Sunday, June 30, 2024

To'ak Chocolate - 75% Cacao 2019 Tasmanian Whisky Cask Ex-Tawny Aged - June 29, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

To'ak Chocolate
75% Cacao 2019 Tasmanian Whisky Cask Ex-Tawny Aged
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: .106 oz. (3 g.) for 1 square / 1.9 oz. (54 g.) in total bar/package of 18
Calories: 21 calories in 1 square
Cost: N/A - holiday gift from family
Purchased from: N/A - holiday gift from family (thank you Megan and Tony!)

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week. 

Today's 75% (Ecuador) Cacao 2019 Tasmanian Whisky Cask Ex-Tawny individually-wrapped square was part of a six-flavor, tasting square assortment of chocolates--all made from tree-to-bar in Ecuador by To'ak Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador). 

To'ak specializes in Ecuadorian Nacional cacao. This rare cacao variety was almost lost in the 1900s due to disease and other factors.*

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 75% dark chocolate included: dark chocolate and slightly boozy: slightly sweet whisky, and complex and attractive white wine grape/raisin, honey, very faint wood; faint nut; and faint, diffuse fruit (cacao pulp, red fruit). 

The texture of this tasting square was well tempered, uniformly smooth, thick (in a cool room) and relatively creamy. There was a very faint astringency (dryness) toward the second half/finish.

What a delicious ride this was! The dark chocolate was flavorful but not so strong that it muted the wonderful barrel aged flavors. In case you want to look this one up on the To'ak website, you'll find that full-sized (whisky and spirits) bars are either sold out and/or are priced at more than $200 USD.

The makers have become skilled at cask-aging cacao, adding complexity and enhancing already nuanced flavors of heirloom cacao. You're enjoying a two-ingredient chocolate, but it tastes like there are other flavor inclusions. Their tagline says it all:

"Made like a vintage wine, aged like a whisky, and packaged like a work of art. We work closely with local farmers and artists to make truly unique and unforgettable chocolate." 

Ingredients: "Organic Heirloom Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, soy or nuts."

*Witches Broom, a plant gall disease (caused by fungus and other contributing causes) disfigures plants. (It also significantly affected cacao harvests in Brazil in the 1980s.) 

In the maker's words: "As of 2009, pure Nacional cacao was believed to be extinct. Our journey led us to the secluded valley of Piedra de Plata, where we found some of the last surviving trees..."


 

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