Chocolate of the Day
NearyNogs Chocolate
"Salt Water Days" - Irish sea salt, cacao nibs & gold dust 60% Ecuador (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 166 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA
Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week.
Today's "Salt Water Days" - Irish sea salt, cacao nibs & gold dust 60% Ecuador (bar) (Batch 2604) was from NearyNogs Chocolate (Mourne Coast, Ireland).
This small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker is "nestled between the Mourne Mountains and the Irish Sea." And today's bar is their "ode to sunny beach days." (include parts of their description) the golden sheen off the water.
The cacao used for this 60% dark chocolate was made using cacao from Hacienda Limon in Ecuador.
Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (ganache), very faint tart-sweet fruit (citrus, berry, dried fig), and faint roasted and caramel notes found in mocha lattes.
There were two different flavor zones in this bar: 1.) the base dark chocolate (ultra-dark, bittersweet chocolate-y tart made with non-alkalized cocoa powder); very faint diffuse fruit (citrus, berry); roasted marshmallow/toffee; and a very slightly earthy, bittersweet tang; and 2.) the bites that also included the crunchy cocoa nibs and sea salt. The latter bites tasted mellower, nuttier, and a bit more well balanced to me.
Note: salt tends to cut bitterness a little. I liked the bites with salt and nibs a bit better. It was nice to have a wee bit of contrast though. I'm a huge fan of well-executed complexity and layered flavors.
Someone asked me: Did the gold have a flavor? Not that I could taste. Pure gold is considered an inert substance, and doesn't spark taste sensations per se; but it can (and did today) create pretty visual effects. And appearance is part of the whole tasting experience.
Having walked on the coastal trail near Dublin, the subtle glow of the gold sheen on this bar did indeed bring back happy memories of late afternoon light on the Irish sea when I was there. Thank you to NearyNogs for the temporal transportation today and for being who they are (solar-powered chocolate factory, soulful family stories, thoughtfulness, and nature-inspired, beautiful, compostable packaging).
Maker's Tasting Notes: Caramel, Butter, Toffee, Salt
Ingredients: "60% cacao beans, unrefined cane sugar, Irish sea salt, edible gold dust. (cocoa solids 60% minimum)."
Allergen-related information: None listed on packaging.
*Edible gold has no taste; and it is "inert" so it doesn't react with anything?? and passes through the digestive system.
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