Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Labooko Schokoladen - Peru 100 percent bar - May 9, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Labooko Schokoladen Manufaktur GmbH
100 percent bar
Good +
Weight: 1.148 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total package of two bars
Calories: 206 calories (per label) in 1/2 package (1 bar)
Cost: $9.00 for 1 package of two bars
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of 100% Cacao Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

What can we observe about today's 100 percent bar from Labooko Schokoladen (Riegersburg, Austria)? It comes from bean-to-bar chocolatemakers who have demonstrated skill and originality in the many different bars they've created.

The packaging is a bit scary. Some 100% cacao bars can be dark and foreboding, and tasting one for the first time can shock delicate tastebuds, like one's first shot of espresso might taste as a child. But then these robust flavors grow on you over time.

We also know that this package contained a matched set of two bars, crafted with organic, fairtrade cacao grown in Peru.
Tasting observations:
  • The aroma: ultra dark chocolate, dried fruit, slight green, wood, spice notes 
  • The texture: creamy melt
  • The flavor: even, ultra dark, balanced bitterness, roasted dried fruit, with a hint of roasted nut butter
  • The finish: lingering but surprisingly smooth
This might be the chocolate served at the devil's barbeque party. Not charred or smokey, but imbued with deep roasted flavor, forged by some skilled craftsmen, this chocolate, as the makers note "is not for wimps."

The cacao was conched for 34 hours (a long time by cacao conching standards) to arrive at its relative smoothness. And yet it retained enough "original, raw and wild" flavor characteristics to be interesting and not bland. It took experienced hands to make this work.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...