Chocolate(s) of the Day:Arete Fine Chocolate
Costa Esmeraldas 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 173 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CACamino Verde 75% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 173 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $0 for 1 bar (sample)
Purchased from: N/A - Arete, Milpitas, CA
Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of Chocolate Banquet (Sept. 11, 2016) and Day #7 of Ecuador Chocolate Theme Week.
Today, I'm featuring two single origin dark bars carefully hand-crafted from Ecuadorian cacao by David and Leslie Senk at Arete Fine Chocolate (Milpitas, CA). I first tasted Arete chocolate (and gianduia spread) at The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA).
Arete (pronounced ah-reh-'tay) stands for excellence and a life journey toward reaching life's potential, and the Senks are committed to living up to their company's name as they make high-quality single origin bars.
Whereas yesterday's Arete Ecuador bar (made with beans from Hacienda Victoria) was very flavorful with rich, tart dried fruit (plums, raisins) flavors with a hint of nuttiness, today's two bars each had their own aromas and flavors.
Both these Ecuador bars were well made, well tempered and had a clean finish with no "off" flavors.
Camino Verde has been a well-known source for cacao beans grown in Ecudor. I've tasted several single origin bars made by different makers, all using cacao beans from this same area. However, the end results are slightly different. Harvests may vary slightly. Or chocolate makers may sort beans and nibs differently, choose different roast times, or conching times.
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