Chocolate of the Day
Disidente
Colombian Cacao Taxonomy (Manufactured by El Colaboratorio)
Don Miqueas 75% Colombian dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total bar
Calories: 191 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar (+ summer shipping)
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.
Today's (Cacao) Disidente Don Miqueas 75% cacao Colombian craft chocolate (bar) was manufactured by El Colaboratorio (Bogota, Colombia).
Disidente creates bean-to-bar chocolates that help spotlight the agricultural biodiversity of Colombia. They use Colombian-grown cacao(s)--sourced from cacao co-operatives and organizations in different regions of Colombia.
The cacao used to craft today's bar was from Arauca (in northeastern Colombia in the Orinoco River basin), in a cacao growing area with a "great farming tradition pioneered by (a gentleman named) Don Miqueas."
The banquet of aroma notes (in order they appeared) included: chocolate, green tea, goji berry, faint tart (almost citrusy) sweet pineapple, candied orange in brown sugar, chocolate (light brownie, chocolate cookie), more fruit (fruit salad with apple, tropical fruits and maybe an orchid or two). very faint graham cracker with warm spice and floral (vanilla). Later (after tasting and going back to smell again) there was also a faint, light, buttery seed oil note.
The texture of this bar was uniform and relatively smooth and had a very faint astringency (feeling of very slight tart dryness on the palette (what you might experience with a cocktail of oxalis + hibiscus + pink grapefruit + lemon).
The flavor was balanced, relatively subtle and, like the aroma, enjoyably complex. It sounds like I'm describing Criollo variety cacao, but this week's Disidente bars had a bit more tart green, light citrusy aspect to them; and the fruit notes were not as soft subtle as the stone fruit (think peach) that are often associated with Criollo. This week's chocolates were more like a blend of Trinitario and Criollo.
Flavor notes included chocolate and sweet, acidic and very slightly savory fruit (fresh ripe tomato, tomato soup); cream/milk; faint cookie (dark chocolate with brown sugar and molasses), and fleeting, very faint earth (loam, mushroom). A trace of the tart green fruit and floral (oxalis* with a whisp of green apricot) lingered a bit in the finish.
Once again, as with other similar bars this week, this Don Miqueas had a lot of subtle complexity and flavor(s). A 75% cacao choice (rather than 70% cacao) seemed like a good choice as there was still plenty of natural sweetness.
Disidente tasting notes: "Distinguished by its complex nose full of white flowers. The palette is brimming with tension with a citric acidity, and hints of kumquat and grapefruit. Light and delicate, and ending in a mineral and balanced residual."
Ingredients: "Cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter."
Allergen-related information: (No information listed on label.)
*Oxalis is a plant that contains oxalic acid--a naturally occurring compound found in many plants, including greens (notably: spinach, rhubarb and beet greens), cacao (and other seeds), and nuts. Edible forms of "wild" plants like wood sorrels,"sour grass" and other forms of oxalis have a tart, almost lemony green flavor. This flavor can sometimes be detected in some dark chocolates and may be observed/described as a combination of green and/or citrus note(s) in chocolate tastings.
The acid levels (acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, (possibly malic acid), oxalic acid and tannins (tannic acid)) were just enough to keep things interesting, and not so high that only a few would appreciate the result. But, as in wines and other foods and beverages, this aspect is subject to personal preference. (This is similar to drinking a red wine that has picked up a lot of tannin in oak barrels. Some will love it, but too much oak and not enough fruit may narrow your fan base.)
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