Friday, September 9, 2016

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.

Endorfin Chocolate - Ecuador Single Origin Dark 80 percent bar - Sept. 8, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Endorfin Chocolate
Ecuador Single Origin Dark Chocolate 80 percent cacao bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar (part of a 9-bar box for $45)
Purchased from: Endorfin Foods

Welcome to Day #4 of Ecuador Chocolate Theme Week. The countdown continues, as we approach (Sept. 11), the 10-year anniversary of Chocolate Banquet.

I'm happy to get "back to the essence of the bean" this week, with a series of dark chocolate bars crafted from Ecuadorian cacao.

Today's Ecuador Single Origin Dark Chocolate 80% cacao bar was from Endorfin Foods (Oakland, CA).

Made with "unroasted and ethically traded" cacao—without dairy, soy, gluten, GMO ingredients or refined sugar—this two ingredient bar was made with cacao and coconut sugar.

The Endorfin bar had an intriguing rich cocoa + fermented cacao + raisin fruit aroma and an even, dark flavor. This 80 percent cacao Ecuador bar was made from unroasted cacao. It had a pleasing, mild sweetness, and a lack of bitterness that some will find surprising for high percentage chocolate.
The bar also had a clean finish.





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