Chocolate of the Day
Monsoon Chocolate
Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania 77% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order
Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Tanzania Theme Week.
Today's Kokoa Kamili Tanzania 77% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ) and is part of the company's Origin Series--made possible by direct collaborations with (and purchases from) farmers and fermenteries in cacao-growing countries.
Aroma notes included sweet-tart red fruit (red berry) and dark chocolate. Other, much more subtle notes included: fleeting, barely detectable, balanced fermentation notes (faint raisin, fruit vinegar, salts) and green (mildly tart-bright succulents, wood sorrel) notes.
This chocolate had a creamy melt and texture.
Flavor notes for this well-crafted, very balanced 77% Tanzania cacao bar included the aforementioned tart-sweet red berry--that shaded into bittersweet, ripe red cherry and lingered lightly in the finish along with smooth dark chocolate (not quite as chocolate-y as soft dark fudge but getting there).
There were no off flavors; just smooth dark chocolate goodness with just enough complexity to be interesting. It was fruity without being too jammy-sweet or too acidic. (Thank you to the makers for not adding too much sugar. The selection of 77% cacao (and "only" 23% sugar) seemed like a great choice for these beans and this bar.)
Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter
Allergen-related information: "There is no gluten or animal product added to this bar, however it is processed in a facility that also processes wheat, dairy, nuts and soy."