Cacao Space - Peru Ucayali River 70% (bar) - July 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao Space
Peru Ucayali River 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) / 2.26 oz. (64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175 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 #3 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peru Ucayali River 70% (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, spice and brown sugar, and very faint (barely detectable) roasted, sweet coffee and butter.

Flavor notes included: relatively complex dark chocolate (very dark brownie), subtle tart-sweet fruit (sweet lemon, stone fruits (plum)), very faint botanicals, spices/herbs (black licorice, lemongrass, green grass, saffron) and mellow roasted flavors.

This chocolate was "handcrafted (and) stoneground", but smooth. 

I really enjoyed the gentle complexity, including a range of fruit and botanical notes in this Peru bar.

As with many single origin cacao bars, I highly recommend savoring (slowly) more than just one bite (1/2 bar is good in today's case) to detect and appreciate hidden nuances of flavor -- that are not present in highly processed bulk chocolates. Different, faint flavor notes continued to surface even after the first few bites. 

Ingredients: "cacao nibs, organic coconut sugar"

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.

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Peru Ucayali 70% (bar) - July 21, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Peru Ucayali 70% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peru Ucayali 70% (bar) was made by Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA). 

The company specializes in single origin bars--some with high-end flavor and/or spice inclusions. This 70% dark chocolate was part of the bean-to-bar maker's Signature Line.

Aroma notes for this award-winning chocolate included: dark chocolate with very faint, diffuse stone fruit (peach, plum) and spices notes.

Flavor notes also included: relatively complex dark chocolate (very dark brownie), faint earth/loam,  yogurt, and tart-sweet fruit (sweet lemon, nectarine) in the finish. Subsequent bites revealed hints of sweet green and faint tropical fruit and spices (mangosteen, passion fruit, cardamom). 

This Peru bar seemed to get more interesting with every bite. 

The texture was smooth, with an appealing melt. It did have a very faint and fleeting (fruit) astringency toward the finish in the first bite. But, this feeling of "dryness"/faint graininess diminished as I re-tasted the chocolate. 

Back to flavors...There was also a very slight (barely detectable) bitterness that seemed to be just out of range--providing some delicate oomph, but not interfering with the lighter and brighter sweetness.

I really enjoyed the range of subtly complex fruit notes in this well-executed palette pleaser. 

I highly recommend savoring more than just one bite (1/2 bar is good) to get the full "unfolding" effect(s). I was still tasting slightly different flickers of fruit and other goodness even after several bites.

Ingredients: Single Origin Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter,

Allergen-related information: "May contain trace amounts of peanuts and tree nuts." "Soy Free, Vegan, Gluten Free"

*The department of Ucayali is named for the Ucayali River and is located inland in a rainforest area.