Monday, May 31, 2021

Mission Chocolate - Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar) - May 31, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 330 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Pao de Mel - Gingerbread Milk Chocolate (bar) was made by Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate (Sao Paolo, Brazil). 

Aroma notes included warm milk chocolate, fleeting red clay, freshly baked bread/cake, and spices (five spice blend with star anise).

This milk chocolate bar had a creamy melt and texture.

The flavor was a blend of smooth, rich, sweet milk chocolate suffused with warm spices (five spice blend; cinnamon, ginger, star anise and possibly allspice).

Ingredients: Organic sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, cacao, spices, honey.

Allergen-related information: Does not contain gluten. Contains lactose/cow's milk. May contain traces of nuts, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, oats.

Luisa Abram - Tocatins River Wild Cocoa Brazilian Amazon 81% (bar) - May 30, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Luisa Abram
Chocolate de Cacau Selvagem da Amazonia Brasileira - Rio Tocantins (barra)
(Chocolate made with wild cocoa from the Brazilian Amazon, Tocantins River (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 2.8 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 250 calories in 1/2 package (1 of 2 small individually wrapped bars)
Cost: $10.00 for 1 of 2 bars in package
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Brazilian Amazon Tocantins River 81% dark bar was made by Luisa Abram (Sao Paolo, Brazil). The company specializes in bean-to-bar chocolate with wild cacao from the Amazon.

Aroma: dark chocolate with green, citrus (lemon) herbal notes (lemon balm, sour grass*)
fleeting, faint fruit notes (dried green banana, dried persimmon) 

The aroma notes above implied some astringency; however, the texture and flavor were only mildly so, and in a pleasing and interesting way.

The cacao seemed to have a natural sweetness (or absence of bold bitterness); and the opportunity to go with the higher-percentage 81% cacao version of this chocolate was much appreciated. The maker's choices honored and harnessed the natural sweetness without extra sugar. (Thank you!)

This package contained, two individually-wrapped smaller bars, making it very easy to share with others, or to keep a fresh (unopened) portion for later. I liked that.

Ingredients: cacao mass, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter 

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that handles milk and brazil nuts.

*Sour grass is a wild, edible plant with a lemony and/or Vitamin C tartness to it. Also known as lemon "sorrel" or lemon clover and yellow upright oxalis, part of the tart flavor comes from oxalic acid. 

For those with kidney/kidney stone issues, you may have been told to limit consumption of plant foods that contain high levels of oxalic acid, such as rhubarb, spinach, beet greens and other greens, certain nuts (almonds)--and, sadly dear friends, cocoa powder and dark chocolate.

So it's possible I was tasting cacao that was naturally higher in oxalic acid today (thus the sour grass aroma). But, this is speculation on my part. The amount of oxalate content varies widely in cocoa.

Methods of farming, fermention, drying, processing and other factors can all influence oxalate content in cocoa, as this study published in ResearchGate in 2016, shows.

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Francois Pralus - Bresil Forastero 75% (bar) - May 29, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Francois Pralus
Bresil (Brazil) Forastero 75% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 292.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.60 (estimate) (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

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

Today's Bresil (Brazil) Forastero* 75% (bar) was made by Francois Pralus (Roanne, France).

The aroma notes for this dark chocolate included: cocoa, fruit (dried apple, dried persimmon), butter, faint, warm spice (cinnamon, 5-spice blend with a hint of tangerine peel), and faint herb/green (sweet lemon balm, light green grass).

The Brazil 75% chocolate had a creamy melt and texture (a luscious quality almost all Pralus chocolates seem to share). This trait may be due to longer conching/grinding times** (resulting in smaller particle size and full incorporation of cocoa solids and fats), and added cocoa butter.

The chocolate flavor was quite pleasant and subtle complexity, and relatively civilized for being made using just a Forastero cacao variety. (A longer conching time can also tame certain notes.**) 

The flavor notes included: chocolate (mocha brownie), with faint fruit (bright red apple and sweet, sun ripened blackberries) and a pleasant finish. 

The cacao was from a plantation located in Itacare along the Rio de Contas (De Contas River), in northeastern Brazil (Bahia). The river water flows from "Chapada Diamantina" (a national park, with a name that means "Diamond Plateau"). 

This water contains alluvial diamonds and "bathes the Forastero cacao trees and creates precious cacao pods." Cacao Badaro has over a century of history. Diego Badaro is a fifth generation cacao farmer who helped introduce organic/biodynamic, environment-friendly agricultural practices to the region.

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Single plantation chocolate. Powerful nose, well-balanced, coffee, cocoa and woody (boises) aromas."

Ingredients: "75% cocoa, sugar, pure cocoa butter, GMO-free soya lecithin"

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of nuts or milk.

*Forastero (cacao variety) is associated with bold, hearty flavor(s), and is more disease-resistant, than say, the more delicate Criollo cacao variety. The robust Forastero leads in terms of cacao production worldwide.

** I have not visited Pralus chocolate makers. My comments here (about conching/grinding times) are speculations about processes, based on knowledge I've accumulated from past tours, tastings, interviews with makers and other research.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Domori - Brasile - Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) - May 28, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
Brasile - Cioccolato Bio 70% (barra)
(Brazil - Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 270.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.90 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Bem  vinda (welcome) to Day #10 of VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolates with origins and flavor inclusions that start with the letter(s) V, W, X, Y and Z; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week. 

Today's grown-up fruity and faintly nutty Brazil Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) was made by Domori srl (None, Italy).

This well-tempered and well-executed dark chocolate had an aroma and flavor with rich concentrated, fermented fruit (prunes, figs, raisins, faint dried banana) with very faint traces of fermented fruit/sugar spirits (rum, port); cocktail herbs (sweet bayleaf, vanilla, juniper); cream; and true dark chocolate/cocoa flavored with a hint of naturally earthy Brazil nuts and almonds. 

The texture was relatively creamy and smooth; and the flavors, while relatively bold, but were nicely balanced, and harmonized to create a sophisticated complexity.

Thank you to Gianluca Franzoni and team at Domori for providing a delicious means of virtual travel. I could almost imagine myself in a temperate rainforest in Brazil.

X is for Xingu
The letter"X" is linked to a significant cacao origin story in Brazil. Domori was involved in the creation of this chocolate from "tree-to-bar," selecting cacao from 17 family-run farms along the Xingu River, (a SE tributary of the Amazon River)--that stretches over 1,000 miles in northern Brazil--traversing the States of Mato Grosso and Para. 

The word Xingu refers to the river as well as to approximately fifteen tribes of native/indigenous (Amerind) people living near the river. The native peoples of the Amazon basin have enjoyed wild fish, manioc and maize, palm fruits, cashews and cacao and many other foods for centuries, long before Columbus/Europeans made their way to the Americas in search of gold and other treasures.

Ingredients: Cacao min. 70 percent. Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: Gluten free. May contain traces of nuts, milk and soy.

Zotter - Yuzu Citrus from Japan (milk chocolate bar) - May 27, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
"Yuzu Citrus from Japan" (milk chocolate bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 360 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and V, W, X, Y and Z Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions starting with the letters V, W, X,* Y and/or Z.

Today's "Yuzu Citrus from Japan" (bar) was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Cape Coral, FL).

Imports of fresh Yuzu** fruit from Japan, China, Korea and/or other countries of origin, have not been allowed into the U.S., due to concerns about possible agricultural disease/pests. This restriction has relegated tasting this fruit to a rare, exotic experience for most. 

Happily, today's filled (fair trade) chocolate bar from Austria was a celebration of yuzu citrus fruit.

The uniform, bright, citrus-floral aroma and flavor of the sweetened, yuzu fruit layer was surrounded by a thin layer of 50% milk chocolate that had just enough flavor to provide a smooth, rich contrast to the fruit, but not so strong as to out-compete the lovely yuzu.

Very judicious amounts of vanilla and cinnamon were welcome background accents.

Ingredients: Organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa mass, organic yuzu juice, dry whole milk, organic glucose syrup, dry skim milk, dry sweet whey, organic dark brown cane sugar, organic vanilla bean powder, organic soy lecithin, salt, organic cinnamon.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy...Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, eggs and sesame."

*A tribute to the letter X. Sharp minds may have noticed the lack of chocolate items with origins or flavor inclusions that started with the letter "x." However, mentioning today's xanthic (yellowish) yuzu fruit, gives a xenomaniac like me an opportunity to tell you that the modern Chinese word for yuzu (a Japanese word thought by some to have been "borrowed" from ancient Chinese), is xiāngchéng.

**Yuzu (Citrus junos) is an aromatic (floral) citrus fruit grown in Southeast Asia, that likely originated in China many centuries ago. It is grown in Japan, China, Korea and, more recently, Australia and Europe. A yuzu fruit, about the size of a tangerine, and has been compared to lemon, a sweet-tart lime and even grapefruit (although nowhere near as strong/astringent as the latter in my experience). It has a pleasing, aromatic, tart-sweet flavor. You may have tasted it in marinades and sauces. (Ponzu sauce is often some combination of yuzu juice, soy/tamari sauce, sweet rice wine vinegar, and seaweed/fish flakes.)

One of my favorite descriptions of yuzu fruit appeared in the New Yorker (magazine) in a short Kitchen Notes article last year (Feb. 2020) by Helen Rosner titled "Nothing Compares to Yuzu."  In this piece, Rosner writes: 

"The knobbly-skinned Japanese fruits are among the most exquisite members of the citrus family: more floral than an orange and nearly as tart as a lime, with a scent that is dense and disarming, the Froot-Loops-y honey of a lemon blossom wrapped around an astringent armature of industrial floor cleaner (which is somehow exquisite), then magnified tenfold, then mailed to the moon."

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Ethereal Confections - Whiskey and Nibs (bar) - May 26, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Ethereal Confections
Whiskey Infused Chocolate Bar topped with Whiskey Cocoa Nibs
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 207 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic (now closed), Mill Valley, CA 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z.

Today's Whiskey Infused Chocolate Bar topped with Whiskey Cocoa Nibs was made by Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL). The company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates and hosts on-site classes and events in their space.

Whiskey and chocolate are a great match. The Whiskey in this 66% cacao dark chocolate provided a fragrant, boozy aroma, and rich, well-rounded, barrel-aged flavor. The spirits harmonized quite well with the chocolate. 

Whiskey-soaked cacao nibs added concentrated cocoa flavor with a flavor kick. (Whiskey-infused nibs are a wonderful garnish for, or inclusion in, sweet/dessert items as well as savory dishes (roasted meat rubs, vegetable marinades, salads).

Ingredients: Organic Chocolate (Whiskey Infused Organic Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter); Whiskey Infused Cocoa Nibs. 

Allergen-related information: "Made on shared equipment with peanuts and three nuts." Vegan.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Kind - Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cashew Clusters dipped - May 25, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Kind LLC 
Kind Clusters dipped - Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cashew
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 280 calories in 2 servings 
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that start with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z.

Today's Kind Clusters "dipped" Dark Chocolate Vanilla Cashew snack was from Kind LLC (New York City, NY). The company offers a growing line-up of bars, snacks, cereals and other offerings that include whole food ingredients: nuts, fruits, grains--and many items with dark chocolate.

These clusters offered great textural contrast, ranging from crunchy nuts (cashews and almonds) and quinoa, to a smooth dark chocolate base. (I admit, I have a soft spot for nuts and dark chocolate.) A touch of sea salt helped to balance out the sweetness (supplied by cane sugar and brown rice syrup).

And, once again this week, vanilla played a strong supporting role--adding uplifting, warm floral spice aroma and flavor that complemented nuts, dark chocolate and other ingredients.

Ingredients: Cashews, almonds, semi-sweet chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), cane sugar, quinoa, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract, natural flavor, sea salt, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols for freshness). 

Allergen-related information: "Contains cashews, almonds and soy. May contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs and sesame seeds."

Monday, May 24, 2021

Hu Kitchen - Chocolate Covered Hunks, Cashew + Vanilla Bean - May 24, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Hu Products LLC
Chocolate Covered Hunks, Cashew + Vanilla Bean
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 4 oz. (113 oz.) in total package
Calories: 340 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $6.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Sprouts, Mountain View, CA 

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins or flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z.

Today's Cashew + Vanilla Bean Chocolate Covered Hunks were created by Hu Products LLC/ Hu Kitchen (Union Square, NYC, NY). 

Siblings, Jordan Brown and Jessica Karp, co-founded Hu Kitchen, a paleo-inspired restaurant in New York City. And together with Chairman and co-founder Jason Karp, the company expanded their line of chocolate bars, snacks, and other items.*

This yummy snack smelled sweet--thanks to the vanilla bean (and its implied warm, floral, spice promise of baked cakes and cookies, hot cocoa, etc.)--with notes of caramel cashew, chocolate and vanilla, and freshly baked cashew shortbread cookies. 

These chocolate covered nuts had a natural matte finish (no confectioners glaze). Don't let the short list of high-quality ingredients fool you though. This organic, vegan and paleo offering ticked every box on my "addictive chocolate snacks" checklist: authentic flavors, sweet (but not too sweet), salty (but not too salty), flavorful dark chocolate, roasted nuts, crunchy texture. So, don't be surprised if you suddenly find you've just eaten more than you thought.

Thank you Hu Kitchen for going the extra mile to make this high-end treat: 1.) the organic, house-ground 70% cacao-based, flavorful, velvety dark chocolate (that coated crunchy, nutty cashews) that had a trace of earthiness in the finish; 2.) the judicious amounts of vanilla bean and sea salt; 3.) the organic cashews; and the 4.) organic, unrefined coconut sugar which added a hint of warm, caramel flavor.

Ingredients: Organic cashews, organic cacao, organic unrefined coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter, sea salt, organic vanilla bean. 

(Note: the company has said in the past that they purchase much of their cacao from the Dominican Republic and Bolivia. Cacao origin was not identified on the packaging for this offering.)

Allergen-related information: "Contains cashew and coconut. May contain almond and hazelnut. Allergen cleans are made prior to production, but beware that product is produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk and wheat."

*In January 2021, snack food giant Mondelez International (that had taken a minority stake in the company in 2019) completed an acquisition of Hu Products.

Brookside Dark Chocolate Vineyard Inspired Merlot Grape, Black Currant (pieces) - May 23, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Brookside Chocolate
(Distributed by The Hershey Company)
Dark Chocolate Vineyard Inspired Merlot Grape and Black Currant Flavors 
Good 
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 6 oz. (170 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 1 serving (16 pieces)
Cost: missing information
Purchased from: missing information 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items that have origins and/or flavor inclusions that start with the letters V, W, X, Y and Z.

Today's Brookside Dark Chocolate Vineyard Inspired Merlot Grape and Black Currant Flavors (pieces) were distributed by The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA).

The grapes in today's wine grape and fruit flavored chocolates were part of a festive, sweet sangria-colored, fruit punch filling, with vineyard roots. (It was great to see wine grapes featured in something other than wine.*) The "velvety" fruit center had a soft gummy chew, and was enveloped in dark chocolate and confectioner's glaze.

The blend of merlot grape and other juice concentrates, plus a hint of vanilla in the dark chocolate, resulted in a tart-sweet brightness, natural fruit colors, and a sugary warmth.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate [sugar; chocolate; cocoa butter; milk fat; cocoa processed with alkali; lecithin (soy); milk; salt; natural vanilla flavor]; sugar; deionized apple juice concentrate; corn syrup; fruit juice concentrate [merlot grape juice concentrate; cranberry juice concentrate; black currant juice concentrate; lemon juice concentrate]; maltodextrin; natural flavor; pectin; malic acid; confectioner's glaze; canola oil; sodium citrate; baking soda; dextrose; citric acid; ascorbic acid.

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; No artificial flavors; No artificial colors." "Manufactured on the same equipment that processes almonds."

*Wine table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice are almost as rare as cacao fruit/pulp and non-alcoholic cacao juice. However, these fruits can be delicious on their own if you ever have the chance to try them. 

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Vosges - Dulce de Leche 45% Cacao (bar) - May 22, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Vosges IP, LLC
Dulce de Leche 45% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 390 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Sausalito, CA 

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that start with the letters V, W, X, Y and Z.

Today's Dulce de Leche 45% Cacao bar was from Vosges IP, LLC (Chicago, IL). Vosges is a women-owned company, headed by founder and chocolatier Katrina Markoff.

This bold, ultra-dark milk chocolate was a great choice for such a sweet filling--a thin layer of soft, flowing dulce de leche (a form of caramel made with sweetened condensed milk popular in South America). The 45% cacao chocolate tasted more like 65% or 70% chocolate, much to my delight. 

The darker cacao choice off-set the sweetness of the whole milk caramel. A hint of vanilla and Celtic sea salt rounded out the flavor blend.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor); dulce de leche caramel (reduced lactose sweetened condensed whole milk (milk, cane sugar, skim milk), non-GMO corn syrup, water, cane sugar, butter (cream, salt), butterfat, pectin, non-GMO soy lecithin, baking soda, natural flavor, salt); burnt sugar syrup (cane sugar, water), bittersweet chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor); sea salt, cultured dextrose. (47% fair trade ingredients include sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, vanilla flavor)

Allergen-related information: "Processed on equipment that also processes milk, soy, peanuts and tree nuts."


Saturday, May 22, 2021

Raaka Chocolate - Vanilla Violet Unroasted Dark Chocolate 68% Cacao bar - May 21, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate 
Vanilla Violet 68% Cacao bar
Good ++ 
Weight: .9 oz. (25.5 g.) / 1.8 oz. (51 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, fearturing chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z.

Today's Vanilla Violet 68% Cacao bar was from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The cacao used to make this unroasted, dark chocolate was from Reserva Zorzal, a large, private reserve and bird sanctuary, in the Dominican Republic. Zorzal is the Spanish word for thrush (songbird).

The bar had an attractive, complex aroma. The initial bold, slightly bitter dark chocolate and green notes shifted to reveal warm vanilla floral spice notes, followed by light marshmallow.

The chocolate had a uniform, well-tempered, smooth texture initially with a slight graininess (light green, botanical, marshmallow/cacao/violet leaf astringency) in the finish.

The flavor was a blend of naturally sweet, bold dark chocolate and heavenly floral-botanical (violet) and vanilla. The makers infused violet into the cocoa butter and the chocolate contained "flecks of ground vanilla bean."

Maker's description/tasting notes: "...Dominican cacao lends notes of cinnamon and brown sugar."

This bar was a collaboration between Raaka and the New York Botanical Garden not far from the chocolate maker in New York City. The Garden "supports living collections of more than 1 million plants inside their 250-acre landscape and conservatory. This bar celebrates the beauty and flavor of the plants that surround and sustain NY." (Source: Raaka/Bar and Cocoa website.)

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter, organic vanilla bean, organic violet leaf. (Both violet flowers and leaves are edible.)

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Nut Free"

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Socola Chocolatier - Toasted Coconut and Black Sesame Milk Chocolate (bar) - May 20, 2021

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Socola Chocolatier 

Toasted Coconut and Black Sesame Milk Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 310 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Socola Chocolatier, online order

Strawberry Matcha White Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $9.95 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Socola Chocolatier, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V, W, X, Y and/or Z, such as Vietnam and Vanilla.

Today's two bars: 1.) Toasted Coconut and Black Sesame Milk Chocolate (bar), and the beautiful 2.) Strawberry Matcha White Chocolate bar were made by Wendy Lieu at Socola Chocolatier (San Francisco, CA). 

Socola (the Vietnamese word for chocolate) was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area by two sisters in 2001.* Their confections and bars often include Vietnam-inspired ingredients.

Opening the shipment containing these two bars was like unboxing happiness. Creativity, beauty, fun and great, fresh chocolate all in one package. 

It was good to see "Harriet," the winged alpaca, a Socola spirit animal of sorts again. (Covid-19 cut down on seeing local chocolatiers in the past few years.) Harriet appeared on the company's logo/packaging, on the chocolate bars, and in the Socola postcards that were generously included in the shipment.

Toasted Coconut and Black Sesame Milk Chocolate (bar)

This visual feast of a milk chocolate bar was adorned with toasted, shaved coconut pieces and a light sprinkle of black sesame seeds. It had a lovely, subtle aroma with notes of milk chocolate, roasted coconut and nutty sesame. The flavor was a fully realized version of the aroma notes with rich and creamy milk chocolate, a bit of soft crunch from coconut and seeds, rounded out with a touch of warm vanilla that tied together all these elements very nicely.

Warning: this bar could be slightly addictive. Yes this bar was sweet, but it was also very easy to enjoy.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (cacao beans, pure cane sugar, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans, cocoa butter, full cream milk); coconut; black sesame seeds. 

Allergen-related information: contains milk, sesame

Strawberry Matcha Tea (bar)

Today's second bar was a colorful confection: a field of green (white chocolate infused with green matcha tea) with freeze-dried, rosy red strawberries (embedded in and atop the bar).

White chocolate usually contains vanilla. (This bar did.) Vanilla adds an uplifting green, floral flavor and evokes the smell of warm, aromatic baked goods and hot chocolate. This "happy" spice accented the mellow, light spring green flavor of the sweet and creamy matcha green tea, and elevated the tart-sweet, softly crunchy, strawberry pieces. The result: harmonious and bright confection perfection.

Ingredients: White chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, full milk powder, sunflower lecithin, vanilla); strawberries; matcha green tea

Allergen-related information: Contains milk

*Socola Chocolatier was founded by two Vietnamese American sisters, Wendy and Susan Lieu. Socola also has a chocolate and coffee shop location in San Francisco.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Libeert - Vietnam 73% Dark Origin Chocolate (bar) - May 19, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Libeert 
Vietnam 73% Dark Origin Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.35 oz. (40 g.) / 2.7 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 226.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week, and Day #1 of VXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolate items with origins and flavor inclusions that begin with the letters V,X,Y and/or Z--for example, Vietnam and vanilla.

Today's Vietnam 73% Dark Origin Chocolate (tablet/bar) was manufactured by Libeert s.a. (Comines, Belgium). The company produces a variety of chocolates including classic, organic, and single origin bars.

This chocolate had an alluring true chocolate (dark chocolate mousse) with a hint of warm vanilla. The aroma, melt, flavor were well-executed, well-mannered and very smooth. The texture was creamy.

In addition to rich, dark hot cocoa flavor, there was a very subtle fruit sweetness (very faint sweet tangerine/sweet lemon) throughout, and a bit of woodsy earth in the latter half.

Like most of the other Vietnam single origin bars featured this week, today's chocolate was made using Trinitario variety (of cacao). In the maker's words, single origin/variety choices like this can yield a "bouquet of flavors." 

This Trinitario bar offered a bit of boldness with layered flavors--rather than the very subtle, delicate notes of a Criollo cacao, and the more uniformly dense, dark boldness of a Forastero variety of cacao. Trinitario cacao has the potential to offer some of the best of both ends of this spectrum.

The maker's tasting notes: "A robust dark chocolate made of Trinitario cocoa beans with a genuine earthy taste. The distinct acidic cocoa flavour is enriched with delicate hints of citrus, wood and tobacco."

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, natural vanilla flavor; cocoa solids 73% minimum.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, soy, almonds, hazelnuts, pecan nuts, wheat and egg."

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Christopher Elbow - Vietnam - 72% Dark (bar) - May 18, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate
Vietnam - 72% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) / 2.296 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in approx. 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Christopher Elbow, online order

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

Today's Vietnam 72% Dark (bar) was crafted by Christopher Elbow Chocolates (Kansas City, MO).

Elbow offers a variety of chocolates and confections, including a line of single origin chocolate bars. The cacao used to make this bar was from Dak Lak Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam (north of Lam Dong Province).

Elbow's description read as follows: "The small batch chocolate is carefully crafted from bean to bar and refined to bring forth the unique flavors of the region from which it came."

Aroma: dark chocolate, light molasses spice, sweet fruit (red raspberry, tangerine), freshly baked bread and butter/cream, chocolate cake.

The flavor notes included smooth dark chocolate (dark chocolate cake), with a subtle natural fruit sweetness (faint raspberry jam and light banana). The texture had a bit of mild astringency (perceived dryness, graininess) about 20 seconds after taking a bite. Overall this bar provided a very pleasing tasting experience.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter  

Monday, May 17, 2021

Belvie Chocolate - Chile Pepper Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (Ben Tre) (bar) - May 17, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Chile Pepper Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (Ben Tre) (bar)
Good + 
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 208.8 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.75 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

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

Today's Chile Pepper Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao Ben Tre (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate bars made with (Trinitario) fine cacao from different regions of Vietnam. This Ben Tre origin cacao chocolate was flavored with chile pepper.

Belvie Chocolate's description read as follows: "Origin Ben Tre is wedged between the two main branches of the Tien Giang River, Mekong River Delta, this province is generally flat, with complex river systems, fresh water and alluvial soil. The chocolate original from this region has a complex aroma of mixed citrus and undertones shot through with a darkly bitter, hint (of) coffee."

The aroma of this single terroir bar included mild, dark chocolate and a faint, almost bitter pepper note. The first bite yielded an a relatively light and fluffy, creamy melt.

The initial flavor was pleasant mild, dark chocolate with light fruit and a slight earthiness in the finish. The chili* pepper fire kicked in and escalated 4-5 seconds after putting it my mouth, and bloomed to a balanced burn level (and throat warmer)--after I'd already chewed and started to swallow this chocolate. (The chili heat started to subside in about 4 more seconds.)

Tip: Have a banana or glass of milk on hand if you're sensitive to spicy foods, or want a palette pause before going back for a second or third bite of this spicy chocolate.

Ingredients: "Cacao and cacao butter 70%, cane sugar 30%, chili"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut(s)."

*The type of chili pepper was not specified, so I can't tell you whether this chocolate bar was infused with Bird's Eye, Thai, Hanoi Market, or another Vietnamese pepper; but those who appreciate foods with a moderately spicy kick may enjoy this bar.

 

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Belvie Chocolate - Don Duong Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Lam Dong, Vietnam (bar) - May 16, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Don Duong Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 229.2 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.25 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

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

Today's Don Duong Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao Single Plantation, Lam Dong Province (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate bars made with (Trinitario) fine cacaos, purchased from cacao farmers located in different regions of Vietnam. This bar was crafted using cacao grown on a single plantation, in Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands.

All the Belvie bars I have sampled this week have been full of interesting flavors. No dull darks here. 

This 72% cacao dark chocolate had an aroma and flavor with pleasing fruit (fig filled butter cookie, peach jam), very faint green, true chocolate (dark chocolate torte with warm spices) and soft waves of balanced, loamy earth notes. It was relatively low in acid and bitterness, and had a pleasant, clean finish. 

Belvie Chocolate's tasting notes read as follows: 

"Taste and Flavour: Dusky, cloves and some stone fruit. Great balance and complexity, long and wonderful finish."

Ingredients: "Cacao and cacao butter 72%, cane sugar 28%"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut."

 

Belvie Chocolate - Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao Ben Tre (bar) - May 15, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao Ben Tre (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 260 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.75 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

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

Today's Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao Ben Tre (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate bars made with (Trinitario) fine cacaos, purchased from cacao farmers located in different regions of Vietnam.

Belvie Chocolate's description read as follows: "This bar is made of some exceptional selected and handpicked beans from a small single plantation in Ben Tre, Vietnam, on the border of Ham Luong river in Mekong Delta. Cacao trees are planted together with durian (fruit) trees."

The complex aroma notes of this single terroir bar included: bold dark chocolate, a slight savory (potato chip) note at the beginning; fleeting green floral; butter; faint cocoa, fruit and caramel; and an uptick of clean light green.

Texture: This chocolate was "Stone ground and conched for 72 hours, continuously in small batches," and had a relatively smooth, thick, substantial mouthfeel.

Flavor/tasting notes: bold dark chocolate with green; roasted, balanced bitterness (burnt toast); citrus acidity (grapefruit)/balanced, subtle, tart-sourness (with a hint of natural fruit sweetness) that lingered a bit toward the end. Relatively clean finish given these bold flavors.

For those that like bold, roasted, ultra-dark bars, this deserves a spot in a tasting flight.

Ingredients: "Cacao 90%, cane sugar 10%"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut(s)."

 

Friday, May 14, 2021

Belvie Chocolate - Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Coffee + Nibs (bar) - May 14, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Socola Caphe Sua Da (bar)
Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Cacao Coffee + Nibs (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 226 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.25 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

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

Today's Dark Milk Chocolate 55% Cacao Coffee (Socola Caphe) + Nibs (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate bars made with (Trinitario) fine cacao(s), from different regions of Vietnam. Some of these bars, like today's, highlight local flavor inclusions like Vietnamese coffee.

Belvie Chocolate's description read as follows: "This chocolate made of the beans from Dong Nai province, a highly inland area underlaid by volcanic rock, supports cacao plantations on its low-lying slopes as well as its valey (sic). A little coffee added to show typical Vietnamese taste."

This single terroir, dark milk chocolate successfully evoked Vietnamese coffee: a robust, but sweet and creamy beverage make with condensed milk.

Aroma: The aroma notes: sugars (caramel, powdered sugar, marshmallow) and a very light sweet coffee/tea aroma.

Texture: The chocolate's texture was a blend of thick, smooth and creamy, with crunchy, mild cacao nibs (pieces) on the back of the bar.

Flavor: This sweet dark milk bar had uniform smooth, mild but rich dark, almost fruity, chocolate flavor with a hint of caramel.

Ingredients: "Cacao and cacao butter 55%, cane sugar 25%, milk powder 20%, coffee"

Allergen-related information: (none listed)

  

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Belvie Chocolate - Good Morning Vietnam 70% Coffee (bar) - May 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
"Good Morning Vietnam" 70% Cacao Coffee Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225.2 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's "Good Morning Vietnam" 70% cacao Coffee Chocolate (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate offers a variety of chocolate bars made with (Trinitario) fine cacaos, purchased from cacao farmers located in different regions of Vietnam. Some of these bars, like today's highlight local, specialty flavor inclusions, like coffee.

Belvie Chocolate's description read as follows: "This bar is a perfect combination of the two local specialties from Lam Dong province in Vietnam. Our flavorsome chocolate from Lam Dong 70% single terroir and the K'HO Arabica coffee grown by the K'Ho tribes on the Langbiang mountain, one of the best coffee(s) in South East Asia."

The aroma and flavor of this single terroir bar included complex dark chocolate and coffee notes. It had almost a spicy sweet aroma; and the amounts and varieties of the coffee and cacao were nicely balanced to allow the nuances of both to come through. 

The relatively bold chocolate had a very faint, fleeting savory vegetable (potato) note at the beginning, followed by true chocolate with a bit of fruit, and loamy earth notes.

The coffee was flavorful with a moderate amount of fruit acidity and perhaps a bit of natural bold, roasted sweetness (grilled/caramelized pieces of chocolate cake) and a trace of sweet nuttiness (although the subtler nuances were difficult to distinguish from the chocolate). The coffee notes were most present in the first few bites, but yielded subtle flavor(s) throughout the tasting experience.

Ingredients: "Cacao and cacao butter 70%, cane sugar 30%"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut"

*Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee exporter, and most of the country's coffee is grown in the Cental Highlands of southern Vietnam (near where cacao is grown). 

The K'ho people are an ethnic minority living primarily in the Lam Dong province in the Central Highlands of southern Vietnam, known for its coffee. While most coffee grown in Vietnam is Robusta, the coffee the K'ho tribe cultivates is more typically Arabica--the variety featured in today's "Good Morning Vietnam" chocolate.

 

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Belvie Chocolate - Black Pearl of the Mekong Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (bar) - May 12, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Black Pearl of the Mekong Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 288 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Black Pearl of the Mekong Single Terroir Dark Chocolate (Chocolat Noir) 85% Cacao Limited Edition (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). 

Belvie Chocolate founders, Jannie Ha Tran and Marc Vanborren, produce a variety of small batch, craft chocolate bars using (Trinitario variety) fine cacao from different growing regions in Vietnam, including today's 85% cacao chocolate.

The initial aroma of today's bar had a very faint savory (baked potato) note, in addition to a diffuse fruit sweetness and spice/herb notes. (After a few minutes the faint savory/vegetable note seemed to disappear.)

It was great to try this limited edition darker than usual bar from Belvie. The chocolate had an overall bold dark cocoa flavor; however, it also had a mild, friendly, natural fruit (almost marshmallow) sweetness for an 85% cacao ultra-dark bar. The flavor also included soft undulations of balanced, loamy earthiness.

The texture was smooth, with an initial very faint and balanced astringency (slight back of the throat tickle) after the first bite.

Ingredients: "Cacao 85%. Cane sugar 15%"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut"

 

Belvie Chocolate - Lam Dong Single Origin 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - May 11, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Belvie Chocolate Maker
Lam Dong Single Origin Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 337.8 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $8.50 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Chao mung (Welcome) to Day #1 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week.

Today's Lam Dong* Single Origin, Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (bar) was made in Vietnam by Belvie Chocolate Maker (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Belvie offers a variety of chocolate bars made from cacao grown in southern Vietnam, including some with Vietnam-inspired flavor additions.

The aroma of today's bar was hard to pin down but it had fruit, herby-spice (liquorice, faint star anise), and warm, mineral earth/clay/adobe notes.

This 70% bar offered an enjoyably complex and interesting flavor ride, with warm spice (Five Spice blend); generic fruit sweetness/acidity; very faint, brief light vegetable (light savory: cucumber + potato); cocoa--followed by a longer stretch with upticks of coffee, bright fruit spikes (predominantly red raspberry, but also nectarine, kiwi) and earth. 

For those who enjoy experiencing layered flavors and parfait desserts, this chocolate would be a unique addition to a chocolate tasting platter. 

Belvie chocolate maker's notes: "...Chocolate made of beans from Lam Dong has a fruity quality, but here the top notes are kiwi, raspberry and (l)iquorices (sic) aroma and an intense chocolate flavor that lingers on the palette."

Ingredients: "Cacao and cacao butter 70%; cane sugar 30%"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free; Dairy free; May contain traces of nut."

*Lam Dong is a "Highlands region, mountainous province with temperate and mild climate all the year long."

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Askinosie Chocolate - Mubabu Tanzania Peppermint Dark Chocolate (bar) - May 10, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
Mubabu Tanzania Peppermint Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 470 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $9.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Tanzania Theme Week. 

Today's Mubabu Tanzania Peppermint Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO). 

Askinosie has long practiced direct trade with cocoa farmers. Many of their single origin bars bear the image of farmers on the packaging. Today's bar, made using Trinitario cacao from Mubabu, Tanzania, included a picture of Askinosie's "lead Tanzania farmer partner, Mama Mpoki--with her husband and children.

This bar was full of rich, bold aroma and flavors: a blend of bold, but smooth, dark chocolate, cool peppermint, herb and warm spice (cardamom) notes. All of these flavors had the potential to overpower each other. However, the chocolate was a skillful, high-quality blend of "opposites:" warm spice and cool, refreshing mint; sweet and dark; as well as judicious amounts of sugar and sea salt.

All the ingredients felt like they were well incorporated (likely ground to a relatively fine particle size), creating a texture that was smooth and creamy, almost fudgey on a cool morning. (The added cocoa butter that contributed to the lovely texture was also single origin Tanzania.*)

Askinosie Chocolate maker's tasting notes: "Brisk, cool peppermint and deep silky cocoa, warming cardamom finish"

*Ingredients: Mababu (Tanzania) cacao beans (Trinitario), organic cane sugar, cocoa butter (made in our factory with Mababu beans--visit askinosie.com for details*), organic turbinado sugar, organic cardamom, peppermint, sea salt.

*Note: Added cocoa butter in chocolate is not always from the same origin as the cocoa solids/beans used to make a chocolate bar. Some of the best makers--or at least the hardest working and those who set high goals for themselves--press their own cocoa butter from a specific origin/batch of cocoa beans. While cocoa butters are not as flavorful as cocoa solids, they do carry/impart some flavor(s) from their respective origins.

Allergy-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat."


Sunday, May 9, 2021

Fjak Sjokolade - Single Origin 70% Mork (Dark) Tanzania (bar) - May 9, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fjak Sjokolade
Single Origin 70% Mork (Dark) Tanzania (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.87 oz. (53 g.) in total bar
Calories: 289 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $9.50 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Single Origin 70% Mork (Dark) Tanzania (bar) was hand-crafted from bean to bar by Fjak Sjokolade (Hardanger, Norway). The company handcrafts their bean-to-bar, small-batch chocolate bars in their factory by the Hardangerfjord.* 

The cacao used to make this bar was from Kokoa Kamili, Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. 

The light, complex aroma of this bar had warm molasses spice (Boston brown bread with raisins), fresh baked yeast bread, light tropical fruit, cream--and later a very faint, mild sweet, fresh cucumber cream--notes.

The melt and texture were smooth. 

This flavorful, complex chocolate had flavor notes that were similar to the aroma and included bright, balanced sweetness with notes of sweet cream, very faint earth, fruit (faint banana, mango, red raspberry, bright tropical fruit punch with guava, passion fruit), and freshly baked chocolate cake.

The Fjaak maker's tasting notes: "Round dark chocolate with notes of banana and raisins."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar and cocoa butter (100% organic)

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that handles nuts, dairy and gluten.

*Norway is known for its beautiful dramatic scenery, particularly fjords surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. The Hardanderfjord (fjord) is a long body of water (the second longest in Norway) that extends from the Atlantic Ocean into the country's interior. What a great, inspirational place to make chocolate. 

Saturday, May 8, 2021

La Feverie - 60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Tanzania (bar) - May 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

La Feverie 
60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Chocolate Tanzania (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 583 kcals in 100 g. -- 330 calories in 1 whole bar
Cost: $9.50 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's La Feverie 60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Tanzania (2019 Harvest) bar was from Hasnaa Chocolats Grand Crus (Bordeaux, France).

Sophisticated, layered and complex, this flavorful dark milk bar offered a sweet, luxurious tasting experience, and an enjoyable ride around the chocolate tasting wheel over the course of several minutes. 

The aroma and flavor notes included green nut, subtle fruit (peach and honey jam), floral (rose), warm molasses spice cake, cream, light honey caramel nougat and wood (faint oak). Some of these notes lingered lightly into the finish.

The melt and texture were smooth with a well-managed, very faint fruit astringency.

Thank you to the cocoa farmers and Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania for this cacao. And applause for the maker for taking great beans and turning them into such a delicious dark milk chocolate. The roast choice, sugar and milk powder levels were perfect--just enough to create warmth, sparkle and smoothness, without losing any of the great flavors. Not an easy thing to do.

The company's "flavour profile" description read as follows: "Notes of heather honey, chestnut and cinnamon stick."

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

Allergen-related information: Contains milk.

Friday, May 7, 2021

Mirzam - Dark Chocolate Tanzania 100% (bar) - May 7, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Mirzam
Dark Chocolate Tanzania 100% Kokoa Kamili (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 193.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's 100% Dark Chocolate Single Origin Tanzania bar was from Mirzam Chocolate Makers /Kakaw Manufacturing Co., LLC (Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

The company offers a line of confections and chocolate bars with ingredients with connections to historic Arab trading/spice routes. (The first sailing route(s) from Oman to Tanzania can be traced back seven centuries.)*

This chocolate, made using Kokoa Kamili** cacao, had a very subtle aroma with faint baked bread/chocolate croissant and a barely there tropical fruit (kiwi + cucumber) note.

The single-source, single-ingredient chocolate had an even melt and smooth texture, a uniform deep roasted cacao flavor, and a balanced, sophisticated bitterness. 

This Mirzam unsweetened, ultra-dark chocolate did not have the sweetness or bright red fruit notes that other Tanzania (Kokoa Kamili) bars (with sugar) had this week; however, it did feature roasted, wood notes--and citrus (grapefruit, lemon) in the aftertaste.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans

Allergy-related information: "May contain traces of dairy, nuts and gluten." "Vegan"

*Early Omani traders would have been trading spices, ivory and other goods in Eastern Africa (present day Zanzibar/Tanzania, other nations) centuries before cacao arrived there from the Americas. The first cacao trees arrived in West Africa, and eventually spread to other growing regions further east.

**Kokoa Kamili is a centralized cacao fermentery (in the Kilombero Valley, in the State of Morogoro, in East/Central Tanzania) that pays hundreds of local cacao farmers a premium for their "wet" cacao beans, and helps ensure high-standards for a final product that can be shipped to chocolate makers. 

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Kaitxo - Tanzania Morogoro, Valle Kilombero 75% bar - May 6, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Kaitxo 
Tanzania Morogoro, Valle Kilombero 75% bar
Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.4 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Tanzania Morogoro, Valle Kilombero 75% Cacao, bean-to-bar, Basque chocolate was produced by Kaitxo Avda Encartaciones (Balmaseda, Spain). The company offers a variety of specialty chocolates and coffees.

This 75% cacao chocolate had relatively subtle aroma with warm, baked chocolate cake/brownie, and fruit (chocolate covered red apple/red fruit). It was made using ("Amelonado/Criollo") cacao from "Kamili," Morogoro (Kilombero Valley), Tanzania. 

The chocolate had an even, stoneground melt and texture and sharper/more distinct flavors than other Tanzania origin bars featured this week. (This would make sense if there was less conching/grinding time, which results in slightly granular texture, and less homogenized and better "preserved" flavors.)

The flavor was relatively bright and complex with pleasing, dark chocolate, citrus (tart-sweet lemon), a sparkle or two of tart-sweet tropical fruits, red fruit, cream, bread, green nut, with a slight astringency in the second half of tasting a bite. It was high in flavor, and (like other bars this week) relatively low in bitterness. There was a bit more fruit/citrus acid in this bar, but it was relatively well balanced.

I enjoyed tasting a 75% cacao chocolate made from (Kokoa) Kamili-sourced (Tanzania) beans. This cacao (the source for almost all the bars featured this week) tasted naturally sweet and bright. And bumping up the cacao a few percentage points above the "standard"* 70% chocolate bar (combined with what might've been a shorter grind/conch time) yielded a bit more cacao flavor, and less sugar.

The Kaitxo chocolate maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Frutos rojos (red fruits), avellanas (hazelnuts) y (and) melaza (molasses)."

Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar, cacao butter.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of wheat, free nuts and soy."

*About this standard 70%...In the 1990s, there was a new focus on educating people about cacao percentages in chocolate. Few people up until that point would have thought much about these numbers. There was dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. What more did a chocolate lover need to know? 

However, dark chocolate back then often did contain far less cacao than it does today, so this discussion was necessary for chocolate makers who wanted to showcase more unique cacao origins and flavors (that would also cost more). There were many parallels going on with other food specialty products (like coffee, distilled spirits, preserves, etc.) at the same time. The bar was being raised.

Dark chocolate lovers started hearing that 70% cacao was the optimal percentage for a artisan chocolate offerings. This percentage of cocoa (solids) would be acceptably sweet, but not overly sweet. (Makers also saw that most buyers (at least initially) preferred sweeter chocolate, and that higher percentage bars might be a tougher sell.)

Fortunately, a handful of dedicated, small, bean-to-bar chocolate makers took considerable risks and succeeded. Times have changed. While 70% cacao chocolate might be a good starting place, you hear less about that being the "ideal" number today. Most specialty/craft chocolate makers take great pains to study individual batches of cacao first before making these decisions. And we happily trust them to do so.

A fruity, sweet cacao will become overly so with too much added sugar. So a 72-75% cacao chocolate bar might be a better choice than 70% cacao for this batch/origin. A bitter or bolder cacao might do well with a little added cocoa butter and sugar, or not. Fermentation, roasting, conching, and other choices optimize/highlight/downplay different flavors. Percentages can serve as guides for dark chocolate enthusiasts, but never tell the complete story. For that, you have to taste.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate - Tanzania 72% Dark (bar) - May 5, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

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

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

Today's Tanzania 72% Dark (bar) was from Christopher Elbow Craft Chocolate (Kansas City, MO). Christopher Elbow creates a range of high-end chocolate confections and a line of single origin, craft chocolate bars. 

The aroma of today's chocolate was subtle with faint fruit (fig) and Boston brown bread (a steamed dark, quick bread with rye flour, corn meal, molasses and raisins) notes. The taste was similar to these aroma notes, with more chocolate and fruit/fruit acidity (cherry, sweet lemon tea) flavor. A trace of the latter fruit acidity lingered in a long, slow finish.

The Tanzania cacao beans (Kokoa Kamili, 2017 Harvest) behind this bar were blessed with a natural fruit sweetness and low bitterness. (This has been the case for all the Tanzania bars tasted so far this week.) The results: 70% cacao bars taste almost too sweet. (Even this 72% bar was quite sweet.) And higher percentage bars taste sweeter, without as much sugar.

Skilled chocolate makers like Christopher Elbow, and others this week, have also been able to highlight this cacao's endearing, subtle fruit cheeriness--making this bar appealing for those put off by bolder, darker flavors.

Christopher Elbow tasting notes read as follows: "Flavor notes are cherry, coffee, and lemon."

Ingredients: Organic cacao (2017 Harvest), organic cane sugar, cocoa butter.

Allergen-related information: "Vegan and gluten free...May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat and milk products." 

The Swedish Cacao Company - "Darkness" Tanzania Kokoa Kamili 100% (bar) - May 4, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

The Swedish Cacao Company / Svenska Kakaobolaget
Darkness - Tanzania Kokoa Kamili, 2017 Harvest, 100% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .85 oz. (25 g.) / 1.7 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 152.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Darkness Tanzania Kokoa Kamili (2017 Harvest) 100% bar was made, from bean-to-bar, in a small town in rural, southern Sweden by Svenska Kakaobolaget, aka The Swedish Cacao Company

This well-executed, "Darkness" bar had a lighter, subtler aroma and flavor than most 100%ers, including fruit, and faint green, nut and floral notes. 

The one-ingredient (100% cacao) chocolate was unsweetened but had a touch of natural, "fruit" sweetness. 

As with a few other Tanzania bars sampled this week, the "fruit" notes were subtle yet relatively bright and sweet (red apple, fig, ripe red berry/pomegranate); and there was a very faint, fleeting, and balanced, baked yeast bread/buckwheat pancake note.

The texture was almost silky smooth, and there was a very slight hint of fruit astringency toward the end of the first few bites. The latter (something you might experience with wine and tea) was subtle and also present in other Tanzania bars this week.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "An extra dark chocolate with intensive notes of nuts, raisins and dried figs. One ingredient. No sugar or any sweeteners. For the true enthusiast."

Ingredients: "100% Cacao"

Allergen-related information: "Vegan; Gluten Free; No Lecithin"  "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts and soy."

Monday, May 3, 2021

OmNom Chocolate - Dark Milk of Tanzania 65% (bar) - May 3, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

OmNom Chocolate
Dark Milk of Tanzania 65% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 174.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Dark Milk of Tanzania 65% (bar) was from OmNom Chocolate (Reykjavik, Iceland).

The cacao used to make this chocolate bar was grown in Tanzania in Africa. And Icelandic milk (powder) contributed to the aroma, texture and flavor of this 65% dark milk chocolate bar. 

The aroma had cream, ripe fruit and chocolate caramel notes. 

The melt and texture were smooth and substantial; there was a very slight fruit astringency toward the finish.

The fruit flavor notes (red apple, ripe red berry, ripe stone fruit, faint apricot-peach jam) were very pleasant. The chocolate also had balanced chocolate caramel taste, and a faint, fleeting earth note that was politely muzzled by milk and sugar.

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans from Tanzania; organic cane sugar; cocoa butter; Icelandic milk powder; sunflower lecithin (E322).

OmNom Chocolate tasting notes for this bar read as follows: "fudgey, brownie, pear"

Allergen-related information: "Contains dairy. Made in Iceland, in a facility that handles gluten, nuts and milk."

Sunday, May 2, 2021

OmNom Chocolate - Tanzania 70% (bar) - May 2, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

OmNom Chocolate
Tanzania 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 316.8 calories in 1 bar 
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar (dark blue dot)
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Tanzania 70% (bar) was from OmNom Chocolate (Reykjavik, Iceland).

This bar had some very interesting, sophisticated and relatively subtle aroma and flavor notes. The aroma included well-behaved fresh baked dark chocolate cake, fresh bread and creamy butter, rich, hot chocolate and warm spice notes.

The melt and texture were pleasing and smooth, with a very light astringency - (slight perception of dryness/throat tickle).

The flavor had a very smooth, nicely balanced bittersweet dark chocolate flavor with the following notes: very subtle, fleeting warm spice/floral (saffron); smooth, sweet citrus fruit (lemon-lime candy) and bright fruit (sweet red berry, red apple, sweet stone fruit); and a hint of cream.

OmNom Chocolate tasting notes: "apricots, raisins, hazelnuts"

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

Allergen-related information: "Made in Iceland, in a facility that handles gluten, nuts and milk." 

*Some of the Tanzanian chocolates this week have had a "warm" quality. Why? 

Temperature and certain additions (like sugar, salt, certain spices and berries ("Miracle berries"** in particular) can alter or enhance flavors. 

I've tasted this week's chocolates about the same time in the morning, and at room temperature, between 65-75 degrees F. (18.3 - 23.8 degrees C.) as in previous weeks and months. So, the actual temperature of the chocolate is not a factor in this case.

Sometimes (other, local) fruits are added to fermenting cacao to add flavor(s).) However, I have no information about a possible double/second fermentation or co-fermentation that might have taken place with this cacao in Tanzania, so I'd rather not speculate. (Some chocolate makers (e.g. Valrhona Chocolate) have talked openly about developing this technique.)

Alas, I have no chemistry lab to test all aspects of cocoa and chocolate (and fermentation) components that might cause the sensation of "warmth."

Sometimes a "warmer" flavor experience is nuanced and hard to explain without extensive research and/or writing a long, boring thesis about a topic. So, uncharacteristically, I have chosen just to relax and enjoy tasting these Tanzania bars this week. In the last several years, some very fine bars have come from this country of origin. 

Thank you to all who have made this possible, from the cacao farmers and fermenteries in Tanzania to OmNom chocolate makers in Iceland.

**Miracle berries (Synsepalum dulcificum) grow on an evergreen shrub, and have been used as a sweetener and medicinal plant in West Africa for centuries. The berries are also used in other parts of the world (Asia) as an alternative sweetener. (They can make bitter/sour foods, like limes and lemons or unsweetened chocolate, taste sweeter. As I recall, they can make make ultra-dark chocolate taste slightly (5-10%) sweeter; but my tasting experience, almost a decade ago, with this berry was very limited.)



 

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Moka Origins - Tanzania 72% Dark Chocolate, (bar) - May 1, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Moka Origins
72% Tanzania Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.4 oz. (67.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 372 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 (plus shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Moka Origins (online order)

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

Today's Tanzania 72% Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Moka Origins (Honesdale, PA).

If you want to experience a warm, flavorful, sweet dark chocolate embrace, try this bar. It had an inviting aroma with warm spice (cinnamon, cloves), and freshly baked dark chocolate cake notes. The melt and texture were smooth.

The flavor had a warm and bright sweet taste, with fruity (red apple, peach, nectarine, red berry) and true chocolate (devil's food cake + rich, hot drinking chocolate) flavor and finish. 

This Tanzania cacao-based chocolate was low in bitterness; and the choice to bump up the cacao percentage (from 70% to 72%) was a good one. This bar was naturally bright and fruity; and a lower percentage of cocoa solids might have resulted in chocolate that was too sweet.

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

Allergen-related information: gluten free; vegan; soy free; made in a facility that handles tree nuts.

Raaka Chocolate - 100% Cacao Unroasted Dark Chocolate Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar) - April 30, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate
100% Cacao Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar)
Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25.4 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 124 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 100% Cacao Unroasted Dark Chocolate Kokoa Kamili Tanzania (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Today's bar contained just two ingredients: un-roasted, organic cacao beans from Kokoa Kamili,* Tanzania, and organic cocoa butter. No added sugar. 

Unroasted (or very lightly roasted) cacao can be a great choice for ultra high-percentage chocolate bars (85-100%) bars.

This bar had a relatively bright aroma (with an anticipation of tasting light fruit, sweet hazelnut, light spice).

It had a very smooth, slightly slow/waxy melt and texture (I was eating this bar on a cool, spring morning. I did not get the same "waxy" slow melt later in the afternoon; so this could have been temperature related.)

The flavors were subtle. The dark chocolate flavor had balanced flavor notes: buckwheat pancake, very faint green and dried fruit (prune, fig). There was a slight, fleeting astringency in the finish. And the bitterness level was quite low for a 100% cacao bar--making it a friendlier 100% bar. A faint dark chocolate and mild green note lingered in the finish.

The maker's description: "bright, not bitter." ..."Forget everything you know about 100% bars. This pure cacao bar is creamy and bright, not bitter, with a subtle, tingling fruit sweetness."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cacao butter

Allergen-related information: Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Nut Free; Non-GMO Project Verified. USDA Organic; Transparent Trade.

*Kokoa Kamili, in the Kilombero Valley in southwest Tanzania, is a social enterprise that buys freshly harvested cacao from farmers and focuses on fermenting and drying beans in a centralized facility, to help ensure high-quality cacao for chocolate makers.


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