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."
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