Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Cacao Space - Peru Ucayali River 70% w/ Dried Pineapple (bar) - July 23, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Space
Peru Ucayali River 70% with dried pineapple (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $24.00 for a Peru trio of 3 different bars
Purchased from: Cacao Space, online order

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

Today's Peru Ucayali River 70% with dried pineapple (bar) was made by Cacao Space (Los Altos, CA). This chocolate was part of a trio of Peruvian (Ucayali) cacao-based dark chocolate bars.

Aroma notes for this chocolate included: dark chocolate with very faint fruit (tart-sweet tropical and stone fruit), spice and brown sugar, and faint caramel, sweet coffee and butter.

Flavor notes included: a relatively nuanced (chocolate-y, buttery dark brownie); complex, tart-sweet fruit (sweet lemon, stone fruits (plum), pineapple), very faint botanicals/herbs (mild sweet lemon-green) and even fainter mellow roasted flavors.

Texture: This chocolate was "handcrafted (and) stoneground", but smooth. And the thinly sliced pieces of fresh-tasting, dried pineapple had a mild chew that complemented the relatively buttery dark chocolate very nicely. 

I really liked the complexity and the interplay of the fruit notes in this Peru bar. The dark chocolate was subtly complex; and I loved the pineapple. Each thin piece was tender, tasted sun-ripened and sweet, and it wasn't over-sugared. (thank you!). This pineapple blend with this chocolate hit the Goldilocks fruit zone for me. It was just right.

As with other single origin cacao bars, I recommend savoring this bar (slowly) and sampling more than just one bite to fully appreciate hidden flavor nuances -- that are not present in highly processed bulk chocolates. 

Ingredients: "cacao nibs, organic coconut sugar" + dried pineapples

Allergen-related information: (No allergen information was listed on packaging.)

*Ucayali River (and the Department of Ucayali) are located inland, in Peru's Amazon. The department shares a border with Brazil. 

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