Mission Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) was from Mission Chocolate (San Paolo, Brazil).

Aroma: subtle dark chocolate with faint forest and natural sweetness; faint molasses (spice cookie); almost invisible fig; and very faint bright green/fruit (kiwi + sweet lime).

Flavor notes: rich dark chocolate with faint molasses/brown sugar and spice (star anise); a brief hint of cream*; followed by more true cacao, nut and very diffuse nut. The finish included a very faint, bright citrus note (sweet lime). Tasting this bar felt like a gentle walk through a lush rainforest that ended with dappled sunshine.

This chocolate was made with wild cacao from the Bolivian Amazon Rainforest. Wild and Heirloom cacaos can be full of subtle, nuanced flavors. This chocolate was no exception. 

Thank you to the chocolate makers like Arcelia Gallardo at Mission Chocolate who source these very special cacao (bean) varieties and produce chocolate with them for us to enjoy.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, lactose, coconut, tree nuts, and wheat due to shared equipment.

*There was no milk, cream or dairy ingredients in this chocolate.

Monsoon Chocolate - 73% Tranquilidad (bar) - Oct. 29, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Origin Series Tranquilidad Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

Today's Origin Series Tranquilidad* Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bars) was from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; floral, light oolong tea; other lightly sweet, green botanicals; and faint brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this smooth dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate, faint fermented cacao); very faint spice (black pepper); and faint cream. (Note: there was no actual cream/dairy in this bar. Some heritage cacaos can have this lovely cream note.)

This 73% chocolate had a very pleasing aroma; rich chocolate flavor that was relatively low in bitterness; and a gentle, lingering, almost honeyed finish.

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

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*Hacienda Tranquilidad is a farm located in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. Wild ("Sylvestre") cacao trees grow in a large, natural forest. The estate's owner, Volker Lehmann, has been the key supplier of native Beniano (Heirloom) cacao beans to small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers. The results: some wonderful, very special chocolate bars.