning as much as they can with a vision to develop the fine cacao industry in Puerto Rico..."

By trying this fine chocolate from the USA...you can support more chocolate from Puerto Rico in the future. "All proceeds from the cacao purchase go directly to the farm."

Bixby Chocolate - Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar - May 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Bixby Chocolate
Organic Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 + shipping for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Bixby Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's Organic Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate Bar was from Bixby Chocolate (Rockland, ME). Made with PISA Cacao.

Aroma notes included: bold dark chocolate with relatively subtle balanced earth.

Texture: even, almost stone-ground-creamy texture to start. And the creaminess increased, during each bite that was tasted. 

Flavor notes included: deep chocolate-y flavor, with very balanced (loam-like) earth. 

The sweetness level was a bit high (though right in the range of a 70% dark chocolate), and the bitterness was relatively lower than I expected--based on what the (bolder) aroma signaled.

Overall I enjoyed this bar. The chocolate was bold and balanced with satisfying texture, especially for a two-ingredient bar. And it was Organic.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients." ("Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free")

Marabou Products - Choco Kreyol - May 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Marabou Products
Choco Kreyol
OK ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 25 calories (estimate) in two sips
Cost: $5.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Marabou Products, online order (Etsy)

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Haiti Week.

Today's 100% Bio Choco Kreyol (Haiti) drinking chocolate was distributed by Marabou Products LLC, (Miami, FL). 

This chocolate came with a recipe printed on the back of the package; and I prepared this chocolate with boiling water, according to the directions. The chocolate dissolved very nicely in hot water with minimal stirring and the resulting drinking chocolate had a rich cocoa color and texture.

Aroma notes included: rich, ultra-dark chocolate with earth, loam notes.

Texture: nice drinking chocolate texture, melt and mouthfeel. 

It was relatively smooth in texture (even with no milk added). And if you're like most people, you will want to add milk and sugar. I did not.*

Flavor notes included: bold dark chocolate with very earthy aspects (dark loam, compost, roasted/burned organic fibrous matter, very faint tree bark/rubber).  

I liked the appearance (color), texture and hearty, earthy aroma; and the fact that it was made with organic cacao from Haiti. However, the earthier flavor note(s) were too strong, and a bit off. I'm not sure it was due to the fermentation process or other/subsequent steps in product manufacturing.

Ingredients: (Haitian cacao)

Allergen-related information: (No information for this product.)

*Note: I sampled this chocolate (melted in hot water)--without adding milk or sugar, so I could really taste the cacao. These ingredients would have likely offset/helped balance the stronger cacao flavor(s).

Markham & Fitz - 75% Dark Chocolate Pisa, Haiti (bar) - Apr. 30, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Markham & Fitz Chocolate Makers
75% Dark Chocolate Pisa, Haiti (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's 75% Dark Chocolate PISA*, Haiti (bar) was from Markham & Fitz (Bentonville, Arkansas).

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark, chocolate-y; warm spice (cinnamon, five spice blend); and fruit (grape, raisin, citrus).

Texture: smooth, with a very slight astringency.

This relatively flavorful dark chocolate had an authentic, lightly acidic (raisin, citrus and spice), sweetness and complexity to it that I enjoyed tasting.

Maker's tasting notes: "Cinnamon raisin and brownie cover the palate swaying from side to side. Orange peel quickly spins, and dried fig follows up to dip you for a lingering finish."

Ingredients: Organic Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes dairy and nuts."

*Produits des Iles SA (PISA) works with 100s of cacao farmers in Haiti to produce high-end, fermented and dried cacao (beans) for specialty markets--and smaller-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Their facilities are centrally located for farmers (between five growing regions) in a relatively mountainous area. 

Honeymoon Chocolates - Coffee Dark Chocolate with Honey and Haiti Cacao (bar) - April 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
Coffee Dark Chocolate with Honey and Haiti Cacao
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolato, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Haiti (Caribbean) Theme Week.

Today's Coffee Dark Chocolate bar was from Honeymoon Chocolates (St. Louis, MO).  sweetened with raw honey.

The company practices ethical sourcing and transparency. This chocolate (Bar #76452) was a blend of ingredients sourced from around the globe, including Haitian Cacao, Raw Honey (Missouri), Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Coffee from Reconstruction Coffee Roasters, and Peruvian Cacao Butter.

Aroma notes included: light, well-balanced cacao, wildflower honey and coffee.

Texture: smooth, relatively light and creamy texture, with an even, unhurried melt.

Flavor notes included: cacao, honey and high-end coffee, with very faint (barely detectable) fruit and floral.

I enjoyed the well-balanced flavors and the use of honey. This bar landed squarely into the Goldilocks zone. It had rich, nuanced flavors, but wasn't overly bold. The smoothness (in part due to raw chocolate) allowed the nuanced semi-floral honey notes to shine through. It had subtle sophisticated and smooth flavors and was gentle and approachable. It had natural honey sweetness, without being too sweet (thank you). In short, it was just right.

Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, Raw Honey, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Coffee" 

Allergen-related information: "Free of Refined Sugar, Soy, Dairy, and Gluten"   

Ethereal Confections - Organic Haiti Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) - April 28, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ethereal Confections 
Organic Haiti Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ethereal Confections, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's Organic Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar) from Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL) was crafted using cacao from Haiti.

Aroma notes included: subtle, smooth dark chocolate, and very faint brown sugar and spice.

Texture smooth dark chocolate with a very slight astringency toward the finish.

Flavor notes: I enjoyed this well-executed bar with an appealing aroma and smooth dark chocolate flavor with brown sugar and faint raisin toast notes. This would be a good bar to add to a chocolate tasting flight, to show the flavors possible with just two ingredients.

Maker's tasting notes: Single origin dark chocolate with..."vanilla, brown sugar and raisins."

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans*, Cane Sugar* (* Organic Ingredient)

Allergen-related information: Made in shared equipment with peanuts and tree nuts. 

Zotter Chocolate - 72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) - April 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter Chocolate
72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars 
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: zotter, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's 72% Dark Chocolate Haiti (bar) was from Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Fort Myers, FL). The cacao used to make this chocolate was from PISA*.

Aroma notes included: balanced, complex, deep dark chocolate with subtle earth followed by fruit (tropical fruits: cacao, mangosteen and very faint passion fruit and mango). 

Texture: soft, smooth, rich, substantial with slow, thick creamy chocolate caramel-like melt.

Flavor notes included: a rich bouquet of well-integrated cacao flavors: true chocolate; with light tropical fruits and dried fruit (date, faint fig); and faint, smooth roasted cacao/coffee.

This well-executed chocolate was smooth, with cacao butter-y richness. I really enjoyed the subtle dark complexity--especially the fruit spectrum in the aroma and flavor.

Ingredients: Cocoa Mass**, Cane Sugar**, Cocoa Butter** (** = Organic (100%, Fair Traded (100%)

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured On Equipment That Processes Other Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Milk, Soy and Sesame."

*PISA works with many small cacao growers in Haiti to create high-quality cacao for specialty markets/ smaller-batch chocolate makers--such as Zotter. Almost all the Haiti chocolates featured this week have been made with PISA cacao.