Takal - Chocolate 70 percent Ecuador single origin bar - Sept. 9, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Takal
Chocolate 70 percent, Ecuador single origin bar
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 170 calories (per label) in 1oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Ecuador Chocolate Theme Week, as the countdown to Chocolate Banquet's 10-year anniversary (Sept. 11) continues.

There are many good Ecuador single origin cacao bars made in the Northern hemisphere. However, I'm always interested in sampling a bar from the same country where the beans were grown—in this case, a Takal 70 percent bar from Takal (Quito, Ecuador).

Today's Tokal Chocolate 70 percent bar was made with Arriba cacao from Vinces - Provincia Los Rios. And when I opened the packaging, a small treasure-style map inside showed me where the cacao was grown.

This bar contained three ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar and soy lecithin, but had a complex and interesting aroma and flavor notes: chocolate, caramel, fruit (raisin, crisp tart apple) and a slight nuttiness.