Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Firetree Chocolate - Philippines Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa (bar) - Jan. 6, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Firetree Chocolate Limited
Philippines Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 137 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Single Estate Philippines Mindanao Island 73% Cocoa (bar) was from Firetree Chocolate Limited (Peterborough, U.K.).  

The aroma and flavor notes of this smooth, almost creamy dark bar included true dark chocolate, caramel, honey, very faint and intriguing green-floral, and even fainter pleasant, almost savory earthiness and nut butter cookie notes. It was a well executed, pleasing chocolate. 

This chocolate was sweet, but the bump up from 70% to 73% Cacao--and the slightly unrefined quality of the sugar--seemed to have softened the hard, processed sugar effect,  allowing more cacao flavors to be experienced. (Thank you!)

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Citrus, honey and caramel layers yield a gentle yet rich nature. To enjoy fully, take time to let the flavours develop on the palate."

Ingredients: Cacao mass, unrefined sugar, cocoa butter 

 

Dormouse Chocolates - 71.5% Dark Chocolate (Philippines) - Jan. 5, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Dormouse Chocolates
71.5% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 405 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and The Philippines Theme Week. Last week featured bars made from cacao grown in the "South Pacific." Today the focus shifts to the Republic of the Philippines--an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands.

Today's 71.5% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Dormouse Chocolates (Manchester, England). This bar was made using Trinitario/Criollo beans (2017 harvest) from Kablon Farm--a family firm based in the Cotabato region, on the southern island of Mindanao, in the Philippines.

This dark bar's aroma had fleeting green-floral (saffron), light nut, wood and spice (brown sugar molasses cookie) notes.

The texture of this well-tempered bar was relatively smooth, with an even, light sugar astringency and very fine graininess. (Think stoneground cocoa beans with whole sugar.) 

Conch time was 48 hours, which likely preserved flavors. (Long conch times in dark chocolate making can extend to up to 90+ hours. This longer processing time creates very smooth textured chocolate; however, some of the flavors may be lost after this length of time.)

Tasting notes for this sweet and flavorful chocolate included subtle dried fruit (date), dark chocolate, and faint brown sugar molasses cookie and fresh sugarcane and fruit jelly notes.
The dark chocolate finish gradually faded with with a rich brown sugar sweetness.

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Toasted oats, biscuits and caramel with a hint of blackcurrant."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, muscovado sugar, cocoa butter

(Muscovado sugar is unrefined, or partially unrefined cane sugar with a molasses flavor. Muscovado sugar is less refined than brown sugar--which is refined white sugar with molasses added back in.)
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