Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Potomac Chocolate - Upala Costa Rica 70% Dark + Nibs bar - July 31, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Potomac Chocolate
Upala Costa Rica 70% Dark + Nibs bar 
Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Costa Rica Theme Week.

Today's Upala Costa Rica 70% Dark + Nibs bar was made by Potomac Chocolate (Woodbridge, VA).

Ben Rasmussen (chocolate maker and owner, Potomac Chocolate) produces a line of hand-crafted single origin bars in a "small workshop" in Woodbridge, VA—a small town (or, more accurately, a census-designated place) about 20 miles south of Washington, D.C., surrounded by the Potomac and Occoquan Rivers. Rasmussen was one of the the first bean-to-bar chocolatemakers in the Wash., D.C. area.*

This Upala 70% bar with nibs was made from cacao grown on Finca La Amistad, a small farm in northern Costa Rica. The two-ingredient bar (organic cacao and organic sugar) had a pleasing rich, dark aroma with a hint of dried fruit; and deep, true chocolate and red fruit (dark cherry, plum) flavor notes. The cacao nibs added a slight earthiness and crunchy texture.

The maker's description of this bar (Batch 11610) read: "Rich and earthy with notes of chocolate, caramel, nut and red fruit."

*We're not counting chocolate that was made from scratch in colonial days (e.g. in Williamsburg, VA), because much of that chocolate was in beverage or rougher, confection-like form.


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