Zotter
Labooko Maya Cacao 100% dark chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.25 (estimate) for 1 package of 2 bars
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #11 of 100% Cacao Theme Week, and Day #6 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week. (And Happy Valentines Day to all who celebrate.)
Today's Labooko Maya Cacao 100% dark chocolate (bar) was made in Austria (where Zotter is based) and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Cape Coral, FL).
This ultra-dark chocolate was made with cacao from Central America (Belize, Guatemala) and "cocoa beans from Peru" according to the back label. These areas combined are at the heart of the cacao epicenter, where humans and animals first tasted and enjoyed cacao fruit and the beans (seeds) inside the fruit that grew on cacao trees thousands of years ago.
Aroma notes for this bar included: subtle dark chocolate, green citrus (oxalis, sorrel), diffuse fruit (cherry and apple compote with warm spice, and light tropical fruit (pineapple guava, cherimoya), and very faint, fleeting earthy root (potato).
This chocolate had a smooth, buttery texture. The pleasant aroma was followed by a much more intense flavor--that mellowed and became more approachable after about 20 seconds.
Initial bitterness evolved into acidity/sour (tannins, grapefruit/lemon) flavor, that mellowed into bold, roasted cacao (passing through a faintly earthy dark espresso roast coffee with cacao notes phase), followed by a very brief, faint red berries/fruit note, that then tailed off into a lingering ultra-dark, balanced bitter, chocolate finish.
Once I recovered from the initial ride, I found I rather liked it. This 100%er was a great morning wake up chocolate. It felt like I'd experienced a satisfying sip of fragrant and full-bodied espresso.
When I re-tasted this bar a minute or two later, I also picked up pleasing ultra dark chocolate torte and nutty, woody (cocoa bean) notes that rounded out/further mellowed this ultra-dark chocolate. Despite its initial intensity, I found this bar complex, interesting and oddly addictive.
Maker's tasting notes: "Fragrance notes: berries, cherries, mildly tropical accents. Taste notes: spicy-nutty. An initial acidity, with notes of red fruit, spice and nuts, with a sub-finish of tannins similar to black tea."
Ingredients: Organic, fair traded cocoa mass
Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, peanuts, milk, sesame and soy."
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