Parliament Chocolate - Dominican Republic, Zorzal 70% Cacao (bar); Oct. 30, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Parliament Chocolate
Dominican Republic Zorzal 70% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.65 oz. (46.77 g.) in total bar
Calories: 249 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information 

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican Republic, Zorzal 70% Cacao (bar) was from Parliament Chocolate (Redlands, CA).

This well-tempered, relatively thick small bar had true chocolate (dark chocolate cake/torte), brown sugar/honey, light spice and faint, fleeting green (avocado) and fruit (ripe blackberry and black cherry) notes.

Tasting notes from the chocolate maker about this bar read as follows: "...Porcini mushrooms, honey, avocado, buckwheat."

Many artisan/craft chocolate makers include information about cacao origins, to give more credit to cacao growers and farmers, to signal quality and adherence to high social and product standards followed in making single origin chocolate, and/or for greater transparency. 

Notes from the producer/farmer for today's bar: 

"I have worked this parcel of land my whole life. I love cacao production - the smell and flavor of fermented beans. We have also planted hundreds of acres of hardwoods and softwoods and enjoy forestry production on the farm." -- Marcus Antonio Lajara

Notes on the place where the cacao originated:

"Zorzal Cacao is located on a small northern range in the Dominican Republic. The land is  home to a wildlife reserve and is dedicated to the Bicknell's Thrush, an endangered migratory bird."

Ingredients: Cacao and cane sugar

Definite Chocolate - Dominican Republic, Finca Elvesia, Coffee and Sea Salt 65% Dark Chocolate - Oct. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Definite Chocolate
Dominican Republic, Coffee and Sea Salt, 65% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - +++
Weight: .424 oz. (12 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 55 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 small bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican Republic (D.R.), Finca Elvesia, Coffee and Sea Salt, 65% Dark Chocolate small bar was from Definite Chocolate, S.R.L. (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic). 

The company's chocolates highlight flavors from different cacao-growing regions/farms in the D.R.; and they offer both full-sized and small bars. (I've been sampling the latter this week.)

This dark chocolate coffee and sea salt small bar had a creamy texture--and an aroma with notes that were right on the nose: dark chocolate, coffee, savory salt, faint roasted nut and slightly earthy notes.

The coffee and salt flavor inclusions (and slight earthiness) helped balance the rich, sugar/sweet, dried fruit (date) notes. It was perfect as a breakfast bar and was small enough to be a portable, high-end snack or small dessert.

Tasting notes listed for this small bar read as follows: "...notes of dates, caramel and nuts."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, cacao butter, cane sugar, coffee beans, sea salt. 

Definite Chocolate - Dominican Republic, Villa Altagracia 50% Dark Milk Chocolate - Oct. 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Definite Chocolate
Dominican Republic, Villa Altagracia, 50% Dark Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: .424 oz. (12 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 57 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 small bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican Republic, Villa Altagracia, 50% Dark Milk Chocolate small bar was from Definite Chocolate, S.R.L. (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic).

This dark milk chocolate had an aroma with dairy and earthy chocolate notes. The melt was smooth. Any other notes beyond a few subtle nutty and dark milk chocolate candy flavor were masked by the sugar.

Tasting notes listed for this Villa Altagracia small bar read as follows: "...notes of almond, cashew butter and caramel."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, cacao butter, cane sugar, milk powder.

Definite Chocolate - Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 80% Dark Chocolate - Oct. 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Definite Chocolate
Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 80% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: .424 oz. (12 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 57 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 small bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic (D.R.) and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's small bar was from Definite Chocolate, S.R.L. (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic).

This chocolate had a smooth melt and texture, and an aroma with chocolate, spice, faint green (floral), and light loamy notes. The flavor notes included: brown sugar, dark roasted cacao, and faint, fleeting nutty and acidic fruit (citrus). 

This was surprisingly "sweet" for an ultra-dark chocolate, in part due to the Trinitario--flavorful but ("less dense/dark") cacao variety (than, say Forastero cacao)--and Oko Caribe's great cacao fermentation/processing skills in the D.R.

Tasting notes provided for this bar read as follows: "...notes of jasmine, chamomile and lemon."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, cane sugar

Definite Chocolate - Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Definite Chocolate
Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: .424 oz. (12 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 60 calories in 1 small bar
Cost: $1.50 for 1 small bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70% Dark Chocolate was from Definite Chocolate, S.R.L. (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic).

This small bar had rich flavor. It had an aroma with molasses, spice and roasted coffee. The flavor notes included: brown sugar, roasted coffee and cacao, malt, and faint, fleeting nutty, earth and fruit acidity (citrus) notes.

Tasting notes provided for this small bar read as follows: "...notes of plum, orange zest and hazelnut."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, cane sugar

Christopher Elbow Chocolates - Dominican Republic 72% Dark (bar) - Oct. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Christopher Elbow Chocolates
Dominican Republic 72% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 (plus shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow website, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican Republic 72% Dark (bar) was from Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, MO). 

This chocolate had an aroma with dried fruit (goji berries, sweet persimmon, raspberry) notes.

The flavor had some of the same fruit notes mentioned above, plus true dark chocolate (rich, dark chocolate cake with honey), a fleeting hint of cream (there was no dairy in this chocolate) and a whisper of very light green.

The chocolate had a relatively mild acidity, a nicely balanced bittersweet taste, and a light finish.

The cacao beans used to make this bar came from Oko Caribe (a cacao processor and fermentery that works directly with local farmers to maximize quality and flavor in the first steps (fermenting, drying) of the chocolate-making process.

The chocolate maker's tasting notes included the following: "...notes of tropical fruit, honey and spice."

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

Cru Chocolate - Dominican Republic (El Cibao) 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate
Dominican Republic, El Cibao, 72% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.55 oz. (43 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 233 (estimate) calories in 1 bar

Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Farm Fresh to You (CSA box), add-on item

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's Dominican Republic, El Cibao, 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) was handcrafted by Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA).

This 72% cacao chocolate had a creamy melt, and a pleasing dark chocolate with subtle nuts with malt, light fleeting warm spice and herb (caraway), balanced, concentrated fruit notes--and a light, well-balanced bitterness toward the end.

The cacao beans, grown in the El Cibao region in northern Dominican Republic, were fermented by Oko Caribe (a fermentery and cacao processing firm that works with farmers in the Dominican Republic).

Ingredients: Cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar

Svenska Kakaobolaget - The Swedish Cacao Company - Dom. Rep. 70% (bar) - Oct. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Svenska Kakaobolaget
(The Swedish Cacao Company)
Dom. Rep. Oko Caribe, 2017 Harvest 70% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 274 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dom. Rep. Oko Caribe, 2017 Harvest 70% (bar), produced in Sweden in a late 1800s brick school house in a small town (Osterlen), by Svenska Kakaobolaget (The Swedish Cacao Company). 

Today's bar had fermented cacao (very faint acetic/lactic acid), bright green and dark chocolate frosting aroma and flavor notes, and a slight astringency in the finish. 

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar

Tabal Chocolate - Dominican 100% (bar) - Oct. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tabal Chocolate
Dominican 100% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Dominican 100% (bar) was made by Tabal Chocolate (Wauwatosa, WI). Tabal was founded by Dan Bieser in 2012, with a focus on crafting organically grown cacao into responsibly sourced, vegan chocolate without soy or gluten. 

The aroma for this 100% bar had deep, dark chocolate forest notes with a fleeting hint of green (green fruit, green banana). 

The melt was rich and relatively smooth, almost creamy. (Tabal chocolate is stone-ground for three days in small batches.)

It was refreshing to enjoy the essence of chocolate flavor (just one ingredient*), without any sugar today. 

The finish had a relatively mild bitterness and astringency and slight waxy bean flavor note.

*Ingredients: Organic cacao

Armstrong Chocolate Company - Dominican Republic 70% (bar) - Oct. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Armstrong Chocolate Company
Dominican Republic 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (28 g.) / 2.1 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's Dominican Republic 70% (bar) was from Armstrong Chocolate Company (Chico, CA). 

Armstrong founder and chief chocolate maker, Matthew Armstrong, made this bar with cacao beans from Oko Caribe* (a fermentery founded by two cacao professionals, Gualberto Torrejon and Adriano Rodriguez in 2006, in the Dominican Republic). 

The bar had a dark chocolate with light spice and concentrated fruit aroma, smooth melt and texture, true chocolate flavor with bright fruit (cherry, raspberry), one very fleeting light earth note, and a subtle, balanced bittersweet finish.

Ingredients: organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

Crow & Moss - Dominican Republic Zorzal 70% Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Crow and Moss 
Dominican Republic Zorzal 70% Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Week.

Today's Dominican Republic Zorzal 70% Chocolate (bar) was made from bean to bar by Crow and Moss (Petoskey, MI).

The rich chocolate aroma had an inviting complex aroma with notes of fruit (ripe red fruit, cherries, raisin, dried plum), toffee brittle, a hint of maple spice and fleeting, very faint fresh green (grass). 

The well-tempered chocolate broke with a hearty snap and flavors were similar to those mentioned above in the aroma, only with more chocolate (cocoa, brownie), and a very faint, balanced, fermented milk/cream note.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "cherry, caramel, spice"

Ingredients: Dominican Reserve Zorzal cacao beans, organic cane sugar

Nuance Chocolate - Dominican Republic 70% Pure Dark (bar) - Oct. 19, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate
Dominican Republic 70% Pure Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar (plus shipping)
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Dominican Republic Theme Week.

Today's Dominican Republic 70% Pure Dark (bar) was made by Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

This 70% cacao chocolate had a slightly earthy and true dark chocolate (chocolate cake) aroma and flavor with a subtle lingering dark chocolate finish.

The GMO-free cacao beans (harvested in 2015) used to make this bar were obtained from Rizek Cacao, a grower, processor, exporter (and more recently chocolate maker) operating in the Dominican Republic since 1905.

Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter

 

Christopher Elbow Chocolates - Nicaragua 70% Dark (bar) - Oct. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Christopher Elbow Chocolates
Nicaragua 70% Dark (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow Chocolates website, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate Nicaragua Theme Week.

Today's Nicaragua 70% Dark (bar) was from Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, Missouri). This bar was part of the companies single origin craft chocolate bar line. They also offer bars with "signature" flavor inclusions, and filled chocolate confections (bonbons, truffles).

Made with La Colonia, Nicaragua-grown cacao harvested in 2017, the resulting bar had subtle dark chocolate aroma, and uniformly smooth dark chocolate flavor with a bright, fruity (cherry, nectarine, sweet lemon) sweetness.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter

Cru Chocolate - Nicaragua 72% La Dalia Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate 
Nicaragua 72% La Dalia Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good +++
Weight: 1.55 oz. (43 g.) in total bar
Calories: 233 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Farm Fresh To You (CSA box), add-on item

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

Today's Nicaragua 72% La Dalia Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA).

This bar had pleasing true chocolate (fudge brownie, dark hot cocoa*) notes, as well as bittersweet red berry fruit (ripe red currant) and fleeting hints of roasted coffee, nut butter and spice (cinnamon, allspice). Flavors lingered lightly in the finish. 

The makers tasting notes read as follows: "Made with cacao from the nation of poets and soulful emotions. This carefully handcrafted Nicaraguan bar expresses the cacao's earthy, bittersweet flavors, spotted with hints of spiced herbs and caramel."

Cacao beans were fermented by Cacao Bisiesto** in Nicaragua, and hand-sorted, roasted cracked, winnowed, stone-ground, conched and aged by Cru Chocolate in the U.S. The chocolate was well-tempered and the texture was almost creamy, smooth--despite the fact that there was no added no cocoa butter (cocoa bean fat that many craft chocolate makers add, especially to cacao beans grown at the Equator that tend to be "leaner," for a creamier mouth feel). Impressive.

Ingredients: cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar

*Cru Chocolate also makes drinking chocolate. Something in the aroma of today's Nicaragua bar evoked a hot cacao/drinking chocolate beverage--so much so that I caught myself blowing lightly on the first bite of chocolate before biting into it. While that's not happened in my 14 years of writing about chocolate, chocolates continue to be full of unexpected depth and magic.

** Cacao Bisiesto (Matagalpa, La Dalia) is a small, socially conscious cacao fermentary in the central highlands of Nicaragua. Co-founded by Jose Enrique Herrera (cacao agronomist) and Gifford (Giff) Laube, this outfit has worked with farmers to help improve the quality of fermented cacao. Their good work has benefited artisan/craft chocolate makers and consumers (even though these critical first steps in the chocolate making process taking place in the cacao growing countries, and are largely hidden from consumer view).

Kaitxo - Nicaragua El Castillero, Rio San Juan 75% Trinitario blend (bar) - Oct. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Kaitxo Specialty Chocolate
Nicaragua El Castillero, Rio San Juan 75% Trinitario blend (bar)  
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cacao, online order

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

Today's Nicaragua El Castillero, Rio San Juan 75% Trinitario blend (bar) was made from bean to bar in Basque country, Spain, by the makers at Kaitxo Specialty Chocolate (Balmaseda, Spain). The company, founded in 2017, offers chocolate, coffee, and tastings.

This three-ingredient* chocolate (no lecithin, thank you!) was made using an "El Castillero" blend of Trinitario (variety) of cacao beans, from the San Juan Coop in northern Nicaragua. (Growers in this Rio San Juan area also produce coffee.)

The resulting dark bar had a pleasing complexity with true dark chocolate, slight umami and very faint green aroma notes. The flavors of this 75% cacao dark chocolate also included a faint earth note and a balanced, brown sugar and/or date-like sweetness.

The Kaitxo maker's tasting notes read as follows: melaza (molasses), manzana asada (roasted apple) y (and) datiles (dates).

*Ingredients: Cacao beans, sugar, cacao butter

Chocolate Momotombo - Tableta Temp. Fino de Leche y Tableta Chocolate Oscuro - Oct. 15, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Tableta Temp. Fine de Leche 
Chocolate Momotombo
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 212 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Tableta Chocolate Oscuro
Chocolate Momotombo  
Good +++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 212 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenido a (welcome to) Day #7 of Chocolate and Nicaragua Theme Week.

Today's two chocolate bars were made by Carlos Mann and team at Chocolate Momotombo (Managua, Nicaragua). Mann has worked with local growers in obtaining the best quality cacao and has immersed himself in local cacao traditions. 

I had the privilege to meet Carlos many years ago at a Chocolate Salon in San Francisco, and again in Nicaragua, where he was making great chocolates, and working to bring back chocolate making in this country with a long history of cacao cultivation and ceremonial cacao.

The Momotombo Dark Milk chocolate with cacao nibs had wonderful rich, deep chocolate flavor, with subtle earth, caramel and molasses notes. Smooth chocolate was accented by a generous helping of crunchy cacao nibs, helping to preserve the freshly roasted cacao flavors. 

The Momotombo Dark Chocolate 70% bar had a rich, deep chocolate flavor with a slight earthiness, roasted coffee and molasses notes. 

Both chocolate bars are well worth sampling and represent Nicaragua very well, if you can find them in the U.S. (The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA, now closed unfortunately, used to carry Momotombo chocolates.)

K+M Extra Virgin Chocolate - Dark Milk Chocolate Nicaragua (bar) - Oct. 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

K+M Extra Virgin Chocolate 

Dark Milk Chocolate Nicaragua (bar)

Good + - Good ++

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

Calories: 400 (estimate) calories in 1 bar

Cost: $15.00 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Equator Coffee, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Dark Milk Chocolate Nicaragua (bar) was from K+M Thomas Keller and Armando Manni (located in Napa, CA).

The whole milk powder blended with Nicaraguan cacao in this dark milk (no cacao percentage listed) chocolate added creamy texture and smoothness to the aroma and flavor. A small amount of Manni extra virgin olive oil added extra silky, velvety texture. 

Frequently there is a trade-off between adding fats and milk powder to chocolate. Creamier, buttery textures offer luxurious mouth feel, but usually mute cacao aroma and flavor. However, there were satisfying faint, balanced hints of green and fruit (dark berries) in this chocolate, making it rather addicting.

The maker's tasting notes for this bar read as follows:

"An intense and complex chocolate, K+M Extravirgin Milk Chocolate Nicaragua delivers flavors of rich cream and black currants complemented by notes of malt and coffee..."

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

Chapon - Nicaragua Chuno 70% (mini bar) - Oct. 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Chapon Chocolatier

Nicaragua Chuno 70% (mini bar)

Good + 

Weight: .176 oz. (5 g.) / 6.35 oz. (180 g.) in total box of 36 mini bars

Calories: 27 calories (estimate) in 1 mini bar

Cost: $45.00 for 1 box of 36 mini bars (12 different origins)

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Nicaragua Chuno* 70% (mini bar) was from Chapon Chocolatier (Chelles and Paris, France).

This beautifully-packaged, single origin mini bar set contained tiny, individually-wrapped bars from around the globe. Today's Nicaragua sweet, creamy smooth dark chocolate had a uniform, balanced sweet, fruit acidity, and a very faint malt/cereal box note.

*Chuno is a hybrid variety of (heritage) cacao that grows in the selvas (jungles), in remote upland areas, of northern Nicaragua. Tasting notes from Chapon for their Chuno bar read as follows: wood, dried fruits, nuts, bitter almonds and/or light tobacco.

Wm. Chocolate - Nicaragua Tenor 85% Dark (bar) - Oct. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Wm. Chocolate LLC
Nicaragua Tenor 85% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Nicaragua Tenor 85% Dark (bar) was crafted from bean-to-bar by William Marx at Wm. Chocolate LLC (Madison, WI). Marx produces great chocolate bars--treasure chests that deserve to be savored slowly. Consume these in a hurry, and you'll likely miss some grand virtues. Today's bar was no exception.

A wonderful, complex chocolate aroma wafted out as soon as I opened the outer packaging. And the chocolate inside broke with a well-tempered, hard snap (a sign of precision craftsmanship not often discussed in consumer forums).

And the choice to go with 85% cacao helped guarantee that this extra dark chocolate wasn't too sweet (thank you!).

The flavor included a balanced, light bitterness; deep roasted, dark chocolate; light wood and very faint aged/smoke notes; and a very subtle, natural green, fruit brightness. (Think Trinitario headed toward Forastero.)

This bar was made from a blend of cacao beans (2018 Harvest, Lot 263264) from Matagalpa (Nicaragua) that received a "special fermentation." And the chocolate was made without "soy, dairy, grain, nuts, refined sugar or animal products."

Ingredients: cacao beans, organic whole unrefined cane sugar, organic cacao butter.

Castronovo Chocolate - 70% Heirloom Cacao - Nicalizo, Nicaragua (bar) - Oct. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Castronovo Chocolate

70% Heirloom Cacao - Nicalizo, Nicaragua (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar

Calories: 150 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

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

Today's 70% Heirloom Cacao - Nicalizo, Nicaragua bar was from Castronovo Chocolate (Stuart, FL). This bar was part of the company's Signature Collection. 

The Nicalizo, Nicaragua cacao (Batch No. 890) was made with heirloom (likely Criollo) cacao known for its subtle flavors and complexity. Aroma included fruit notes (apricot, plum, cherry, and a tiny hint of green).

It had a sweet, pleasing cacao/true chocolate (brownie) aroma with a hint of fruit and a creamy melt and texture. 

Castronovo chocolate maker's notes read as follows: "...The chocolate has fruit flavors of plum, cherry with rich buttery notes of toasted toffee, a little spice of pink peppercorn, and a lovely roasted walnut long-lasting finish..." 

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

Tabal Chocolate - Nicaragua Two Ingredient 70% (bar) - Oct. 10, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tabal Chocolate

Nicaragua Two Ingredient 70% (bar)

Good +

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

Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Nicaragua Two Ingredient 70% (bar) was crafted from cocoa bean to bar by Tabal Chocolate in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. 

The word Tabal translated into English (from Mayan origin) means "relationship." And with distributed supply chains involved in high-quality craft chocolate--spanning from farmers and suppliers to customers and running a small business, relationships are key.

Tabal Chocolate offers a line of single origin bars, as well as chocolate bars infused with organic teas and "superfoods" (including several different varieties of berries). The company is also involved with supporting Criollo cacao growing efforts.

The cacao grown in Nicaragua used to make this vegan, soy free and gluten free, two-ingredient bar was stoneground for three days in small batches. The resulting texture was smooth. 

The true dark chocolate had both slightly bitter and fairly sweet taste elements, with true dark chocolate and dried (green banana, dried fig) fruit notes in between. 

Ingredients: "Direct-trade single origin cacao, cane sugar"

Omnom Chocolate - Nicaragua 73% (bar) - Oct. 9, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Omnom Chocolate

Nicaragua 73% (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 316.2 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Nicaragua 73% (bar) was from Omnom Chocolate hf. (Reyjavik, Iceland). 

This wonderfully complex, dark bar had a smooth, uniform texture and melt, and a balanced, satisfying, smokey/savory (umami), faint roasted nut, and rich true dark chocolate aroma and flavor. These flavors were intertwined with more subtle dried fruit (dried goji berry) and green tea notes. The finish possessed a lingering chocolate brownie note.

After a week of milk chocolates with muted cacao flavors, this dark bar that hit so many pleasant chords on the chocolate tasting wheel was like walking into a chocolate factory and taking a deep breath of fresh, roasted cacao air. 

Ingredients: "Organic cocoa beans from Nicaragua, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin (E322).*"

*E322 refers to a group of phospholipids (lecithins) used in foods, found in plant and animal tissues, used as an emulsifier or stabilizer--commonly derived from soy, sunflower, peanuts, corn or egg yolk and other "animal resources." Lecithins are used to blend oils/fats and can frequently be found in margarine, chocolate, mayonnaise, ice cream and milk powder.

Chocolate Naive - Peanut Butter Specialty Milk Chocolate 47% (bar) - Oct. 8, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolate Naive
(Producer/Gamintoja: Mulate UAB)
Peanut Butter Specialty Milk Chocolate 47% (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar 
Calories: 414.6 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Grass Fed Milk Theme Week. 

Today's Chocolate Naive Peanut Butter Specialty Milk Chocolate 47% (bar) was created by chocolatier, Domantas Uzpalis, and produced by Mulate UAB (Vilnius, Lithuania).

This unique, guitar-shaped 47% cacao milk chocolate bar was velvety smooth and devilishly delicious. 

Twenty percent of the content was peanuts, that were ground for 4 days into creamy, whipped peanut butter, that was then so well incorporated you might miss the specific peanut flavor.  Further upping the creamy factor was the inclusion of grass-fed milk powder. 

Ingredients: cacao butter*, sugar*, specialty cacao*, peanuts* (20%), grass-fed milk powder*, sea salt*.

*"wild or all natural farming!"

Garden of Life - Organic Whey Protein Grass Fed Certified Fair Trade Organic Chocolate Cacao - Oct. 7, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Garden of Life LLC
Organic Whey Protein Grass Fed Certified Fair Trade Organic Chocolate Cacao
Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33 g.) in 1 package
Calories: 130 calories in 1 package
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Grass Fed Milk Theme Week.

Today's Organic Fair Trade Chocolate Cacao Grass Fed Whey Protein was from Garden of Life (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida).*

Milk adds protein. Today's single serving package provided an impressive 21 grams of protein (42% of daily value), and only 7 grams of total carbohydrate.

Once mixed (thoroughly stirred) with water, the texture was smooth. The (de-acidified) cocoa used to supply the "chocolate cacao" flavor provided a chocolatey aroma and uniform cocoa flavor. 

The flavor was sweet, but a bit too (slightly artificially) sweet for me. This mix did not contain sugar, and was sweetened with erythritol and stevia extract (leaf).  

As an added bonus, this contained 2 billion colony forming units (CFUs) worth of a strain of beneficial (probiotic) bacteria thought to improve immune function.

*Note: Garden of Life became part of Nestle Health Sciences in 2017.

Ingredients: Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, Certified Fair Trade Organic Cacao, Organic Creamer Flavor, Organic Erythritol, Organic Chocolate Flavor, Sea Salt, Organic Stevia Extract (leaf), 2 billion CFU Bifidobacterium lactis B1-04.
 

Tera's Whey - Grass Fed Organic Whey Protein - Dark Chocolate - Oct. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tera's Whey
Grass Fed Organic Whey Protein - Dark Chocolate 
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total package
Calories: 110 calories in 1 package
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Grass-Fed Milk Theme Week.

Today's Tera's Whey Grass Fed Organic Whey Protein was from Wisconsin Specialty Protein (Reedsburg, WI).

The 20 grams of protein in this single-serving packet was supplied by, presumably, dairy cows in Wisconsin. 

The cocoa powder had been de-acidified (processed with alkali), so the flavor was relatively mild. The sweetness level was about right. There was no sugar, just stevia leaf extract, which tasted fairly natural.

Ingredients: Organic dairy whey protein concentrate, organic cocoa (processed with alkali), organic stevia leaf extract, sunflower lecithin.

Alter Eco Foods - Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with rice crunch - 46% cacao (bar) - Oct. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco Foods
Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with rice crunch 46% cacao (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 205 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Grass-Fed Milk Theme Week.

Today's Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with rice crunch 46% cacao (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA). This bar was third in a series of three organic, grass fed milk chocolate bars from the company.

As was the case for the first two grass fed milk bars, the milk was supplied by cows grazing in Swiss Alpine pastures; and the cacao was from farmers in Peru. 

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the long history of Swiss milk chocolate. There was something akin to the space race in the 1800s to arrive at the formula for a shelf-stable, milk chocolate bar. The Swiss, French and British were all in hot pursuit of the process that would allow for successful melding of these two edibles--that was first achieved in beverage form (perhaps by a Brit in Jamaica as early as the 1600s). 

But to create a more durable milk chocolate bar took a bit more tinkering. Although others were involved, Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter receives a large measure of the credit for solving this problem in 1875-6, using powdered milk developed by Henri Nestle--whose creamery was near Peter's factory.

Today's generous helping of embedded crisped rice in the Alter Eco 46% milk bar balanced the relatively bold chocolate aroma and flavor (similar to yesterday's Alter Eco grass fed milk chocolate bar with salted almonds). Although yesterday's salt and almond inclusions helped balance the milk and cacao and sugar. Today's crisp rice acted as a very pleasing crunchy counterpart to the smooth Swiss milk chocolate, but did not tap the brakes on the sugar as successfully as the salted almonds did.

Ingredients: Organic raw cane sugar, organic cacao beans, organic cocoa butter, rice crisp (organic rice, organic raw cane sugar) organic whole milk, organic butterfat.

Alter Eco Foods - Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with salted almonds (bar) - Oct. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco Foods
Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with salted almonds (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 440 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Grass-Fed Milk Theme Week.

Today's Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk with salted almonds (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA).

The bar was part of a series of organic, grass fed milk chocolate bars from the company, with the milk coming from Alpine pastured cows in Switzerland, and the cacao from farmers in Peru.

All three grass fed bars featured this week had a similar slightly earthy, gamey, balanced bitter aroma. The milk tempered sharp edges, but today's salted almonds, a single flavor inclusion, magically balanced everything. (Today's salted almond version was my favorite of the three bars in the series that I sampled.)

The salt, nut and malt flavor nuts almonds created a great balance, creating hearty, milk chocolate flavors, even for a 46% cacao (dark) milk bar.

Ingredients: Organic raw cane sugar, organic

Alter Eco Foods - Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk 46% Cocoa (bar) - Oct. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Alter Eco Foods
Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk 46% Cocoa (bar)  
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.325 oz. (37.5 g.) / 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 215 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Grass-Fed Milk Theme Week.

Today's Organic Chocolate Grass Fed Milk 46% Cocoa (bar) was made in Switzerland and distributed by Alter Eco Foods (San Francisco, CA). 

Full fat milk powder melds with cacao in a satisfying way. Milk softens cacao flavors and often the reverse is true as well (if there are flavors still left in the milk after processing).

This Alter Eco dark milk bar (made with Peruvian cacao) had a smooth texture and melt, and was unapologetically bold (Forastero-like) from the start, with only the sharpest edges burnished down. The aroma of this rich, robust milk chocolate bar had a faint gamey and rich, earthy bitter-bold aroma and flavor. 

The chocolate did have a darker/bolder flavor than one would expect for a 46% cacao milk chocolate and/or Peruvian cacao origin bars we've tasted in recent years. 

The rich, deep flavor notes initially held the bright, sugar taste in check, and were eventually overtaken by the raw cane sugar, and a sweet finish. 

It would be interesting to try versions of this chocolate with different types of milk powder to more accurately determine the milk's flavor contribution. Extra points for going with organic grass fed milk, and for providing an interesting tasting experience.

Ingredients: *Organic raw cane sugar, organic cacao beans, organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk, organic butterfat.

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate - Hazelnut Milk Chocolate 55% (bar) - Oct. 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate

Hazelnut Milk Chocolate 55% with Alexandre Family Farm A2/A2 Milk

Good ++

Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Nuts and Something More Theme Week.

Today's Hazelnut Milk Chocolate 55% cacao (bar) with A2/A2 milk from Alexandre Family Farm (Crescent City, CA) was handcrafted from bean to bar by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA). 

Lightly roasted Oregon hazelnut bits flavored this 55% milk chocolate. The cacao used to make the base chocolate was from Brazil. Any subtleties in the cacao flavor were muted by the rich milk, the overall blend was a very harmonious one. A slight touch of vanilla added subtle warmth to the bar.

The milk really did play a starring role. A2/A2 milk comes from cows that carry A2 casein protein (rather than the more prevalent A1 casein protein milk found on most supermarket shelves). A2 milk is thought to be easier to digest and is more similar to goat's milk.

This nutty, milk chocolate bar had a soft creaminess to it. Taking a bite was like relaxing into a favorite plush sofa. It was sweet, to be sure, but the peppering of small hazelnut bits helped balance out the sweetness and added some contrasting texture.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, A2/A2 whole milk powder, cocoa butter, vanilla bean, hazelnuts.

Cacao Crudo - Nocciolato Hazelnut Crunch (Nougat aux Noisettes) (bar) - Oct. 1, 2020 (part 2/2)

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo S.r.l.

Nocciolato Hazelnut Crunch (Nougat aux Noisettes) (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 7.065 oz. (200 g.) in total bar

Calories: 328.5 calories in 1.76 oz. (50 g.) of bar

Cost: $ N/A - sample 

Purchased from: N/A - sample from Cacao Crudo

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Nocciolato Hazelnut Crunch (Nougat aux Noisettes) (bar) was from Cacao Crudo S.r.l. (Rome, Italy).

The company produces a variety of chocolate bars. Their body of work demonstrates how far we've come in the last 20 years with unroasted cacao and raw chocolate products. The company focus is on blending high quality ingredients, such as unroasted, high-quality (Criollo) cacao with a smooth, wonderful chocolate flavor, with some wonderful, authentic-tasting flavor inclusions.

Arguably, the best hazelnuts in Europe, come from northern and central Italy. And this large, slice-able bar was packed with 71% "Tonda Gentile Romana"* hazelnuts, known for their rich, nutty and slightly sweet flavor. 

So, while the high nut content made it more difficult to pick out cacao flavor nuances, one could really enjoy both crunchy nut pieces and smooth chocolate-hazelnut base--in part because (like other Cacao Crudo bars) this one was sweetened with the perfect amount of coconut flower sap--adding a satisfying, but not overwhelming sugar buzz.

Each piece of this very creamy, soft, satisfying slab of chocolate with crunchy embedded hazelnut pieces was extra-rich and delicious, but also a bit lighter in texture than expected. (Tip: If enjoyed during the warmer months, I would chill this bar slightly before serving, to make it slightly firmer for slicing.)

*"Tonda Gentile Romano" is a hazelnut cultivar grown in the Viterbo Province of Central Italy. Here, near the mountains and blessed with rich, volcanic soil, some delicious nuts in grow in a goldilocks zone (not too cold, not too hot) for hazelnuts. 

**Today's Cacao Crudo Nougat aux Noissettes (organic, unroasted, vegan, gluten free) bar reminded me of the much sought after Francois Pralus (France) Barre Infernale (nut nougat/praline) chocolate bars, introduced in the U.S. around 2005. Both of these large nougat bars can be carved into individual servings, and are great for sharing with friends and family or bringing to a party.

Ingredients: "(not roasted) "Tonda Gentile Romana" organic hazelnut paste (43%), (not roasted "Tonda Gentile Romana" organic chopped hazelnuts (28%), not roasted, organic cacao Criollo beans paste, organic concentrated coconut flower sap, organic cacao Criollo butter from not roasted beans."

Cacao Crudo - Gianduja (Nocciole non tostate) Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo 
Gianduja Nocciole non tostate) Cioccolato Fondente Bio 
Gianduja (unroasted hazelnuts) Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar|
Calories: 153.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - sample from Cacao Crudo
Purchased from: N/A - sample from Cacao Crudo

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Gianduja Nocciole non tostate (unroasted hazelnuts) Cioccolato Fondente Bio (Organic Dark Chocolate) (bar) from Cacao Crudo (Roma, Italy) had a clean, green aroma with a date/raisin-like sweetness and very faint tangy, sweet green banana (fruit) cacao notes. 

This organic, dark chocolate was delightfully creamy--and fairly pliable, so do store in a cool place, out of direct sun. It had a thick, very smooth chocolate hazelnut spread-like consistency, only much better (in my opinion). It wasn't overwhelmed by sugar(s), and contained no oils or other additives you might find in a jar of most chocolate and nut spreads.

The unroasted, ground hazelnut paste contributed a very mild nutty flavor (as did the 50% unroasted cacao from Peru). The fully integrated nut + cacao flavor blend was subtle and pleasing. 

Cacao Crudo has continued to prove that unroasted cacao can be rich, enjoyable and interesting. And with the right cacao, raw chocolate can achieve a subtle complexity just as wonderful as bolder roasted varieties. 

Based on tasting their chocolate, the makers have a deep understanding of flavor preservation. If you choose a beautiful heritage (Criollo) cacao, brimming with gentle fruit and cream flavors, the last thing you'd want to do would be to over-roast or over-process this cacao, as you'd lose these prized, subtle flavor notes. 

The "more" today is a bonus entry that will follow this one...another great chocolate and hazelnut bar from this same chocolate maker.

Ingredients: "Organic, not roasted cacao Criollo beans paste (50%), not roasted Tonda Gentile Romana hazelnut(s) paste (30%), organic, concentrated coconut flower sap."

 

Nature To Go - Cocoa Dusted Almonds - Sept. 30, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Manufactured for Food Castle Inc. 

Nature To Go 

Cocoa Dusted Almonds

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 16 oz. (453 g.) in total container

Calories: 200 calories in 1 serving 

Cost: $9.99 for 1 container

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

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Nuts and More Theme Week.

Today's Nature To Go Cocoa Dusted Almonds were manufactured for Food Castle Inc. (Vernon, CA), in the U.S.

Food Castle is a food wholesaler that produces fruit and nut snacks in Southern California. (Vernon, located near Los Angeles, is known for its industrial, food processing operations.) And California farmers produce a lot of fruits and nuts, including almonds that are processed into snack foods, with and without chocolate.

These almonds did have the same tasty attributes that many chocolate coated nuts offer: smooth, rich chocolate flavor combined with crunchy, satisfying nutty texture and flavor. Cocoa powder was mentioned three times in the ingredients list.*

The Cocoa Dusted Almonds had two coatings: an undercoat of dark chocolate, and an overcoat of "dark coating" that included the dusted cocoa. Since the chocolate portion was manufactured using primarily alkalized cocoa(s), much of the acidity and natural cocoa flavors were muted. (Some prefer their cocoa to be well-behaved with a bit of vanilla, and today's tamer cocoa coatings may showcase nut flavors as well.)

The "other" aspect to this chocolate and nuts treat today lay in the ingredients. Palm kernel oil was the number one ingredient listed in the outer cocoa dusting (dark coating).  The oil helped the cocoa powder adhere to the nuts; however, anytime I see added vegetable oils, natural flavors, and/or lecithin, I try to list ingredients (below) for people who may have dietary concerns.

*Ingredients: Dark Coating (palm kernel oil, sugar, inulin, cocoa (processed with alkali), emulsifier (soy lecithin), natural vanilla flavor), almonds (almonds), dark chocolate coating ( sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, butter fat, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), soy lecithin (added as an emulsifier, salt and natural flavor), cocoa powder (processed with alkali)