Chocolate of the Day
Fu Wan Chocolate
Taiwan #9 Double Ferment Rough Ground Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good++
Weight: .795 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 143 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate Surprise Week, including chocolates with unique ingredients, surprising back stories and some that are just plain fun.
Today's Taiwan #9 Ping Tung Double Ferment Rough Ground Chocolate (bar) was made by Fu Wan Chocolate using (2019 Harvest) cacao from the Ping Tung area. Fu Wan Chocolate makes "tree to bar" chocolate and is based in Donggang Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan (Republic of China).
Fermentation of freshly harvested "wet" cacao is a very important step in making chocolate and helps develop flavor(s). A "double ferment" initiates a second fermentation and creates additional flavors.
Aroma notes for this 70% dark chocolate included: dark chocolate; carbonated beverage (beer with fermented fruit (mango, watermelon, stone fruit (peach, nectarine), cacaco fruit pulp); and strawberry-apple balsamic vinegar)).
The "rough ground" chocolate was a bit granular, not quite gritty, in texture. It was also rich in chocolate and fruit flavor.
Flavor notes for this aromatic chocolate included: chocolate and fruit (stone fruit (nectarine, dried peach, tart-sweet cherry), tart-sweet mango, cacao fruit, tart-sweet watermelon, and banana.). The authentic fruit and acidity (yeast used) created an almost fizzy sweet and sour chocolate, with a relatively long fruity finish.
It had more of an intense fruity sweetness than a cane sugar sweetness.
Both the Fu Wan beer yeast 70% bar featured yesterday (8/5/2023) and today's Fu Wan double ferment 70% bar were very interesting bars to taste, and would be interesting to include in a side-by-side tasting with other Ping Tung cacao chocolates--where the same cacao was fermented with different yeasts under different conditions and durations.
Maker's tasting notes: "Strawberry, Apple, Balsamico, Champagne, Nuts"
Ingredients: Cacao Bean, Sugar, Cacao Butter
Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts and peanuts."
