Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Firetree Chocolate - Guadacanal 100% (bar) - Dec. 30, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Firetree Chocolate Limited
Guadalcanal 100% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 kcals (calories) in 1 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and South Pacific Islands.

Today's Guadalcanal 100% (bar) was from Firetree Chocolate Limited (Peterborough, U.K.). 

The company name, firetree, was inspired by the volcanic nature (and rich, dark soils) of the Pacific Islands, and the cacao trees that grow there...with pods/fruits covered in bright, fiery colors.* This inspiration carried over to the attractive packaging for their line of bars--black with a contrasting field of bright, swirling hot lava-like colors. (Although the packaging for today's 100% cacao bar was all black.)

This 100% bar had balanced, true chocolate, faint fruit (light citrus, light berry-plum), faint seed/nut, and faint sweet aroma notes. 

Yes, but would the taste reflect the same sweetness perceived in the aroma? Or would it take a turn to the dark (unsweetened) side on the taste buds?

Amazing. The slight sweetness remained although it faded very gradually. This was a very polite and sophisticated 100% ultra-dark bar, with slightly muted flavors (nothing spiky) that lingered with a relatively light, balanced bitterness that extended into the finish. (If you're a chocolate lover who is wanting to cut out sugar, this would be a good chocolate to evaluate as part of a 100% bar (tasting) flight.)

I am not sure how the cocoa mass used to make this single-ingredient** bar was fermented or processed, but the resulting chocolate was very approachable.

This bar also had a creamy smooth, almost nut butter-like texture--putting this chocolate even higher on the "friendly" end of the scale for an ultra-dark bar. ("Ferocious" might be at the opposite end of this same scale. Although many wild beasts can be lovable as well.)

* The swirl of color(s) used on the packaging of other Firetree bars are functional as well as beautiful. They're designed to reflect the maker's tasting notes. E.g. a pattern of color with yellow might reflect "citrus" notes in the specific chocolate inside. But, I will include more about this as I feature more Firetree bars this week.

**Ingredients: Cacao mass (100% minimum cacao solids)


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