Zak's Chocolate - 70% Guatemalan Cacao bar - Sept. 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Zak's Chocolate
70% Guatemalan Cacao bar
Good +
Weight: .36 oz. (10 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 54 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $9.75 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zak's Chocolate, Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, where we're moving from cacao grown in Belize to beans from Guatemala.

Today's 70% Guatemalan Cacao bar was from Zak's Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ). Zak's Chocolate produces high-end, small batch, hand-crafted bars. (They also offer confections/truffles in their Scottsdale shop.)

If you visit the company's shop in Arizona, the owners strike you as mindful about every detail, from sourcing of cacao (beans) to beautiful packaging and design.

Today's bar was made with just three ingredients: organic cacao, organic sugar and organic cocoa butter (made/pressed in house).* The bar had a pleasant dark chocolate aroma; sweet, tart cherry, dried fruit fruit flavor (cherry, apricot) notes; and a slight bitter (think coffee) note/finish.

Tasting notes on packaging: Dried cherry/raisin notes

Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates - Belize tasting bits - Sept. 16, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates
Belize (bean-to-bar tasting bits)
Good - Good +
Weight: .36 oz. (10.2 g.) (estimate) for 5 bits/ 2.5 oz. (75 g.) in total Bean-to-Bar Tasting Kit
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 5 pieces
Cost: $N/A - gift from family (thank you David!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Belize chocolate was part of a (bean-to-bar made) single origin tasting kit from Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates (San Luis Obispo, CA).

The "Mostly Criollo" Tasting Kit contained cocoa bean-shaped bits from Belize, Bali, Bolivia, Peru and Uganda. (The company also offers "Mostly Trinitario," "Mostly Forastero" and "Mixed Selection" tasting kits with bits made from other origins.)

The idea of a tasting kit encourages customers to savor chocolate a bit more slowly. Allowing the bits to gradually melt in the mouth makes it easier to detect flavor notes. In this case, the notes printed on the package invited the taster to look for "blackberry" and "toast."

Mama Ganache is a family-run chocolate business. Chef Tom is behind several creations; and the business has had a focus on high-quality, ethically sourced, organic and direct trade chocolate for some time.