Fruition Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar) - Aug. 31, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 320 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar), handmade by Fruition Chocolate (Shokan, NY), had a smooth, creamy melt and texture and offered a dreamy, uniform "Best of Bolivia" tasting experience, best savored slowly.

The bar had true chocolate, light fermented flavor with medium (sweet red fruit, rich red dried cherry and light tangerine) acidity. One bite did have a very faint, fleeting earth note. But, otherwise, the tasting experience was sophisticated, integrated and consistent...from aroma to finish. 

Normally I might prefer a more complex "flavor ride," but this Good Food Awards winner (2016) showed how impressive an excellent implementation can be. And all that with just two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar. Deceptively simple. Lovely and elegant.

I was so glad the maker went with a 74% cacao version of this Bolivian wild cacao bar (instead of the usual 70% cacao versions out there). I was wondering how a slightly darker version of this bright bar might taste; and it was great.

Chapon - Bolivie Tranquilidad 70% (small bar) - Aug. 30, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Chapon Chocolatier 
Bolivie Tranquilidad 70% (small bars)
Good ++
Weight: .352 oz. (10 g.) in 2 bars / 6.35 oz. (180 g.) in total assortment box
Calories: 55.4 calories in 2 small bars
Cost: $45.00 for 1 assortment box - 36 small bars 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week. 

Today's Bolivie (Bolivia) Tranquilidad 70% small bars were part of a single origin chocolate assortment box from Chapon Chocolatier (Chelles and Paris, France). These tiny individually-wrapped bars were attractively-packaged miniature works of art. (The Bolivia bars were adorned with a beautiful peacock.)

Cacao beans used to make this bar were from Hacienda Tranquilidad, in northern Bolivia, known for its historic and wild cacao.

This chocolate had a creamy smooth melt and a sweet, rich dark chocolate aroma and flavor with nutty and light fruit tart astringency and malt/cereal notes, and a very faint, very balanced earthiness. 

Ingredients: Pate de cacao (cocoa mass/liquor), cane sugar, cocoa butter.

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers - Sea Salt & Almond (Bolivia) bar - Aug. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers
Sea Salt and Almond (Bolivia) bar

Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week. 

Today's Sea Salt and Almond (Bolivia) bar was from Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers (Bentonville, AK).

This chocolate had a pleasing rich, dark chocolate aroma with faint savory (nut and salt) notes. The texture was a blend of smooth, well-tempered dark chocolate and crunchy, toasted almond bits (on the back side of the bar).

The 60 percent chocolate, made with cacao from Alto Beni, Bolivia, had light fermented notes and faint fruit, accented with just the right amount of salt (flakes). I experienced a very fleeting hint of pleasant, licorice spice in the finish with the first bite of this bar, but it was absent in subsequent bites. 

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, almonds, organic cocoa butter, salt flakes.

Arete Fine Chocolate - Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Arete Fine Chocolate
Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 173 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Arete Fine Chocolate

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by David Senk and Leslie Senk at Arete Fine Chocolate (formerly located in Milpitas, CA, and now in Spencer, TN). 

Beniano cacao (formerly also referred to as Amazonian Forastero) has been called the Nacional/national cacao of Bolivia, and is often associated with wild cacao with fine flavors. It is a bit more resistant (than delicate heritage varieties) to diseases like "Witches Broom" but still yields complex fine, nuanced flavors, making it desirable for small batch, artisan chocolate makers who can highlight and feature these qualities.

This chocolate had a delicious, well-balanced complexity with chocolate, spice, faint green (green tea, sweet young green peas/shoots, or steamed celery hearts with sweet greens), cereal/malt and dried sweet fruit (plum/prune) notes. All this from just two ingredients.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans (Bolivia Beniano), organic cane sugar.

Nuance Chocolate - Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 70% (bar) - Aug. 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate
Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 (harvest) 70% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Single Origin Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 (harvest) 70% (bar) was from Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

Maker's notes read as follows: "A rare criollo/trinitario cacao from the Plurinational State of Bolivia. An extremely creamy mouthfeel, with a complex, but subtle profile. Initial savory layers quickly evolve into fruitier notes, before finishing with hints of dry oak."

My tasting notes: This bar had a bold, complex and shifting, aroma and flavor profile, including bitter and sweet, fermented fruit, cream, faint spice/molasses and fleeting loamy earth and mineral highlights. For those who enjoy an interesting flavor profile, you might appreciate this one.

Working for these Bolivia Alto Beni cacao beans may have required extra skill. Roasting profiles and conching times and overall balance would have been key, especially with this cacao, to maintain the complexity and balance. This was not a flat, dense dark Forastero (cacao variety) boldness where one roast profile might do, but rather a shifting blend of subtle Criollo and Trinitario, that yielded a wide flavor range. And the wider the range, the more interesting opportunities (and decisions) one may have as a chocolate maker. And the more exacting one must be when making the chocolate.

Too much roasting and/or conching and subtle fruit and cream (or any more delicate green or floral notes that would have been present) would be lost. Not enough and a loamy earth and/or latex/rubber note might not be brought into mellowed balance.

The texture and finish were smooth with a mild astringency.

Ingredients:  Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter. 

Solstice Chocolate - 70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar) - Aug. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Solstice Chocolate
70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's 70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar) was from Solstice Chocolate (Salt Lake City, UT).

Today's bar had a soft, almost velvety melt and texture, in part due to added to just the right amount of cocoa butter--enough to create a great creamy, nutty texture, but not enough to dull bright, sweet red fruit (dried red cherries with sugar/honey) and true chocolate notes, with a hint of cream and very faint malt.

This is one of the best implementation of Bolivian cacao I've tried yet. The cacao beans used to make this bar were from Palos Blancos, a "wild harvest cacao from the damp, rainy Beniano region (of Bolivia). This climate results in a cacao bean that produces a deep, rich chocolate with subtle notes of nuts, honey and fresh cream."

Ingredients: Organic cacao bean, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.  

Tabal Chocolate - Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar) - Aug. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tabal Chocolate

Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Bolivia and Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar) from Tabal Chocolate (Wauwatosa, WI) had a pleasing bold, smooth chocolatey flavor with sweet, fruit-like brightness, and faint, fleeting nutty flavor at the beginning.

I compared today's 70% cacao Bolivia bar with yesterday's 58% cacao Bolivia sibling, also from Tabal Chocolate. Yesterday, I wondered how much of the bright, fruity flavor from the 58% bar was due to the relatively high sugar content. But, after tasting today's darker version--that had had some of the same bright flavor--it was clear that brightness was from the cacao itself.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean.

Tabal Chocolate - Bolivia 58% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tabal Chocolate
Bolivia 58% Cacao (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 390 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Organic Bolivia 58% Cacao (bar) was made bean to bear with stoneground cacao by Tabal Chocolate  (Wauwatosa, WI).

This chocolate had a sweet, dark chocolate aroma (with very faint bright fruit and spice notes) and a smooth, stoneground* texture. It was hard to tell whether the "brightness" in this thick, sweet (58% cacao) chocolate bar was due to fruit notes or sugar, or both. There was a pleasant, chocolate cake like taste, encouraged by a faint hint of vanilla in addition to a relatively high sugar level.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean.

*Stoneground cacao often has a rustic, thick, almost grainy texture. But, the stoneground process (using a granite/stone wheel or mortar) may also help to maintain cacao flavors--as the smaller the cacao bean particles become (as they are ground into a smooth paste in chocolate-making), the more particle surfaces are exposed to air and oxidation (and potential flavor loss). Grinding cacao longer may offer smoother texture, but more delicate (e.g. floral) notes may attenuate with longer grinding times. Today's stoneground chocolate was slightly thicker in texture, but still smooth (i.e. not rough or coarse), in part due to added cocoa butter. 

Crow and Moss - Bolivian Rose Salt 67% (bar) - Aug. 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Crow and Moss
Bolivian Rose Salt 67% (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 185 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $8.75 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Bolivian Rose Salt Chocolate 67% bar was from Crow and Moss Chocolate (Petoskey, MI). The firm specializes in hand-crafted bean-to-bar chocolate bars. 

This bar was made from Colombian Aruaca cacao beans and Bolivian Rose Salt from the Andes, and the chocolate had an aroma with dried fruit (nectarines, peaches) and pleasant sweet notes.

Last week's Ghana and Ivory Coast bars were full of bold, deep dark Forastero and Forastino cacao flavors. Today marked a change to lighter and brighter chocolates. 

This bar had a flavor with mild stone fruit; fleeting cream/faint fermented milk notes; a light array of savory salt sparkles (with a fleeting pepper note as well); and a relatively subtle finish. The sweetness was nicely balanced with the salt.

Ingredients: Cacao blend, Bolivian rose salt, organic cane sugar.

Domori - Chacao Organic Milk Chocolate 42% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori 
(Chacao line)
Cioccolato Al Latte Bio 
Organic Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 295.5 calories in 1 bar; 147.75 cals. in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Cioccolato Al Latte Bio (Organic Milk Chocolate) Ivory Coast bar was from Domori (None, Torino, Italy). 

This bean-to-bar, organic dark milk 42% bar was made from "Forastino" cacao, a complex and interesting variation on popular Forastero cacao beans, grown in Cote de Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

The dark milk chocolate had an aroma with slight green, followed by nut, caramel and warm spice and floral honey notes.

This bar's complex dark milk chocolate flavor included caramel and nut notes, and a lingering sweet finish. The sweetness was balanced by a muffled undercurrent of dark chocolate bitterness.

Ingredients: organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic milk powder, organic cocoa mass, emulsifier (soy lecithin).

Domori - Chacao Organic Dark Chocolate 85% bar - Aug. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori srl
(Chacao line)
Cioccolato Fondente Bio 85%
(Organic Dark Chocolate 85% (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Cioccolato Fondente Bio 85% (Organic Dark Chocolate 85%) bar was from Domori (None, Torino (Turin), Italy).

Note: Please take your time with this bar. It will be worth it.

The aroma of this bar had bold dark chocolate with sweet spice, green, wax and coconut notes and a very faint bitterness. This chocolate had a relatively complex aroma that shifted a bit over time.

The melt and texture were relatively smooth with a balanced and relatively soft astringency and bitterness for an 85 percent made using (what I thought was a) bold Forastero* cacao grown in Cote de Ivoire (Ivory Coast). 

The flavor was bold and dark and not too sweet (thank you!). There were also balanced roasted and earth notes that unfolded during the tasting process. It was as if there were two different roasts (dark and light) that had been blended--to great effect. (There were some borderline charcoal-leaning notes in the flavor and yet some green in the aroma.) 

The roast profile chose may not have worked with a Criollo or even a Trinitario variety of cacao, but whatever it was it worked with today's with a bolder, darker (yet complex) cacao variety.*

The finish was lingering with an interesting expansive quality to it that was not quite bitter or sour, but similar to a nice, round, ripe, sweet grapefruit. It was not unpleasant and a little fascinating. It was as if, after a walk down a relatively dark corridor, someone opened a door in the ceiling and some interesting light was revealed. Perhaps this was true metaphorically as well as literally.

Having tasted many bold, densely dark Forastero* cacao bars before, this was one of the most fascinating ones. Savor this slowly, and you might appreciate the often unappreciated profundity of this cacao variety--thanks for the skill applied by the chocolate makers (and likely the in-country suppliers/growers as well). 

It was not flitty and fruity; but it had quite a bit to say if you slowed down and listened. (Moments later after I thought the finish had tailed off, there was a belated nutty (peanut butter) note. This bar never ceased to amaze.) All this with just two ingredients.**

This chocolate belongs in a tasting flight, to help illustrate what this cacao variety (and origin) are all about.

Maker's tasting notes: "A strong chocolate in which notes of ripe fruit stand out, supported by a dominant note of cocoa."

*Thank you to Chocosphere.com, a U.S. distributor for Domori. They provided more information on the cacao in this bar. The cacao variety used was organic "Forestino," from the Scay Cooperative in Cote de Ivoire. This Forestino cacao "...selected by Domori for this project comes from...the area between the villages of Toumodi, Oulaidon, Taabo and Liebe, not far from the seashore. Most of the plantations in this area are smaller and grow the Forestino (or French) cacao variety created in the early 20th century as a hybrid of the Brazilian Amelonado and the Guaiana from French Guaiana. Some plantations even preserve and harvest traces of pure Guaiana varieties." 

**Ingredients: Organic Cocoa mass, organic cane sugar

Wm. Chocolate - Ghana 75% Dark bar - Aug. 20, 2020

 Chocolate of the Day

Wm. Chocolate
Ghana 75% Chocolate bar 
Good ++ - +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 310 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Ghana 75% Dark bar was made by Will Marx, founder and chocolate maker at Wm. Chocolate (Madison, WI).

The cocoa beans used to craft this bar came from the ABOCFA cooperative in Ghana. 

The bar broke with a snap, and had an aroma of rich, dark chocolate sauce with a light dash of cinnamon spice. It had a thick, creamy (almost finely ground, smooth nut butter) texture. 

The flavor vibrated with true chocolate (fresh baked brownie) with a faint cereal/malt note; and it had seamless, balanced fruit acidity (light cherry and very light sweet citrus). The roast selected seemed optimal: not too green, not over-roasted. The finish was a lighter version of this true chocolate. The chocolate was sweet, but not overly so (thank you).|

Maker's tasting notes: "chocolate pudding, malt, peanut butter."

"Smooth, full-bodied dark chocolate with moderate sweetness and little bitterness. Heavy roast for extra intensity."

Ingredients: cocoa beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.

Domori - Land Costa d'Avorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar) - Aug. 19, 2020

 Chocolate of the Day

Domori S.p.A.
Land Costa d'Avorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar)
Good 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Land Costa d'Ivorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar) was from Domori S.p.A. (None, Torino (Turin), Italy).

West African Cacao Power

Ivory Coast--the top cacao producing country in the world--supplies almost 1/3 of the world's cacao. Yes, one rarely sees "Ivory Coast" identified as the source of cacao on chocolate bar packaging. Not that often. I was happy to find three Ivory Coast bars this week.

It's easier to find chocolate made with cacao grown in Ghana (World's #2 cacao supplier). Together these two West African countries produce approximately half of the world's cacao. 

Today's organic, Ivory Coast 70 percent dark bittersweet bar had a rich dark chocolate with a trace of bitterness and a faint spice/molasses note. The melt and texture of this bar was smooth. 

The flavor was powerful with heavy roast (light singed toast*) notes with a medium, lingering acidity (acidic, concentrated/dried plums, citrus). A thinner bar made flavors more accessible.

Maker's tasting notes for this two-ingredient chocolate (70% cocoa mass, cane sugar) read as follows: "Cacao harvested in the area between the villages of Oulaidon and Lilebe" (in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, aka Ivory Coast). "Dominant note of cocoa, accompanied by coconut, hazelnut, bread crust and spices."

*Note: Heavy fires burning in California this week have resulted in smoke wafting across five counties including where I live. These conditions can affect taste and smell. I try to consider ambient conditions when tasting, and today was one time where a "clean" tasting environment was not possible. The faint heavy roasted, burned or singed/charcoal notes I mentioned above could have been amplified by "real" smoke.

Divine Chocolate - Dark Chocolate 85% (bar) and White Chocolate with Strawberries (bar) - Aug. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Divine Chocolate Inc.
Exquisitely Rich Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 255 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Divine Chocolate Inc.
White Chocolate with Strawberries (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week. 

Today's 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate with Strawberries (bars) were made in Germany and distributed by Divine Chocolate Inc. (Washington, D.C.).

The company is partly owned (44%) by cacao farmers--who also share in the profits--and has focused on fair trade practices. They offer a variety of bars, many with flavor inclusions.

Today's two Divine chocolate bars were both swaddled in shiny foil wrappers and had outer wrappers adorned with West African traditional Adrinka symbols.* And both contained cacao from Ghanaian farmers. But, the similarities ended there. 

Dark Chocolate 85% (Ghana)

This ultra-dark bar had an aroma with bold, dense dark chocolate, slightly bitter roasted cereal grain, and faint brown sugar spice notes.

Biting into this ebony-colored bar revealed a very creamy, smooth nut-butter like melt and mouthfeel (think finely ground, very creamy peanut butter). A generous amount of cocoa butter helped coat and tame any bitter flavor notes. The slightly muted, bitter dark chocolate was fairly uniform (in texture and flavor) throughout the tasting experience.

White Chocolate with Strawberries

The first two ingredients in this bar: sugar, followed by cocoa butter. (No cocoa solids that give the dark brown color to chocolate.) Happily, this white chocolate confection of a bar was made with real cocoa butter (and not cheaper oil substitutes as is often the case in the industry).

Whereas the first 85% cocoa bar was densely dark--almost austere--with very little sugar, this white chocolate bar was downright effervescent: ivory embedded with dark pink bits. It smelled and tasted like vanilla and strawberry cake or, perhaps more accurately, like the thick layer of thick, buttercream vanilla and strawberry frosting that might top such a cake.

The sweet "cake" finish lingered a bit after the last bite. While some may find today's first Divine 85 percent bar too severe and may delight in this white confection of a second bar, the latter was too sweet for me. Or, perhaps it was just too much of a contrast between the two bars.

*West African Adrinka symbols are pictorial representations of conceptualized objects. For example, the symbol known as a reconciliation knot symbolizes reconciliation, peace and harmony; and an Adrinka fern symbol stands for endurance, perseverance and peaceful coexistence. For more information about Adrinka symbols, go to www.divinechocolate.com/adrinkas.

Chocolat Pralus - 75% Ghana squares - Aug. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Pralus Chocolatier
Ghana 75% squares
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) in 3 squares
Calories: 80 calories (estimate) in 3 squares
Cost: $3.00 for 3 squares ($1.00 each)
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Ghana 75% individually-wrapped squares were from Chocolat Pralus (Pralus Chocolatier) in France.

Francois Pralus is the son of the original founder, Auguste Pralus, and has expanded the company's bean-to-bar and single origin chocolate offerings over the past few decades. (For example he opened a cocoa bean plantation and processing facility in Madagascar in 2000.)

These squares had an aroma with dark chocolate, spice, fruit, and very faint, fleeting molasses/brown sugar notes, and a creamy melt and mouthfeel with a subsequent very light astringency. 

Flavor notes included deep chocolate (fudge, dark brownie, fruit (light cherry) sweetness) and a soft dark chocolate finish.

Ingredients: Cacao beans from Ghana, sugar, pure cocoa butter, GMO free soy(a) lecithin.

Vosges - Matcha 72% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 16, 2020

 Chocolate of the Day

Vosges IP, LLC
Matcha 72% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 420 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: VosgesChocolate.com, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week, and Day #4 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week. 

Today's Matcha 72% Cacao dark bar from Vosges IP, LLC (Chicago, IL) had a dark chocolate aroma with tea tannin (balanced bitterness) and green tea notes. 

The base chocolate mouthfeel and melt was thick and creamy. Relatively finely ground crunchy dark nibs embedded in the chocolate added some crunch and textural contrast.

A dark relatively bold, slightly bitter dark flavor (think forastero variety of cacao with green elements) was deepened with the Ghana-grown cacao nibs. Woven throughout the chocolate were more subtle green (chloropyll and mint) notes as well.

This Matcha bar was flavorful, without being too sweet (thank you!). 

Ingredients: Bittersweet chocolate (unsweetened chocolate*, sugar*, cocoa butter*, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor, cacao nibs, matcha green tea, spiralina powder. (*connotes Fair Trade certified.)

Nuance Chocolate Company - Roasted Ghana Nibs 100% Pure Cacao - Aug. 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate Company
Roasted Ghana Nibs 100% Pure Cacao
Good +|
Weight: 1 TB serving; 8 oz. (225 g.) total package
Calories: 70 calories (estimate) for 1 TB serving
Cost: $?.?? for 1 package of cacao nibs
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week, and Day #3 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Roasted Ghana Nibs had a faint fermented note in the aroma at the beginning, followed by pleasing roasted brownie notes.

The roasted brownie notes carried over from the aroma into the flavor. These chocolate-y cacao nibs had a nicely balanced bitterness, and a very light fibrous chew. There were no "off" notes.

 

Nuance Chocolate Company - Ghana and Nibs 70% Pure Dark (bar) - Aug. 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate Company 
Ghana and Nibs 70 percent Pure Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 291 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week, and Day #2 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Chocolate Theme Week.

Together, West African cacao from Ghana and Ivory Coast dominate the world's cacao supply chain in terms of volume. Perhaps half of all chocolates being sold might fit into this theme week, but most chocolates (often blends) do not disclose the country(ies) of origin for cacao.

Today's Ghana and Nibs 70% Pure Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Nuance Chocolate Company (Fort Collins, CO). There aroma was subtle, but with rich, pure dark chocolate notes.

The Ghana Forastero cacao used to make this 70% cacao bar, combined with the maker's skills and a little sugar, yielded deep chocolatey (fudge brownie) and cherry flavor notes, with a faint hint of white grape, roasted nuts (subtle walnut, pine nut), and a very mild, balanced bitterness (think very subtle roasted coffee).

Black Forest Cake and cherry nut brownies came to mind--although this dark chocolate bar had more concentrated dark creamy and crunchy cacao flavor, and less sugar. I'll take that any day. (Although a flourless cake or brownies (with very little or no added sugar) made with this chocolate would likely make a very fine dessert.)

Ingredients: cocoa, cane sugar, cocoa butter. ("All nature and GMO-free").

Nuance Chocolate Company - Milk and Nibs 45% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate Company
Milk and Nibs 45% Cacao Nibs (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate Company, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week, and Day #1 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Why are Ghana nibs used so often as an inclusion in chocolate items? A key reason: they are known for true chocolate brownie and nut flavor notes that pair well with almost everything, 

This Milk and Nibs 45% Cacao Nibs bar from Nuance Chocolate Company (Fort Collins, CO) had a subtle, rich chocolate aroma, a creamy melt that was accented by a smattering of crunchy, nutty nibs--pieces of Forastero cacao beans grown in Ghana. 

This milky, sweet bar with a touch of vanilla* had a high-end, dark milk chocolate flavor and finish. The nibs helped balance out the sweetness level.

*Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, whole milk solids, cocoa butte,r sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans.

Volo Chocolate - Cacao Nibs (PISA, Haiti) - Aug. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Volo Chocolate
Cacao Nibs - Source: PISA, Haiti
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total package
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving
Cost: $10.00 for 1 package
Purchased from: Volo Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Nibs were from Volo Chocolate (Windsor, CA). The company's two (married) chefs, Jeff and Susan Mall, have discerning palettes and hand craft, bean-to-bar chocolate bars, most with flavor inclusions. They also offered these Cacao Nibs from Haiti.

These nibs had a slight fermented (wine) aroma with deep cocoa and nut notes. (The fermented note was not noticeable when eating the nibs.)

The texture had a crunchy, roasted nut-like quality bite, followed by smooth and rich, accessible cacao chew and flavor. The flavor was consistent, with no off notes. There was also delicate, fleeting faint green-floral and marshmallow notes.

Overall, these nibs had a well-balanced, attractive cacao flavor. (I'd be happy eating these nibs a la carte. However, I'll likely try blending them with a light orange or nut infused spirit or liqueur, and various other sweet and savory dishes and bars.)

Ingredients: Source: PISA (Produits Des Iles SA) is a cocoa processor and exporter located in northern Haiti.

Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. - 67% Cacao Nibs Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co.
67% Cacao Nibs Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 400 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA  

Welcome to Day #8 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week. 

Today's 67% Cacao Nibs Chocolate (bar) was from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. (Nashville, TN). 

The company, founded in 2007, describes itself as Tennessee's "first and only bean-to-bar company." The three makers (including owner Scott Witherow) turn out popular confections and small batches of bean-to-bar chocolate(s).

They slow-roast and stonegrind "select single origin beans" that are combined with pure brown sugar for a smooth and robust flavor unique to "Southern Artisan Chocolate (tm)."

Today's Cacao Nibs bar had a true chocolate aroma with faint roasted coffee and even fainter caramel notes.

The base chocolate was smooth and relatively creamy and was complemented by a crunchy constellation of roasted cacao nibs on the back side.

True chocolate flavor was amplified by chocolatey nibs. There were very faint roasted-umami and nutty notes, a rich brown sugar sweetness, and a medium acidity. (The cacao source was the Dominican Republic.)

This was a nicely executed chocolate with well-balanced flavor. And even though this was a 67 percent cacao bar (i.e. lower than 70 percent), and contained a rich-flavored sugar* it was not too sweet (thank you!).

*Ingredients: Cacao beans, brown sugar, roasted cacao nibs

Ancestral Roots - Organic Cacao Nibs - Aug. 10, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Ancestral Roots

Organic Cacao Nibs

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total package

Calories: 130 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving

Cost: $7.99 (estimate) for 1 package

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Ancestral Roots Organic Cacao Nibs were distributed by OMG! Food Company LLC (Los Angeles, CA).

These unroasted, unsweetened* cacao bean pieces had rich cacao (faint brownie), clean and clear (fresh) green and fermented aroma notes. 

Unroasted (and "raw"), but lightly fermented and dried, cocoa nibs are the least processed form of chocolate most people will have the opportunity to sample. (Cacao beans (actually seeds) plucked out of freshly harvested cacao fruit/pulp contain more tannins and are relatively bitter. Fermentation and drying breaks down tannins, making the cacao beans more edible.)

Fermentation...how and why it matters

Fermentation happens naturally with most fruits. And cacao beans are seeds from cacao fruits. One reason why you don't see fresh cacao fruit (pods) in local markets (unless you live in Hawaii or a country located near the Equator) is that cacao fruit starts to ferment very quickly after it's harvested--resulting in a short shelf life.

Fermentation temperatures for raw cacao are controlled to help preserve nutritional content and more delicate cacao flavors (e.g. floral notes) that may be lost with higher heat. (Antioxidant levels can drop more than 40 percent with high temperatures associated with fermentation and roasting in the chocolate-making process.)

Back to the nibs

Back to the nibs...Today's cacao nibs had an unroasted green freshness, and a resilient, crunchy, uniform texture and nice clean "bite," indicative of quality beans, careful drying and humidity control, and good storage and sorting.

The flavor included even, clean/clear lightly fermented, green cacao notes. There were no off notes. (Off notes can occur if beans aren't carefully sorted and an inferior bean piece slips through before/as nibs are created.) The finish was clean, clear and subtle as well.

Cacao Nibs and food and dessert pairing considerations

Roasted nibs tend to have a richer, roasted flavor, but unroasted cacao nibs have their own charm. When I think of roasted nibs, I think of red wines, fall and winter, and grilled items. When I think of unroasted/raw nibs, I think of white wines, spring greens and summer fruits. It's similar to espresso and coffee, where roasting conjures up different flavors.

I enjoy roasted cacao nibs over conventional baked brownies with bolder flavor (and roasted nibs soaked in whiskey over vanilla ice cream). Unroasted nibs might be better with a light spring salad accented with flowers and fresh green pea shoots and a glass of chilled white wine grape juice; or a light vanilla cream/custard topped with fresh peach and strawberry. 

Either way, cacao nibs offer a lot of flavor with no added sugar, all with just one ingredient.

*Ingredients: "Certified Organic Cacao Nibs (Theobroma cacao)." 

Laboratorio Artigianale - Raw Organic Chocolate - Pink Himalayan Salt and Cacao Nibs (bar) - Aug. 9, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo S.r.l. 
Raw Organic, Artisan Chocolate
Pink Himalayan Salt and Cacao Nibs (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Raw Organic Chocolate Pink Himalayan Salt and Cacao Nibs bar was made in Italy by Cacao Crudo S.r.l.* (Roma (Rome), Italy) and imported to the U.S. by Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods (Seattle, WA).

This 75% cocoa raw chocolate bar was made using ground Criollo cacao, a heritage variety of cacao famous for its delicate, varied flavors (with notes of stone fruits like peach, fresh plum, and caramel, cream). True to its description, this bar had a friendly dark chocolate aroma and a subtle complexity with light green and light concentrated/fermented fruit-floral notes (Ecuador Arriba cacao like but with something more).

 Criollo cacao manages to be at once light and delicate and rich and complex. And not roasting these Criollo beans helped to preserve some of these more delicate flavors.

The sweet (concentrated coconut flower sap) and salt (Himalayan pink rose salt) flavors were nicely balanced and restrained, allowing the natural Criollo cacao flavors to shine through. (There were only 5 grams of total sugars in 1/2 bar.) The use of Criollo cacao nibs (that added bits of texture) and Criollo cocoa butter** helped reinforce this flavor profile.

*Prodotto In Laboratorio Artigianale; Lavorato A Freddo in Tutte Le Fasi

** Cocoa beans are about half fat, and can be separated into ivory colored cocoa fat (aka cocoa butter) and darker cocoa solids. Some cocoa beans are "leaner" than others, and may benefit from added fat to give it a creamier mouthfeel and melt. In fact, many makers do add cocoa butter for creamier texture (and occasionally to muffle stronger, rougher flavor elements). But if they have a small bean batch size, they may need to obtain additional cocoa butter from a another source.

Cocoa butter has a milder flavor profile than the darker cocoa solids, but it can influence the overall taste (and texture) of finished chocolate--which is one reason why cocoa butter sourcing and processing also matters. 

Some intrepid makers press their own cocoa butter from the same batch of cocoa beans used for cocoa solids/mass to ensure they have a uniform, undiluted single origin flavor profile. And when you have really great cocoa beans, great cocoa butter enhances the goodness.

Ingredients: Organic unroasted cacao Criollo beans paste, organic concentrated coconut flower sap, organic cacao Criollo butter from not roasted beans, organic not roasted cacao Criollo nibs (5%), Himalayan rose pink salt (1.5%).

K+M Extravirgin Chocolate - Milk Chocolate Cocoa Nibs (bar) - Aug. 8, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

K+M Extravirgin Chocolate

(Thomas Keller + Armando Manni)

Milk Chocolate Cocoa Nibs (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 200 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

K+M Extravirgin Chocolate's Milk Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs (bar)--a collaboration between Chef Thomas Keller and olive oil expert and supplier, Armando Manni--was made in Napa, CA.

Today's milk chocolate bar (no cacao percentage listed) had a subtle aroma and a rich, luxuriously smooth and creamy texture (from extra virgin olive oil and whole milk*), accented by a soft crunchy texture from a field of relatively finely ground cocoa nibs. 

The small amount of olive oil replaced some of the cocoa butter, and contributed a silkiness and softness to the texture.

The flavors were more pronounced than the faint aroma would indicate. Clear dairy milk, rich sweet chocolate and ample caramel notes lingered into the finish.

This bar was well balanced and confection-level sweet; however, the quality of the chocolate, milk and olive oil were high enough to save it from sugar purgatory.

*Ingredients: cocoa beans, RBST-free whole milk powder, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic Manni extra virgin olive oil (Tuscany, Italy), cocoa nibs, organic soy lecithin.

Solstice Chocolate - 70% Wasatch Blend with Sweet Nibs (bar) - Aug. 7, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Solstice Chocolate

70% Wasatch Blend with Sweet Nibs (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar

Calories: 190 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Solstice Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's 70% Wasatch* Blend with Sweet Nibs (bar) was made by bean-to-bar maker, Solstice Chocolate (Salt Lake City, UT).

This uniform, sweet-tasting 70% dark bar (with notes of chocolate and nuts) was adorned with a sprinkle of sweetened cacao nibs that added crunchy texture.

*Wasatch is a Ute Indian word that refers to a low pass in a high mountain area. The Wasatch (Mountain) Range is part of the southeastern Rocky Mountains and extends from Idaho into Utah, not that far from where Solstice Chocolate is based.

Solstice Chocolate - Cacao Bean Sweet Nibs - Aug. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Solstice Chocolate 

Cacao Bean Sweet Nibs

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total package

Calories: 165 calories in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) serving

Cost: $8.00 for 1 package 

Purchased from: Solstice Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Cocoa Nibs Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Bean Sweet Nibs were from bean-to-bar makers, Solstice Chocolate (Salt Lake City).

These sweetened bits of cacao bean had an aroma of sweet brownies, fresh out of the oven with a hint of sweet tobacco and vanilla, and a crunchy, nutty texture.

The nibs had an initial sweetness that gently faded into true chocolate, bolder, deeper flavor, then into a very mild, balanced bitter note. It was a nice progression, and a tasting curve I wouldn't expect with a more homogenized, finished bar. (Well executed layers of flavor are good.) Unlike finished chocolate, the sugar is located more on the outside surfaces of nib pieces, so you get to taste both sweetened and unsweetened parts of the bean when you chew on them.

There was no "off" taste to any of today's nibs--which spoke to the quality of the cacao beans, and to careful sorting and removal of any less desirable pieces in a shipment. Judging from the quality, these nibs likely would have been good either with or without sweetener. The lack of a mention of an origin also gave/gives the maker some flexibility to pick the best blend or batch of beans for this product over time.

Sugar and Nibs: To Sweeten or Not to Sweeten?

Occasionally, I'll get the question: "If cacao nibs are so great, why add sugar to them? The answer to this question often lies in a Goldilocks chocolate balance zone (not too much, and not too little), and/or is a matter of personal preference. It also depends on the quality of the cacao.

In a finished chocolate bar (where beans/nibs are ground into fine particles with sugar), too much sugar can mask or overpower certain cacao flavors. However, just the right amount of sugar can help brighten or even highlight certain fruit and other notes in a chocolate bar. 

The amount of sugar in today's sweetened nibs was akin to a high-quality 70% cacao bar made with just three ingredients.* (It must be remembered that finished chocolate bars may also contain added cocoa butter to make the chocolate smoother or creamier. Fat is part of flavor too. Cacao beans/nibs may naturally contain 45-50%, fat content, before any extra cocoa butter is added.) 

Unsweetened cacao nib flavor can be more like a 100% (unsweetened) chocolate bar, and is sometimes better, as quality for a "naked" item is demanded. There is no cocoa butter to hide behind. 

Today's high-quality nibs managed to land in the Goldilocks zone. This offering embodied some advantages of both unsweetened and sweetened. Now it's just up to you to decide whether you might prefer sweet or savory/nutty, as nibs can rock either way. 

*Ingredients: Organic cacao bean, cane sugar, vanilla.

Venchi - GranBlend Montezuma 75% with nibs (squares) - Aug. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Venchi 

GranBlend Montezuma 75% with nibs 

Good ++

Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) for 2 squares (.265 oz. (7.5 g.) in 1 square)

Calories: 79.5 calories (estimate) in 2 squares

Cost: $2.40 for 2 squares ($1.20 for each)

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week.

Today's GranBlend Montezuma 75% with nibs (squares) were from Venchi S.p.A. (Castelletto Stura, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy).

These two small, thin chocolate squares had flavor to savor. Cocoa nibs contain more unprocessed cacao bean flavor. And eating these chocolates with nibs more slowly yielded a more interesting tasting experience.

Together, the two squares had aroma and flavor notes that included balanced chocolate nut brownie, earth, light leather. The second one had more faint sweet fruit and green notes. Cocoa nibs added a soft crunchy texture in both cases (slightly softer and nuttier in the first square). Some of the very subtle flavor differences between the two came from the nibs. (Different batches of beans/nibs or origins perhaps.) 

How does one handle "unpredictable" nibs?

Both of today's squares with nibs were good with no "off" flavors. But, all it takes is one funky piece of coca bean (nib) to throw flavors off. Most artisan chocolate makers sort their beans and nibs very carefully to avoid this. 

The other strategy, employed by many high-volume chocolate producers is to increase processing and homogenize batches of cocoa nibs/beans so thoroughly (and grind/conche them for so long--sometimes many days) that any "off" flavors will be greatly reduced or attenuated, even if some desirable or more delicate flavors disappear as well. This leads to a consistent, more predicable flavor over time, but one that can be much less exciting, and one where subtle varietal, harvest and origin flavors can be lost.

Slitti - GranCacao 70% Ecuador Arriba con granella di cacao (nibs) - Aug. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Slitti

GranCacao 70% Ecuador Arriba con Granella di Cacao (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 288.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.75 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Cacao Nibs Theme Week, where pieces of cocoa bean (nibs) grace the presence of chocolate bars and confections.

Today's GranCacao 70% Ecuador Arriba con granella di cacao (grains of cocoa (bean), aka cocoa nibs bar) was from Slitti Cacao Pregiati (Tuscany, Italy).

This chocolate bar had an aroma and flavor with green, coconut, bright tropical fruit (pineapple), light spice, fermented dairy (yogurt) and dark chocolate nut brownie notes. Every third or fourth bite, I could detect a small soft crunchy cocoa nibs or two or three--adding some, slightly nutty, essence of cocoa bean flavor and texture.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass (Ecuador), sugar, cocoa powder, grains of cocoa (aka cocoa nibs) (2%).

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao (Ecuador) bar - Aug. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate 

Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao from Ecuador (bar)

Good+

Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar

Calories: 264 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $6.69 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Arriba - 71% Arriba Cacao from Ecuador bar was from Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

This raw, organic, and vegan chocolate was sweetened with coconut palm sugar instead of "white" cane sugar. The overall bar had pleasant, sweet-tasting, balanced flavor profile.

The chocolate had light, warm brown (coconut) sugar-spice, sweet green floral, and chocolate aroma notes.

Ecuadorian cacao beans were not roasted but rather were stoneground in Helsinki and crafted into bars there--before some were shipped back to the Americas near where I live. Like many cacao and chocolate global supply chains, they can include several countries and more than two continents.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic coconut palm sugar, organic cacao butter, organic vanilla powder.

Mindo Chocolate Makers - Pure 77% Chocolate with Panela (bar) - Aug. 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mindo Chocolate Makers
Pure 77% Chocolate with Panela (bar)
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 116 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mindo Chocolate Makers, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Pure 77% Chocolate with Panela (bar) was from Mindo Chocolate Makers (Dexter, MI) and was made in-country (in Mindo, Ecuador)--using organic, shade-grown Nacional cocoa beans grown near the production facility. This is rare, as most chocolate is manufactured in cities thousands of miles away from where the cacao originated.

This bar had a dark chocolate and brown sugar aroma and a smooth melt and texture (and it got creamier as it warmed up more than 20 degrees during the tasting process--from the first bite to the last).

The relatively deep, dark chocolate had a well-executed , even flavor profile (well-tempered, no off flavors or odd spikes) with hints of brown and maple sugar. (The bar did not contain any actual maple sugar.)

Surprisingly, for a bar with "panela" (raw sugar*) in its title, it wasn't that sweet (thank you). The relatively high cacao content (77 percent) allowed the even, solid dark chocolate flavor to run the show and take a bow into a pleasant finish without being too strong or bitter.

Ingredients: cocoa beans, raw sugar (panela)

*The compostable packaging (paper) was made from sugar cane pulp.

Sol Cacao Craft Chocolate - 70% Ecuador (Cedeno Farm) (bar) - Aug. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Sol Cacao Craft Chocolate
70% Ecuador (Cedeno Farm) (bar)
Good +
Weight:  1.86 oz. (52.7 g.) in total bar
Calories: 279 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's 70% Ecuador (Cedeno Farm*) (bar) was from Sol Cacao Craft Chocolate (Bronx, NY).

This ultra dark chocolate had delicate aroma notes: roasted green, spice, and floral and very light umami (leather). In tasting the bar, flavor notes were similar: dark chocolate, green, floral, light fermented fruit and dairy, and nicely balanced acidity.

The texture was smooth and uniform with a wee bit of balanced astringency.

This chocolate was full of flavor and was not too sweet (thank you!).

Ingredients: Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Bean

*Cacao beans used to make this dark chocolate bar were grown on the Cedeno family farm in Santa Domingo De Los Tsachilas, Ecuador--an area known for Arriba Nacional variety cacao. (This bar was labeled as Sol Cacao Batch #6A.)