Monsoon Chocolate - Bejofo Estate Madagascar 80% Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 20, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Bejofo Estate Madagascar 80% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 136.4 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Bejofo Estate Madagascar 80% Dark Chocolate (Batch #15) bar was from Monsoon Chocolate LLC (Tucson, AZ).

The cacao used to make this chocolate was grown on an estate in Madagascar. The "Bejofo Estate is an organic cacao orchard that is part of the larger Akesson Estate in northwest Madagascar's Sambirano Valley. Managed by Bertil Akesson, who has specialized in growing fine cocoa, pepper, and other spices for many years, Bejofo Estate produces 300 tons of cocoa a year. The cocoa has been designated as certified "Heirloom" by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Initiative (HCP)."

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate; faint, freshly baked bread, gingerbread; fruit (tart-sweet green grape), and very faint "refreshing" clean mineral.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (ganaches); tart-sweet (acidic) tropical fruit (mango, kiwi, cacao fruit (pulp), pineapple, citrus) that peaked, and then receded. The relatively long finish featured rich cocoa (drinking chocolate) relatively notes.

This flavorful, fruity chocolate's natural fruit sweetness made this chocolate seem more like a 74% cacao than an 80% cacao bar. 

Each year I look forward to featuring "new" Madagascar chocolates for a week and tasting the fruit flavors that they're known for. And, like today's 80%er from Monsoon Chocolate, many (if not most) of the best single origin Madagascar bars I've tasted in the last 20 years have been crafted from cacao grown on the Akesson Estate in the Sambirano Valley. 

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans*, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (*Certified Organic)

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"