Sunday, October 22, 2017

L'Amourette Chocolat LLC - Trinitario Colombia Arauca 80% bar - Oct.

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette Chocolat LLC
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 258 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of a gift basket (thank you GTLA!)
Purchased from: N/A - was part of a gift basket

Bienvenidos (welcome) to the first day of South American Chocolate Weeks.

We're kicking off this series with a single origin Trinitario Colombia (Arauca*) 80% bar. Hats off to the chocolate maker (Andre V.) at L'Amourette Chocolat LLC (San Francisco, CA) for showcasing the complex flavors of these Colombian cocoa beans.

Today's bar was a very multi-layered chocolate. Almost every segment of the chocolate tasting wheel was represented in this 80% dark bar.

The first (aroma) impression was: dark chocolatey chocolate with citrus and light dried fruit (pear). The second impression: a dark chocolate aroma with hints of fresh almost floral green (green plants, green tea, fresh green fronds) and light spice. The tasting arc also included chocolatey, nutty and a faint hint of jungle funk earthiness.

The only "missing" artisanal flavor traits were red berries and coffee; but we haven't finished re-tasting this bar yet. Clearly chocolate tastes different, depending on what else you might be eating or drinking; however even adjusted for this factor, this was a relatively smooth blend of interesting elements, particularly for an 80% bar.

*The Province of Arauca shares a border with Venezuela, and the Arauca River is located on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The cacao beans for this bar may be a mix of Criollo and Trinitario and were grown on a small farm on the banks of the Arauca River. 


The Xocolate Bar - Extra Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao bar - Oct. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Xocolate Bar
Extra Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (oz. g.) /2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from friends (Thank you Norm and Rhoda!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (The Xocolate Bar, Berkeley, CA)

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

For the last few weeks we've explored many different chocolate bars that could be enjoyed during that hallowed and most frightening of chocolate holidays: Halloween. (Cue the sounds of thunder bolts and shrieks of laughter.)

Today we've ratcheted up the cacao percentage scale to the extra dark level; and we sampled a 90% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate bar from The Xocolate Bar (Berkeley, CA).

The organic, fair trade dark chocolate contained a touch of added cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin and vanilla; but otherwise was without other flavor inclusions.

For those who like dark chocolate, but who are a bit frightened of ultra-dark bars, this would be a good one to try. It had a creamy, buttery melt and texture and a very smooth, balanced flavor for a 90% Cacao bar. Not so scary after all.

May you all have a Happy Halloween next week. By then we'll be covering chocolate made from South American origins.





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...