Chocolate of the Day
Hogarth Chocolate Makers
100% Hacienda Victoria - Ecuador (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.)/ 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 211 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.
Today's 100% Hacienda Victoria, Ecuador (bar) was made by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand), and enjoyed in a wonderful coffee house.
Hacienda Victoria (named for the founder's wife, Victoria) is located in the central coastal area of Ecuador. This single estate farm is located inland from the Rio Guayas (Guayas River) in an ideal location for growing cacao.*
The texture for this bar was fairly thick and creamy, and there was a faint, well-managed astringency.
Aroma and flavor notes for this 100% cacao bar included: appealing deep ultra-dark chocolate; faint roasted coffee and wood; complex but well-balanced lush forest and earth notes; faint and fleeting freshly baked bread; and dried, slightly tart/sweet-sour fruit (faint pomegranate, blackberry and dried plum when first unwrapped and cacao fruit pulp with tart citrus later).
There were some bold but balanced bitter and sour (think beer) notes in this single ingredient bar. This 100%, unsweetened chocolate may not be for the faint of heart. But, I enjoyed it. (I recommend trying the Hogarth 85% Hacienda Victoria Ecuador bar if you love exploring dark cacao flavors, but need a little sugar.)
Maker's comments: "...We have used our Hacienda Victoria Arriba Cacao from Ecuador so you can expect a smooth but strong cocoa hit, with a hint of citrus."
Ingredients: "Directly Traded Ecuador Cocoa Beans (100%)."
Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Milk and Nuts."
*Cacao trees are native to South America, and grow up to 20 degrees North and 20 degrees South of the Equator.
The Equator runs east-west through Northern Ecuador. ("Ecuador" translates to Equator in English.) And the country's privileged geographical position has made its long history as a cacao-growing country possible.
Hacienda Victoria owners are dedicated to growing and preserving Arriba Nacional cacao, part of a lineage of prized heritage cacao varieties in South America.
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