Thursday, May 26, 2022

Dick Taylor - Microbatch No. 42 - 70% Dark Chocolate Black Currant & Orange (bar) - May 26, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Microbatch No. 42 - 70% Dark Chocolate Black Currant and Orange
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Dick Taylor, online order 

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

Today's Microbatch No. 42 - 70% Dark Chocolate Black Currant and Orange bar was created by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA).

Tasting this bar was a refreshing deep dive into the chocolate flavor pool. The opposite of a bland, chocolate and sugar bar. It began with the aroma. This 70% cacao dark chocolate had a rich aroma of dried fruit (prunes, dark berries with faint citrus) notes.

The dark chocolate (tasted slightly darker than 70% cacao and) had rich fruity dark chocolate, sweet-tart, dried dark berry/currant and (balanced, undulating, authentic, fresh orange) citrus tones. 

These notes were amplified by (or at least harmonized with) the naturally occurring cacao flavors in the Madagascar and Belize cacao blend used to make the chocolate. (Madagascar cacao is known for berry and citrus notes.)

The best chocolate and fruit blends I've tasted use fruits that complement naturally occurring cacao notes, high-quality, often single origin cacao beans, and high-end, specialty fruit. The quality of the "...generous sprinkling of tart, chewy black currants from Washington" (and orange essential oil) included in this four-ingredient bar were exceptional. 

The wake-me-up, tart sweet chocolate flavors lingered a bit into a pleasing finish.

If there is a heaven where we're still allowed to experience earthly pleasures (like great chocolate), I'm hoping today's Dick Taylor bar (and other bars from this maker) will be on the menu. (Note: If you like the bolder fruit flavors in this bar, do try the Dick Taylor Black Fig bar as well.)

Sad to say, this small batch (monthly microbatch flavor) chocolate bar is already sold out. I'm hoping it will return soon.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic black currant, organic orange essential oil.

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that also processes milk, wheat, dairy, tree nuts, and peanuts."

Exquisito Chocolates - Guava chocolate - May 25, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Exquisito Chocolates
Guava (filled chocolate)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) (estimate) in 6-piece assortment box
Calories: 77 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $21.00 for a 6-piece assortment box 
Purchased from: Exquisito Chocolates, online order

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

Today's Guava chocolate was from Exquisito Chocolates (Little Havana, Miami, FL). It was one flavor in a 6-piece Artisan Collection assortment box.

The filling in this festively-painted (red) dark chocolate was smooth, almost velvety. This flavorful dark chocolate center was infused with fully incorporated fruit--Florida-grown guava--that contributed a very subtle, diffuse bright fruitiness.

Guavas likely originated in Central and South America--where cacao trees first developed. Today, guava fruit is commercially grown primarily in Florida, Hawaii and California in the U.S. 

I'm hoping to (one day) enjoy guavas from the two small guava trees in my back yard in Northern California. 

In the meantime, I enjoyed this chocolate and the highly edible fuschia and pale pink flowers on my pineapple guava species. (Most other guava flowers are white.) Pineapple guava flowers have a mild, sweet tropical fruit punch flavor. 

Ingredients: (Not listed on box)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on box)
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