Monday, November 30, 2020

Manoa Chocolate - Hawaiian Sea Salt 72% Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Manoa Chocolate
Hawaiian Sea Salt 72% Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic,* Mill Valley, CA

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

Today's Hawaiian Sea Salt 72% Chocolate (bar) was from Manoa Chocolate (Kailua, HI).

This well-balanced chocolate contained a range of sophisticated and well-behaved flavors--that one might see on a chocolate tasting wheel. 

The aroma and flavor notes were very similar to each other: 1.) fruity (medium acidity red fruit/berry, sweet tangerine, peach jam), 2,) savory salt, 3,) true chocolate (flourless chocolate tart), and 4.) faint roasted coffee, nut and earth notes. A minute or two later a very light buckwheat pancake finish was the only thing that remained.

The melt and texture for his 72% dark bar was smooth and creamy. 

This vegan, gluten free, soy free, Non-GMO, Direct Trade Hawaiian sea salt bar was crafted from bean to bar in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, using Hawaiian salt (made from evaporating Pacific Ocean sea water until only salt and trace minerals are left).

Suggested beverage pairings from Manoa: Wines: Sparkling and Buttery Chardonnay; Liquor: Rum; Beer: Sours and Saisons.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter and sea salt. 


Saturday, November 28, 2020

Madre Chocolate - Kona Criollo Limited Edition 70% Dark Chocolate (Kololeka Hawaii) bar - Nov. 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Madre Chocolate
70% Kona Criollo Limited Edition Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Kokoleka Hawai'i*
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g.) in total bar
Calories: 227 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Madre Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's Limited Edition Kona Criollo 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was crafted by Madre Chocolate (Honolulu, HI) and is one of a series of Kokoleka Hawai'i* bars made the company.

The aroma of this bar had notes of baked goods (freshly baked bread, arrowroot spice cookies, graham cracker), very mild fruit notes (light peach, goji berry) and a green (almost floral) note I couldn't quite put my finger on (lilies?). 

The chocolate had a creamy melt and mouthfeel. Flavors included sweet nutty (roasted, naturally sweet hazelnuts, almonds), green nutty seeds (Jaguar cacao?**) notes, and a very mildly green, aromatic woodsy/rootsy (parsnip green tea with woodland flower nymphs?) finish. Any bold bitter-sweetness normally associated with conventional dark chocolate was absent.

This bar was crafted from a unique Criollo variety of cacao, yielding a very soft, suave and special tasting experience. Thank you to Nat and all at Madre for offering this bar. 

The Covid-19 virus is permitting only virtual travel (via chocolate) this month. However, if I were in Hawaii, I'd stop by Madre Chocolate and thank them personally for their work with local farmers and for making great chocolate using Hawaiian-grown cacao and inclusions over the years. 

Today's Kona Criollo bar was a largely a result of a relationship between Madre Chocolate and farmer Virginia "Gini" Choobua of Kikao Kula Cacao Farm in Holualoa, south of Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii--an area historically known for its rich, volcanic soil and Kona coffee.

Madre Chocolate tasting notes

Th Madre Chocolate maker's tasting notes read as follows: "We have selected the finest creamy sweet Criollo cacao beans grown to make this limited edition chocolate bar for you to enjoy. Criollo is a variety bred by the Maya and their predecessors for a mild nutty non-bitter flavor that lends this bar overtones of amaretto and hazelnut rarely seen in an unflavored chocolate bar."

Ingredients: Criollo cacao, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, whole vanilla.

* Kokoleka Hawai'i translates to Hawaiian Chocolate. Kokoleka is the Hawaiian word for chocolate.

**What is Jaguar cacao? When we eat chocolate, we are eating the seeds/beans from Theobroma cacao trees, the rock star of the Theobroma family. Much rarer is the Jaguar cacao tree (Theobroma bicolor--also known as mocambo, balamte, pataxte and white cacao). Theobroma bicolor fruit's large, slightly wrinkled white seeds are also edible, but are much milder than the seeds/beans from Theobroma cacao used to make chocolate.

Friday, November 27, 2020

Somerville Chocolate - Hawaii 70% Cacao from Papaikou, HI (bar) - Nov. 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Somerville Chocolate
Hawaii 70% Cacao from Papaikou, Hawaii (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70.75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 378 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Missing information

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

Today's Hawaii 70% Cacao from Papaikou, Hawaii (bar) was hand-crafted from bean to bar by Eric Parkes at Somerville Chocolate (Somerville, MA). The company is co-located with a brewery and wraps their bars using papers printed with attractive images of antique maps.

The aroma for this bar had a shape-shifting quality to it. First, I experienced a bold dark chocolate with a roasted (very faint charcoal smoke) note. However, two minutes later, the aroma grew much milder, taking on a green (green forest, green nut) scent with a very faint waxy nut note. A magic trick of sorts.

The flavor of this bar was quite sweet (high-end, dark chocolate frosting). It's likely there were bright fruity notes from the cacao that amped up the cane sugar sweetness; but it was hard to tell. (Think of bright sunshine blasting you on a black sand beach on the Big Island* of Hawaii. Beautiful. But, sometimes too much of a good thing.) 

Some cacao has a naturally bright sweet flavor, and making a 70% cacao version (with 70% cacao and 30% cane sugar), which is generally considered an "optimal" percentage in chocolate-making circles, much sweeter than another 70% bar. Today's bar may be a good example of just that.

I'd be curious to taste a 73% or even 75% version of this bar (i.e. one with less sugar) to see if I could taste more of the chocolate's nuances/fruitiness. However, those with a sweet tooth should be quite happy with this well-made bar.

The finish had a very faint, balanced astringency, and it shifted from a lingering sweet, fruit acidity to something a bit of mellow, green nut flavor at the very end.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar

*The cacao used to make this dark bar was from Papaikou, which is located on the east shore of the Big Island of Hawaii (south of the Tropical Botanical Garden and bioreserve) and about 5 miles (8 km) from Hilo. The area is described as a "tropical paradise on the Hamakua coast." And, happily for us, at a few hundred feet above sea level and at approx. 19 + degrees N. Latitude, it's also well-suited for growing cacao.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Christopher Elbow Chocolates - Macadamia Hawaiian Sea Salt Dark bar - Nov. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Christopher Elbow Chocolates
Macadamia Hawaiian Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 2.65 oz. (75 g.) in total bar
Calories: 410 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow Chocolates, online order

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

Today's Macadamia Hawaiian Sea Salt Dark 63% Dark chocolate bar was from Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, MO).

This gluten free and vegan chocolate bar was speckled with toasted macadamia nut bits and infused with Hawaiian red/pink sea salt. 

The aroma reminded me of butter cookies with cashew nuts from childhood.

The flavors were a melding of smooth, sweet, rich dark chocolate, salty sparkles from the sea salt crystals and tiny, soft nutty bits. (There was also a fleeting, very faint mineral and even fainter menthol notes.*)

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (cacao mass, cocoa butter, sugar, soy lecithin, vanilla), macadamia nuts, Hawaiian Red sea salt 

*I wondered whether the fleeting mineral note might have been from the Hawaiian Red sea salt. The red color in this salt is due to red colored clay, earth. Some think this salt has a faint nutty flavor. Impurities, including small quantities of minerals can impart color and taste in sea salt. And the larger the salt grains or crystals, the more detectable flavor it might have.

The menthol note could have been from an accidental flavor inclusion or might even date back to post-harvest cacao fermentation. 


Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate - Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark Palm Blossom Honey (bar) - Nov. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate
Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark Palm Blossom Honey (bar)
Good ++ - +++
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 330 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Today's Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark with Palm Blossom Honey (bar) was from Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate (Kapa'a, HI), an 8-acre cacao farm (that also produces vanilla, palm blossom honey and fruits).

The geographic coordinates of this farm in Kauai are: 22.0792 degrees North (Latitude) by 159.3595 degrees West (Longitude). Above 22 degrees Latitude is a bit outside of cacao's normal growing range. (Cacao grows up to 20 degrees above or below the Equator.) But the mild, tropical climate of this lush, green northern Hawaiian island works. 

The Big Island of Hawaii further south is at 19 to 20 degrees North. The benefit: cacao growing this far north typically contains 10-15 percent more cocoa butter (fat). (Think polar bears with nice thick coats to keep them warm.)

Today's 70% Wailua dark chocolate with palm blossom honey had a complex, pleasing parfait of flavors. It started with the aroma: dark, rich chocolate with notes of ripe date and fig cookie/bar. Each bite yielded a creamy smooth melt and mouthfeel. 

The unique and well-executed bar had a dark chocolate taste with a rich, layered sweetness (sugar and honey with depth), a round, faint green (fruit tree) note, and almost buttery rich honey flavors in the middle and finish. At the end of the finish there was a faint roasted nuts note (almond, walnut, peanut). This latter nutty note lingered long enough to evoke childhood memories of peanut butter, butter and honey on toast. 

Lydgate Farms tasting notes for this bar read as follows: "The additional honey added to this bar creates a paradox: while the honey makes the chocolate taste sweeter overall, it brings out deeper tones in the dark chocolate making it feel heavier. There are darker dried fruit tones than its plain dark chocolate counterpart from the same vintage. Hints of fig, raisins and spices show in the middle, while the sweet underbelly of the honey-tones present candied walnuts on the finish. Think baklava."

Lydgate Farms suggested beverage pairing notes were thus: "Pair With: Pedro Ximénez. Why? -- This would be a "like" pairing. The honey tones of the wine would match the honey tones in the chocolate. Both the chocolate and this Spanish dessert grape have heavy mouthfeels that can stand and sing together without overpowering one over the other."

Ingredients: Lydgate Farms cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter. Lydgate Farms palm blossom honey


Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate - Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark (bar) - Nov. 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate
Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 330 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Cacao farms have become more common in recent decades in Hawaii. Today's Wailua Single Estate 70% (bar) was from Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate (Kapa'a, HI), and 8-acre cacao farm (that also produces vanilla, palm blossom honey and fruits).

This farm produces single origin chocolate bars made using cacao grown, harvested, fermented, dried and made into chocolate on the island of Kauai, in Hawaii. (This is rare. Virtually all cacao used to make chocolate in the U.S. is grown outside the U.S.)

Today's 70% Wailua dark chocolate had a complex tasting arc--not unlike tasting a fine wine. It had an identifiable beginning, middle and finish. 

The bar had an appealing dark chocolate aroma and flavor. It had a bright fruity start, with balanced citrus (sweet, pink grapefruit), true chocolate, berry and stone fruit (tart-sweet red berry (wild strawberry) and dried mango and plum)--and fainter green banana and almond butter--notes. 

The melt and texture was relatively smooth with a faint hint of mild, balanced berry astringency/dryness and rounded wood (oak?) toward the finish. 

Lydgate Farms tasting notes for this bar read as follows: "Fleeting, light, bright fruity tones with a tinge of apricot on the start. The middle expands to a fuller, buttery orange cream, and moves to an off-dry nut butter on the finish. Taste young to enjoy the fruit tones. Aging more than 3 months will cause the chocolate to become nuttier as it off-gases acidity."

Lydgate Farms suggested beverage pairing notes: "Pair With: Buttery Chardonnay, California...Why? -- This would be a "like" pairing. The light, floral fruity tones of the chocolate would be overpowered by a red. The buttery mouthfeel of a Chardonnay would match the creamy mouthful of the smooth, mild, dark chocolate and highlight the fruit in the chocolate, which is what makes this bar unique." 

Ingredients: Lydgate Farms cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter.


Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate - Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark Sea Salt (bar) - Nov. 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate
Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark Sea Salt (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 330 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Today's Wailua Single Estate 70% Dark Sea Salt (bar) was from Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate (Kapa'a, HI). The farm belongs to a family with a history in Hawaii that stretches back five generations.

Small-batch, artisan chocolate is made from the cacao grown on this sustainable farm off Olohena Rd., in Kapa'a, Kaui, Hawaii. (And, at least pre-Covid, the Farm also offered tours.)

This bar had an appealing dark chocolate aroma and flavor and a bright fruity start, with balanced citrus (sweet lemon peel), true chocolate, salt, berry and stone fruit (tart-sweet red berry and dried mango and plum)--and fainter green banana and almond butter--notes. 

The melt and texture was relatively smooth with a faint hint of mild, balanced berry astringency/dryness and rounded wood (oak?) toward the finish. 

This well-executed bar had complexity and the right balance of everything to make it shine--including salt and sugar (not too much, not too little).

Lydgate Farms tasting notes for this bar read as follows: "This refreshing bar hits you with salt on the tip of the tongue. The salt accentuates the fruity tones of the dark chocolate making it seem more sharp. The result is a bright burst of flavor in the beginning with a pleasant, dry, staccato finish."

Lydgate suggested beverage pairings: "Sparkling's; sweet or dry. Ciders, Saisons, Sours, and Farmhouse Ales."

Ingredients: Lydgate Farms cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter, Hawaiian sea salt.


Sunday, November 22, 2020

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate - Wailua Single Estate 50% Milk (bar) - Nov. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate
Wailua Single Estate 50% Milk (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 330 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $15.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Aloha and Welcome to Chocolate and Hawaii Theme Week.

Today's Wailua Single Estate 50% Milk (bar) was from Lydgate Farms Kauai Chocolate (Kapa'a, HI). The company, founded by members of a family, the fifth generation to live in Hawaii.

The company emphasizes stewardship of land and local culture, via small-scale sustainable farming and educational farm tours. (A card insert in the package illustrated the story of their farm using Kapa, a traditional Hawaiian art form with symbols on bark cloth.)

This bar had an earthy, dark chocolate aroma with a faint hint of green (Genmai-cha tea with roasted rice or barley), tempered by milk and sugar. The melt and texture were smooth and substantial; and the flavor was one of rich, dark milk chocolate. There was a faint fresh green, sweet note that lingered lightly in the finish.

Lydgate Tasting Notes: "This heavy dark milk chocolate is reminiscent of sweetened condensed milk and browned butter meets toasted cashew nuts. It has a savory, cheesy character with a velvety, intense, mouthfeel that is richer than your typical flat, sweet milk chocolate."

Lydgate's suggested beverage pairing: "Pair With: Cava Brut and other dry Sparkling's like Prosecco and Champagne...Why? -- This would be an "opposite" pairing. The heavy mouthfeel of the rich dark milk chocolate is balanced by effervescent dry bubbles, lightening the load off the tip of the tongue."

Ingredients: Lydgate cacao beans, organic whole milk powder, organic sugar, organic cocoa butter.

*Wailua is a Hawaiian word that means "two waters" or two bodies of water. It's located on the east side of Kauai. And Kapa'a (aka Kapaa) means "solid" in Hawaiian. The word "chocolate" (cacao made "solid") can be traced back to the Aztec/Nahuatl word "xocolatl" meaning bitter water--from the cacao beverage that dates back thousands of years in Central and South America. The Spaniards brought cacao to Europe and the name for the solid bars and confections they developed evolved into the word "chocolate." 

And this name eventually made its way back to the us via ships bound for America. Yes, this is a long story to link a few terms like water and chocolate, but I'm willing to go the extra nautical mile to link coastal communities and cacao.


Saturday, November 21, 2020

Chatfield's - Organic Bittersweet Chocolate 70% Cacao - Premium Baking Bar - Nov. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Chatfield's 
Organic Bittersweet Chocolate 70% Cacao - Premium Baking Bar
Good +
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $0.99 (sale) for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week. 

Today's Chatfield's Organic Bittersweet Chocolate 70% Cacao bar was manufactured for Panos Brands (Rochelle Park, NJ)), in Peru.

The chocolate, designed for baking or eating, satisfied a number of dietary and consumer concerns/preferences. This vegan, fair trade certified chocolate was organic, and certified free of common allergens: "wheat, dairy, peanut, tree nut, egg, soy, fish, shellfish."

The aroma had true chocolate (fudge brownie) notes with hints of earth, green and faint smoke/umami. The melt and texture were smooth, lighter (almost fluffier) in texture than many hand-crafted dark chocolate bars. The finish was fairly balanced, chocolate brownie, without being overly sweet.

Looking at the ingredients list, the bar did have some cocoa powder added. (Sometimes added cocoa powder simply enhances "true" chocolate flavor, or it can be dutched/alkalized to create a milder, smoother chocolate flavor. It was not clear if the cocoa powder in this case was dutched or not.)

This 70% bar seemed like a reasonably priced choice for baking--that could also be eaten, or cut into pieces and enjoyed as an addition to oatmeal or trail mix.

Ingredients: Organic bittersweet chocolate (organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder). 

Friday, November 20, 2020

Cacao Crudo - Dark Organic Cacao Paste, Unroasted Criollo Cacao, 100% (bar) - Nov. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo S.r.l.
Dark Organic Chocolate Fondente 100% Peru (bar)
(Cioccolato Fondente Bio Criollo Non Tostato 100% Peru)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week. 

Today's "Organic Cacao Paste" 100% Peru bar was crafted by Cacao Crudo S.r.l. (Roma (Rome), Italy), using cacao beans grown in Peru.

The chocolate was made using high-quality, un-roasted Criollo cacao (beans). Cacao beans are generally roasted. Roasting can develop certain flavors, but can also lead to a loss of other--often more delicate or volatile--flavors (e.g. green and floral notes). 

Today's 100% Criollo cacao with bright, clean green and faint floral sweetness is a great example of what "stays in" when cacao is not roasted. This bar (and others in the Cacao Crudo line-up) exemplify what raw chocolate can be. 

This unsweetened chocolate had an aroma that evoked fresh, alive, vibrant green (plants, green coconut) with faint floral and herbal notes. It had a creamy melt and smooth texture with the occasional crunchy cacao nib particle.

The flavors included bright green cacao nibs, green coconut with light herbal/spice notes; a medium acidity (faint sour-sweet) in the second half; and a relatively low bitterness for a 100% cacao chocolate--making it potentially a potentially interesting choice for a good swathe of ultra-dark chocolate lovers who might be health conscious as well. (I plan to add pieces of this bar, if there are any leftover, to my homemade nut, seed and fruit trail mix.)

I would recommend doing a side-by-side tasting with Cacao Crudo's 90% cacao bar and today's 100% bar (or as part of a tasting flight of 100% bars). Truthfully, I prefer the company's 90% version a hair more. 

That little bit of added coconut sugar (concentrated coconut flower sap) opened up another flavor facet. Either way, so nice to be sampling chocolates with flavors un-bowed by too much roasting or sugar was fantastic. (Big thank you for that.)

Ingredients: Organic, unroasted cacao beans ("Criollo beans paste")

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Cacao Crudo - Dark Organic Chocolate Fondente 90% (bar) - Nov. 19, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo S.r.l.
Dark Organic Chocolate Fondente 90% Peru (bar)
(Cioccolato Fondente Bio Criollo Non Tostato 90% Peru)
Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 159.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - sample 
Purchased from: N/A - sample

Ciao, Hola and Greetings from California. Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week. 

Today's Dark Organic Chocolate 90% Peru bar was crafted by Cacao Crudo S.r.l. (Roma (Rome), Italy), using cacao beans grown in Peru, and was eventually shipped to California, where I live. Food often involves complex supply chains, and this is certainly true for chocolate.

The chocolate was made using high-quality, un-roasted Criollo cacao (beans). Cacao beans are generally roasted as part of the process of chocolate making. Roasting can develop certain flavors, but can also lead to a loss of other--often more delicate or volatile--flavors (e.g. green and floral notes). Each variety and/or batch of cacao may call for a different roasting profile.

Criollo cacao is prized for its subtle yet complex flavor notes, including: milder stone fruits, cream, light caramel. In skilled hands, a low roast (or in today's case a "no" roast) profile/choice can preserve subtle, heritage Criollo flavors and result in a truly great chocolate.

As mentioned in previous Cacao Crudo chocolate bar reviews, I believe the company has fulfilled the promise of what raw chocolate can be.* This 90% bar had an aroma that evoked fresh, alive, vibrant green (plants, green coconut) with faint floral and herbal notes.

It had a smooth, creamy melt and texture.

The flavors included freshly picked, mildly sweet, green coconut with light herbal notes, and a slightly nutty roundness in the finish. 

This was a very pleasant and accessible ultra dark bar with mild-medium acidity and a balanced, very light bitterness and low astringency. I highly recommend tasting this next to a conventional 90% bar made with roasted cacao. The differences may surprise you.

Ingredients: Organic, unroasted cacao beans ("Criollo beans paste"); organic concentrated coconut flower sap.

*Raw cacao is typically quite a bit higher in minerals (like iron, magnesium and potassium), and in certain enzymes and anti-oxidants, but traditionally has been much milder in flavor. Whereas roasting can help add flavor (that many people like) and also can help minimize/eliminate potentially harmful bacteria. So, some people shied away from earlier attempts at raw chocolate. Thank you Cacao Crudo for showing us out of this perceived dichotomy, with delicious proof that raw chocolate can be wonderful, without sacrifice.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Domori - Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 279 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Domori srl (based in None (Torino), Italy). 

This well-executed chocolate was wrapped in packaging that contained the image of a muscular yet agile spotted jaguar in a tree. The bar had a satisfying, thick, firm creamy/fudgey texture. (Note: it was eaten in a cool room.) 

The aroma offered beautiful and seductive hints fruit, light floral (vanilla rum-soaked raisin),  green (earthy, lush grasses) and nut. The sleek bar delivered with similar/complementary flavor notes (which are not always the same as the aroma notes in a chocolate). 

Tasting it revealed concentrated fruit (with bright red raspberry highlights), nut butter (almond), faint green floral flavor notes and an very faint earthiness. 

The finish* was purr-fect, and lingered until it stealthily disappeared, presumably back to the jungle. I don't know where departing chocolate or jaguar** spirits go. I was too focused on enjoying this chocolate, from start to finish, to notice.

So much flavor was coaxed out of just two ingredients.* And of course, much of that was due to the choice of the Trinitario variety of cacao that was chosen.

The cacao beans were grown in "the Apurimac river area in southern Peru. A recently created hybrid (Trinitario Cocoa) with notes of flowers, caramel and cream. Very delicate, with a discreet acidity and a fresh taste that makes it a protagonist in high level patisserie production and in cocktails." 

Why do you stick around and pay close attention to the "finish" that an artisan dark chocolate bar or a fine wine might have? The same reason why you stay as the sun is setting, for the potential to see/experience that last bright flourish of light and color parfait. Don't miss the green flash :-).

*Ingredients: cocoa mass, cane sugar.

** Jaguars used to be found in the U.S. Sadly, they were hunted to extinction. These beautiful animals might occasionally be sighted as far north as Mexico but are primarily found further south in the Americas. Their stronghold is in the Amazon Basin, not far from where cacao is grown. They can live in forests and transitional areas between canopied regions and grasslands. 

A. Morin - Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar) - Nov. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 336 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by A. Morin (Donzere, France). Andre Morin founded la chocolaterie "A. Morin" in 1958; and the family's chocolatier skills and history have been passed down "from father to son" since 1884.

This Peru 70% bar was a lovely choice to brighten up a cold, windy late November day. I savored this chocolate as I watched the last of a the bright yellow leaves being wrenched from trees outside...from the warm window view inside. 

The aroma of this bar was lovely. Think fresh baked chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with fruit (peach-light plum) and faint green notes. The flavor was just as pleasing with a balanced sweetness.

The cacao used to make this pure origine (single origin) chocolate was grown in Peru. The maker's tasting notes read as follows: This chocolate reveals notes of sour fruits at first, then develops aromas of mango and plums before a spicy and flowery finish.

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


 

Monday, November 16, 2020

A. Morin - Perou Chanchamayo Noir 100% (bar) - Nov. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Chamichanga Noir 100% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 336 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Chanchamayo Noir 100% (bar) was made from bean-to-bar in France, by A. Morin (Donzere, France), from one ingredient: Organic (Peruvian) cacao beans. 

The company has been creating chocolate for over a century ("from father to son" since 1884).

Today's bar was one of those 100% cacao bars that had a rich, chocolate aroma with bright-sweet true chocolate (chocolate cake) with faint earth and molasses/spice notes. The "sweet" association meant that the unsweetened taste reality was a bit of a brain disconnect with the first bite. (The palette-brain was expecting sugar.) This brain foolery happens more in some 100% bars than others.

This A. Morin thick chocolate had a fudgey rich, velvety (creamy nut butter) texture, and some initial tart acidity that mellowed over the course of the tasting experience to a relatively uniform, ultra-dark chocolate (think Forastero cacao variety and/or heavy roast profile). There was a very slight, (dark roast) balanced bitterness that lingered late in the finish after a sip of water.

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans


 

A. Morin - Perou Chanchamayo Noir 63% (bar) - Nov. 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Chamichanga Noir 63% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 295 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Buen Dia, Bonjour and Good Day. Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Chanchamayo Noir 63% (bar) was made in France from Peruvian cacao, by A. Morin (Donzere, France). The company has been creating chocolate for over a century (passed"from father to son" since 1884...I'm always impressed with this level of continuity in business). 

The chocolate had a true, sweet chocolate (chocolate cake) aroma.

The primary flavor spike included a tart sweetness and medium acidity, with some astringency. (I briefly imagined a fruit salad with sweet pink grapefruit, green apples, ripe persimmons and tart cherries, drizzled with honey). 

A mild (honey) and with a faint herbal-floral/spice finish lingered after things settled down.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter


Saturday, November 14, 2020

Cacaosuyo - 70% Cacao Piura Select Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 14, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacaosuyo 
(Produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC)
70% Cacao Piura Select Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Cacaosuyo 70% Cacao Piura Select Dark Chocolate (bar) was produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC (Lima, Peru). 

The company is dedicated to making chocolate using cacao fruit/beans grown in the land of the "Four Suyos"* of Peru, a term that recalls a rich cacao history dating back to the Incan Empire. Through these chocolates, one can experience a very important cradle site for cacao in the Americas, where it's believed that centuries ago the Inca people shared cacao with their allies, but kept it a secret from outsiders.

Today's 70% cacao dark bar is the last of four conveniently sized (single-serving) different Cacaosuyo bars featured this week, and was made with prized "white" cacao beans grown in the Piura region of northwestern Peru--a region that includes semi-tropical forests in the east and coastal beaches to the west.

This chocolate had true chocolate aroma with a faint dried fruit, molasses, lightly wine- soaked raisin and citrus (Meyer lemon peel) notes. The bar was relatively thin, allowing easy and rapid access to the texture and flavor. It had a creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes were similar to the aroma notes mentioned above with a slight hints of malt/cereal and green nut and a very light citrus astringency (throat tickle). This bar was relatively suave and sophisticated: well balanced, flavorful yet tastefully subtle.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: The "...flavor you are about to experience is a product of a combination of meticulous harvest and post-harvest processes. We are confident that this bar, with its light citrus and nutty notes, will be a pleasant discovery." 

Ingredients: Cocoa paste (Theobroma cacao L) and sugar.

*The Four Suyos refers to Incan empire Tawantinsuyu's Four Suyos (similar to counties or regions) that surrounded Cuzco: Antisuyo (east, forest/wild area), Chinchaysuyo (northwest), Contisuyo (west) and Collasuyo (south). The Empire at its heydey occupied most of Peru, and parts of what is now Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina. 

Centuries ago, the Spanish named the Peruvian city of Piura, after the native Quechuan word "pirhua," meaning "abundance." The Peruvian region of Piura overlapped with the Incan suyo known as Chinchaysuyo. (Chinay or Chincha means ocelot in Quechua.)

Cacaosuyo - 70% Cacao Lakuna Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacaosuyo 
(Produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC)
70% Cacao Lakuna Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good +++ - Very Good 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Cacaosuyo 70% Cacao Lakuna Dark Chocolate (bar) was produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC (Lima, Peru). 

The company is dedicated to making chocolate using cacao fruit/beans grown in the land of the "Four Suyos"* of Peru, a term that refers back to the Inca Empire. The Incas consumed cacao "as a source of energy and power" and today the peoples of Peru are linked to a rich cacao heritage and traditions that stretch from past to present.

Today's 70% cacao dark bar is the third of four conveniently sized (single-serving) different Cacaosuyo bars featured this week, and was made with cacao beans grown in the Amazon region in northern Peru (Amazonas).

I would advise opening the inner packet that contains this bar and you might sample the aroma, but then let it breathe for a few minutes. (The aroma will shift and mellow a bit.) This chocolate had a unique aroma with rich, concentrated dark sweetness, dried fruit (prunes, lightly rum-soaked dark raisins) and faint licorice spice and herbal spirits notes. 

The bar was relatively thin, allowing great access to the texture and flavor. The bar's true dark chocolate, and natural dark sweetness bloomed (like you'd find in fennel, licorice or other naturally sweet plants) with the first bite. Don't worry if you're not a licorice fan, you won't need to be to enjoy this experience. The melt was almost creamy, and the texture was smooth but with a very light astringency mid-way to finish.

Chocolate flavor notes were similar to the dried fruit aroma and sweet herbal notes listed above. There was also a very slight green/bright earth note that was faint and harmonized with the overall cacao profile. A minute or two after the last bite, I experienced floral notes (that included saffron (Crocus sativus), an expensive floral spice derived from the bright orange stamens springing from the center of purple saffron crocus flowers). What an intriguing bar.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Our passion to explore the Amazon and chocolate brings us a wonderful cacao that is hidden in the rich jungle of Peru, to transform into an exquisite dark sweetness, full of floral notes that intimately combine with fruits make this a new experience for those of us who dream of deliciously different flavors. We call it Lakuna."**

Ingredients: Cacao paste (Theobroma cacao L) and sugar

*The Four Suyos refers to Inca empire Tawantinsuyu's Four Suyos (similar to counties or regions) that surrounded Cuzco: Antisuyo (east, forest/wild area), Chinchaysuyo (northwest), Contisuyo (west) and Collasuyo (south). The Empire at its heydey occupied most of Peru, and parts of what is now Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina. 

**Lakuna, or lacuna in English, has a nuanced (temptingly metaphorical) series of definitions. It can mean an interval or gap; a missing page from a book, manuscript or logical argument; or (in a medical context) a cavity or depression in a bone. In Botany, lacunae are air spaces in cellular plant tissues. 

But, rather than a deficiency, a gap can also have great value. (Note: Without lacunae or nasal cavities we could not smell and taste.)

How might this definition apply to today's chocolate? 

Music is created by a variety of notes, some strong, some soft. But, there is also depth and power in the pauses between notes. This 70% Amazonas bar has bold flavors, but in the intervals between what seem to be strong notes, complex green/herbal and floral notes emerge, resulting in a wonderful whole. So, rather than what might be emptier gaps in some chocolates, the "holes" are filled with music. A "w" is added to "whole" here. 

Great chocolates that I've had the pleasure to try are created by chocolate makers and maestros--along every step of the process from bean-to-bar--and seem to evoke a distinct sense of their own music when you taste them. I chalk this experience up to multi-layered crafting skills, chemistry magic in the "gaps" and around the edges, and perhaps a touch of chocolate-tasting synesthesia (where senses of smell and taste might merge in the brain with auditory senses and experience memories.)

A solid, perfectly uniform block of anything can be powerful and skillfully executed, but there is less to "hear" and write about. Which is why I'm attracted to the interesting and varied facets and forms of science, nature and people...and complex foods like chocolate.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Cacaosuyo - Cuzco 80 Dark Chocolate 80% Cacao (bar) - Nov. 12, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacaosuyo 
(Produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC)
Cuzco 80 Dark Chocolate 80% Cacao (bar) 
Good ++  
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Cacaosuyo 50% Cacao Piura Milk (bar) was produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC (Lima, Peru). 

The company offers chocolate made "in-country" using cacao fruit/beans grown on lands in Peru that overlap with the "Four Suyos"* or Four Regions of the ancient Inca Empire. These areas have a rich cacao history spanning several centuries.

Today's 80% cacao dark bar is the second of four conveniently sized (single-serving) different Cacaosuyo bars featured this week. It was made in country, i.e. in Peru with cacao beans grown in the Cuzco region of Peru. 

This chocolate had an interesting aroma with grape, green, and subtle fermentation and earth notes. The bar was relatively thin, allowing great access to the texture and flavor. The chocolate had a creamy melt and mouthfeel and smooth texture. And some of the faint green notes carried over into the flavor. For an 80% chocolate, this had an appealing, very balanced bitter and sweet quality.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: 

Ingredients: Cacao paste (Theobroma cacao L) and sugar

*The Four Suyos refers to Incan empire Tawantinsuyu's Four Suyos (similar to counties or regions) that surrounded Cuzco: Antisuyo (east, forest/wild area), Chinchaysuyo (northwest), Contisuyo (west) and Collasuyo (south). The Empire at its heydey occupied most of Peru, and parts of what is now Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Cacaosuyo - 50% Cacao Piura Milk (bar) - Nov. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacaosuyo 
(Produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC)
50% Cacao Piura Milk (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Cacaosuyo 50% Cacao Piura Milk (bar) was produced by Theobroma Inversiones SAC (Lima, Peru). 

The company is dedicated to making chocolate using cacao fruit/beans grown in the land of the "Four Suyos"* of Peru, a term that recalls a rich cacao history dating back to the Incan Empire. 

Today's 50% cacao bar is the first of four conveniently sized (single-serving) different Cacaosuyo bars featured this week, and was made with "white" cacao beans grown in the Piura Province of northwestern Peru. 

This chocolate had a pleasant milk chocolate aroma with a faint earth note. The bar was relatively thin, allowing great access to the texture and flavor. The first bite had a very slightly gummy melt; and the overall mouthfeel and texture were luxuriously creamy.

Flavor notes included caramel and vanilla integrated into the milk chocolate, that also had barely detectable fruit (stone fruit, nectarine) and nutty (cashew) notes. (Any faint earth that I though I detected in the aroma was not really present in the flavor.)

Ingredients: Cacao paste (Theobroma cacao L), milk, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla

*The Four Suyos refers to Incan empire Tawantinsuyu's Four Suyos (similar to counties or regions) that surrounded Cuzco: Antisuyo (east, forest/wild area), Chinchaysuyo (northwest), Contisuyo (west) and Collasuyo (south). The Empire at its heydey occupied most of Peru, and parts of what is now Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

Piura, Peru, would have been part of Chinchaysuyo. (Chinchay in Quechua means Ocelot.)

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Honeymoon Chocolates - Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Raw Honey (bar) - Nov. 10, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate Raspberry Raw Honey (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 188 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Bean-to-Bar Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO).  

The company creates micro batch stone-ground chocolate bars sweetened with raw honey. A portion of the proceeds from this chocolate bar (and others) "are automatically donated to support honeybee research."

The base 70% dark chocolate had a soft melt and texture and an even, dark flavor with faint fermented, cream notes. Raspberry (fruit with seeds) added ruby red color highlights--in the bee-inspired, hexagon-patterned bar--as well as subtle pops of bright, naturally sweet and tart red berry flavor. 

A judicious amount of raw honey contributed a subtle sweetness (vs. the sugar buzz one often feels after eating more processed sugars and syrups). 

Ingredients: Organic cacao, raw honey, cacao butter, raspberry and vanilla bean.

 

Monday, November 9, 2020

Honeymoon Chocolates - Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey (bar) - Nov. 9, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 188 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Bean-to-Bar Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO).  

The company creates micro batch stone-ground chocolate bars sweetened with raw honey. A portion of the proceeds from this chocolate bar (and others) "are automatically donated to support honeybee research."

This chocolate had a soft, almost velvety melt and texture. The relatively robust dark chocolate with notes of cream, earth, roasted coffee, dried fruit (prune, citrus), and very faint spice and fermented cacao. The raw honey contributed a subtle sweetness.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, raw honey, cacao butter and vanilla bean.

Cacao Crudo - Siracusa Lemon PGI Zest 77% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 8, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Crudo S.r.l.
Cioccolato Fondente Bio - Scorze di "Limone di Siracusa IGP" (barretta)
Dark Organic Chocolate "Siracusa Lemon PGI" Zests (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 149 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ N/A - sample from Cacao Crudo
Purchased from: N/A - sample from Cacao Crudo

Benvenuta! Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Organic Dark Chocolate "Siracusa Lemon PGI" Zests (bar) delivered bold flavors with just three ingredients: Peruvian cacao, coconut flower sap and Italian lemon zest. 

The makers at Cacao Crudo S.r.l. crafted this unroasted, Criollo chocolate (in their laboratory in Rome, Italy). The company offers raw chocolates made with fine cacao that are quite wonderful.

This bar had a lush green, sweet lemon tree scent. The 77% dark chocolate provided relatively intense and smooth dark flavor with faint green notes, and the lemon zest added a balanced bitter "bite." 

Not only has Cacao Crudo delivered on the promise of raw cacao, but also on potential existing with the marriage of high-quality cacao and high-quality lemon. (The few chocolate and lemon confections are almost always too sweet or made with lower quality ingredients.)

For those who also prefer less sugar,in your chocolate experience, the company's use of coconut flower sap sweetener and choice of a subtler sweetness level is also close to perfection in my opinion.

Chocolate Pairings

This bar was also a great chocolate to add to tasting plate/menu. I paired this intense 77% dark chocolate and lemon zest bar with the following beverages and foods: a hot coffee cocktail (with whiskey, honey and Frangelico liqueur); 3 varieties of tea (green, Fujian Oolong and smokey black teas); 3 varieties of honeys, cheeses; and warmed nuts today. 

The clean, almost green notes of the Fujian Oolong tea won out by a slim margin on the beverage pairing front.

The pairing with warm hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts (very lightly salted with sea salt and rosemary and drizzled with EVOO) was especially popular on this cold, windy day. But the pairing of this bar with cheeses was surprisingly successful as well.

*Ingredients: Unroasted, Organic Criollo cacao beans paste, Organic concentrated coconut flower sap, dried, Organic "Siracusa Lemon PGI" zests (3%).

PGI (in Italian IGP) is a special designation for Italian grown produce (grapes, hazelnuts, lemons, etc.) and foodstuffs tied to a specified region.


Sunday, November 8, 2020

Dark Chocolate Honey Cured Pink and Meyer Lemon Slices; Clif Family White Chocolate Lemon & Ginger (bar) - Nov. 7, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Dark Chocolate, Honey Cured Pink and Meyer Lemon Slices
(Homemade)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45.28 g.) for 4 small slices
Calories: 195 calories in 4 small slices
Cost: $ N/A - various
Purchased from: N/A - various (including lemon trees in yard)

Clif Family Napa Valley
White Chocolate Lemon and Ginger (bar)
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 280 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week. 

Homemade honey and lemon dark chocolate slices
I'm drawn to pairing warm, bright flavors with chocolate as the weather cools in November. Fortunately, I live in California and Meyer lemon, sweet pink grapefruit, and other citrus trees are full of fruit now.

For today's first chocolate, I brushed ultra-thin slices of Pink Lemons and Meyer Lemons with honey and later (after a slow curing process) dipped these citrus slices into a melange of melted dark chocolates. I loved the bold bitter dark, and tart lemon flavors together with a subtle honey sweetness.

The second chocolate was a gentler, sweeter implementation of these flavors. 

Clif Family White Chocolate Lemon and Ginger (bar)
The Clif Family * winery and chocolate factory (Saint Helena, CA) are based in the Napa Valley in northern California--a region famous for wine and good food.

Today's White Chocolate Lemon and Ginger 33% Cacao Artisan Chocolate (bar) had authentic ginger flavor and subtle citrus (lemon) notes. (The Clif Family suggests pairing this bar with a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc wine.)

High cacao (butter) percent white chocolates (sans cacao solids) provide a sweet culinary launchpad for subtle herbs, spices and fruits like saffron, pepper(s), citrus (lemon, orange, lime, kumquat, etc.), members of the mint family, honey and many other flavor inclusions. 

Even ginger and stronger mints and fruits--that can hold their own with dark chocolate (high percent cacao solids)--can be intriguing when allowed to take center stage in a white chocolate base.

As long as the white chocolate is pure and not overly sweet, these flavor blends can be delicious. Today's 33% white chocolate was a balanced, warming ginger and lemon confection suffused with a touch of vanilla. 

Ingredients: "33% White Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla (organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk, organic nonfat milk, organic soy lecithin, whole Tahitian vanilla beans), organic crystallized ginger, organic crystallized lemon peel, citric acid."

*The Clif Family operations in Napa are owned by Clif Bar founders, Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet (bar), and Christopher Elbow - Lemon Chocolates - Nov. 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker
62% Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 9.7 oz. (275 g.) in total package
Calories: 165 calories in 1 oz. serving
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Christopher Elbow
Fresh Lemon Chocolates (white chocolate) confections
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32 g.) / 2.3 oz. (64 g.) in total box of 6 pieces
Calories: 240 calories in 3 pieces
Cost: $12.95 (estimate) for 1 box of 6 pieces + shipping
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week. Today the weather turned cooler and I spent time indoors enjoying a chocolate, lemon and honey banquet day. 

First I sampled (and conjured chocolate treats using) a block of 62% Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate from Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, with "hints of citrus and honey overtones." (This chocolate is marketed as good for baking or eating. I agree.)

Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet Dark Chocolate

The company's website suggested pairing items with their different chocolates, including wines and other beverages. The pairing suggested for this 62% dark chocolate was a fresh cup of Guatemalan coffee. Yes, I could imagine that...perhaps with a twist of lemon peel on the saucer. 

The "citrus" notes in this dark chocolate were light, balanced sweet lemon. The "honey" note was subtle and very nicely balanced. The chocolate was rich, and uniform in flavor and not too sweet (thank you!).

Instead of pairing this dark chocolate with something strong and wild, I went the other way. I paired it with two other lighter, but flavorful lemon items: hot, homemade lemon (3 different kinds, from the garden) and honey tea; and some delectable, pie-like, Fresh Lemon white chocolate filled confections.

Ingredients: cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter. 

Christopher Elbow 

Each bright, sunny yellow Fresh Lemon confection from Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, MO) conjured up images of lemon cream pie and freshly made lemon curd. Sweet? Yes, one or two of these white chocolate beauties will satisfy any dessert craving you might have. They had a creamy white chocolate melt and texture balanced with a tart lemon "marmalade" layer and lemon-infused white ganache.

Ingredients: "White chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, dry whole and skim milk, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), natural vanilla); heavy cream, lemon juice, sugar, butter, glucose, invert sugar, apple pectin, citric acid, FDA approved colors."

Cemoi - Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar) - Nov. 5, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cemoi 
Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar)
Good +
Weight: 4 squares - 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1 serving (4 squares) of bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the final day of (Day #18 of) Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks, and Day #2 of Chocolate, Honey and Citrus Theme Week.

Single origin chocolates featured this week with honey and citrus aroma and flavor notes usually don't contain actual honey or citrus fruit ingredients. Rather, like wine, coffee and spirits, chocolates contain complex elements that influence how we smell and taste food and beverages.

Today's Dominican Republic 70% Cocoa (bar) was produced in France and distributed by Cemoi Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA).

The chocolate had fruit (sweet citrus, light lemon and honey), woodsy and faint nut notes with one (fleeting) earth note.

Cemoi tasting notes read: Honey, Prunes, Dried Wood

Ingredients: Dominican Republic unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract.


Thursday, November 5, 2020

Honeymoon Chocolates - 85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 188 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #17 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's 85% Haiti Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO). The company specializes in bean-to-bar craft chocolate sweetened with raw honey.

The bar had a faint dark chocolate aroma and a surprisingly mild and smooth dark chocolate flavor for an ultra-dark chocolate (85%) bar. Missouri raw wildflower and clover honey added a subtle and soft sweetness.

This bar was made using organic cacao from Produits Des Iles SA (PISA), a cacao exporter that works with more than 1,000 cacao farmers in northern Haiti to create high-quality, specialty cacao.

The cacao beans were stone-ground with Madagascan vanilla for 48 hours and the overall bar was "Crafted by Cam." Thank you Cam. (Honeymoon Chocolates founders Cam Loyet and Haley Loyet started the company in 2016, and make their bars in small batches.)

The maker's tasting notes read: "Molasses, Pie Crust, Smoked Wood, Dried Cherry"

Ingredients: Organic cacao, raw honey, cacao butter, and vanilla bean.

 

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Christopher Elbow - Haiti 72% Dark (bar) - Nov. 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Christopher Elbow
Haiti 72% Dark (bar) 
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks.

Today's Haiti 72% Dark (bar) was from Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate (Kansas City, MO).

This chocolate had balanced fresh green tea (bamboo, lemongrass), goji berries and faint apple aroma and flavor notes, and was relatively "sweet" (not too bitter) for a 72% cacao bar.

Today's bar had similar aroma and flavor notes to yesterday's (Ranger Chocolate, 75% cacao Haiti Nord) bar. Cacao for both came from the same geographic region in Haiti. (Both seemed to benefit from boosting the cacao percent from 70% to a bit higher (and, by definition, reducing the sugar %), given the relatively well-mannered, sweet flavor of this cacao.)

The cacao used to make this Christopher Elbow bar was from Products Des Iles SA (PISA), in the Nord Department in northern Haiti (2017 Harvest). PISA works with cacao farmers and has helped improve cacao fermentation and overall cacao quality in Haiti, which in turn allows us to enjoy better craft, single origin chocolate(s) in the long-run (and, one hopes, enables farmers to be rewarded for higher-quality cacao). Organizations like PISA in cacao-growing countries have accomplished much in recent decades.

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "...notes of dried fruit and roasted nuts."

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

Ranger Chocolate Company - 75% Haiti Nord (bar) - Nov. 2, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Ranger Chocolate Company
75% Haiti Nord (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.125 oz. (32 g.) / 2.25 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 169 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Ranger Chocolate, online order 

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks. 

Today's 75% Haiti Nord dark chocolate bar was crafted by Ranger Chocolate (Portland, OR). 

This well-balanced and even dark bar was made with cacao grown in northern Haiti. It had a gentle, light roast profile with herbal notes (green bamboo forest, lemongrass, green apple), very faint malt and buttery, warm spiced fruit (pear); relatively low bitterness and acidity; and a very slight astringency in the finish (fleeting back of the throat tickle that disappeared when the chocolate and my throat warmed up). 

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "butterscotch, cream and a hint of apple."* 

If I'd been tasting this in a blind tasting, I might have guessed the cacao origin to be somewhere in the Americas, but would likely not have guessed Haiti. As commented before, there seems to be improvements in cacao beans coming from Hispaniola (Haiti, D.R.) in recent years. 

This trend likely speaks to improvements in farming techniques, fermentation and an increase in the number of thoughtful chocolate makers continuing to cultivate good relationships with suppliers "in country" where cacao is grown. Vive la difference.

*Ingredients: organic cacao, organic cane sugar 

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Cru Chocolate - Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (bar) - Nov. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Cru Chocolate
Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (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 (CSA box), online order

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Weeks. 

Today's Haiti Dark Chocolate 72% (bar) was from Cru Chocolate (Roseville, CA).

This bar had a delightfully rich chocolate aroma and flavor with dried fruits (dates, prunes, pineapple), fresh sugar cane and faint floral notes. 

The Republic of Haiti occupies the western half of the West Indies island of Hispaniola. The  Dominican Republic occupies the the eastern half. I've been featuring chocolates from these neighboring nations for the past few weeks. The quality of single origin bars from both of these locations has improved since Chocolate Banquet started in 2006.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic unrefined cane sugar

Georgia Ramon (GR) - Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 70% Dunkle Schokolade (bar) - Oct. 31, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Georgia Ramon (GR)
Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 80% Dunkle Schokolade (bar)
Good  ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 275 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Dominican Republic and Haiti Theme Week. And Happy Halloween to all. 

Not as many children go trick-or-treating through neighborhoods for candy and chocolate treats as I experienced during the hey-day of this holiday tradition. But, the artwork on the packaging (with a festive looking skull) for today's bar celebrated not only Haitian traditions but it captured the spirit of Halloween as well.

Today's Haiti Pisa Farmers Trinitario 80% Dunkle Schokolade (Dark Chocolate) (bar) was from Georgia Roman GmbH and Co. KG (Oberkassel, Germany). 

This chocolate had brown sugar, honey, nut butter and concentrated fruit (raisin, cherry, plum) and true chocolate notes. It had the rich flavors of an ultra-dark bar, and did have a lingering finish with a touch of very balanced bitterness. But this chocolate was relatively sweet and not that bitter for an 80% cacao bar. This would be a good choice for those who are a bit intimidated by a higher cacao percentage bar.

The chocolate maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Ripe figs, sour cherries and roasted nuts with floral notes" 

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter 

 

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