Castronovo Chocolate - Colombia Arhuacos 80% Ancestral Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 16, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Castronovo Chocolate 
Colombia Arhuacos 80% Ancestral Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Castronovo, online order

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

Today's Colombia Arhuacos 80% Ancestral Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Castronovo Chocolate (Stuart, FL).

The maker included a message (on the packaging) from a spiritual leader of the Arhuacos, Katansama, Colombia. "...listen to the...wind, water and the ancestral cacao from our forest. They ask you to protect Mother Earth and to be mindful" about changes to nature. 

Aroma and flavor notes included: chocolate (ganache, mousse); subtle fruit (very faint, soft peach) and caramel; and barely detectable, fleeting chalk/grain (rice, oat straw) and sweet green/green floral. The 80% dark chocolate was relatively smooth, with a subtle astringency (drying effect).

I liked the very gentle, wide ranging complexity in this ultra-dark bar that is found almost exclusively in/with heritage/Criollo variety cacaos (or in this case ancestral cacao).

This 80% cacao chocolate had a mild to medium acidity, was low in bitterness and had the sweetness level of a 70% bar.

Maker's tasting notes: "...subtle flavors of white wine, orange blossom, honey, clover and an elegant rich creaminess."

Ingredients: "cocoa beans, cane sugar*, cocoa butter* (* = organic ingredients)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a nut-free facility that uses milk and wheat."

Cacao & Cardamom - Health Freak Tumaco Colombia 85% Cacao (bar) - Sept. 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao & Cardamom
"Health Freak" Single Origin Tumaco Colombia 85% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 546 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao & Cardamom, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week, and one last doff of the hat to Chocolate and Seeds Theme Week. (Find the hidden six seeds in this bar.*)

Today's "Health Freak" Single Origin Tumaco Colombia 85% Cacao (bar) was from Cacao & Cardamom (Houston, TX).

Aroma notes included: smooth dark chocolate, faint fruit, nut and seed; and very faint spice. 

This striking bar was designed with a variable grid-pattern that held rows of seeds (chia, hemp, flax) as well as ruby-toned goji berries, and small pieces of coconut.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, slightly crunchy, tiny fields of seeds and fruit. A very subtle touch of vanilla warmed up the 85% dark chocolate and complemented the other elements.

Ingredients: "85% Tumaco Dark Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla extract), Chai (sic) Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Flax Seeds, Goji Berries, Coconut"

Allergen-related information: "Vegan & Gluten Free"

*Answer: cacao beans used to make the chocolate (seeds); vanilla likely used to make the extract (seeds); chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and coconut (single seed drupe). 

  

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar) - Sept. 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Goodnow Farms Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's Colombia Boyaca 73% Cacao (bar) from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA) was part of this bean-to-bar maker's Signature Line of bars.

Aroma notes included: chocolate, delicate fruit, caramel, spice (green pepper), 

The texture was very smooth, almost creamy.

Flavor notes included: chocolate with complex, delicate very faint "cream", light loam and green foliage (barely detectable initial, fleeting cooling menthol); spice; very faint, diffuse tropical/cacao fruit; sweet notes (honeyed caramel, toasted marshmallow + bitter caramel ice cream); and a few other tantalizing notes too faint and fleeting to catch. I kept tasting more of this chocolate hoping to "find" more hidden notes. It was like trying to catch a glimpse of a rare tropical bird through a lush rainforest canopy. Tantalizing; and just out of reach.

I really appreciated the intriguing complexity of this bar. It tasted lighter, sweeter and more subtle than many 73% cacao chocolates. It was also sophisticated and well-crafted from start to finish. The freshly pressed cocoa butter enriched this single origin cacao experience. And even the natural-tasting sweetness was layered and nuanced. 

I associate some of the more subtle fruit, cream and caramel notes mentioned above with fine Criollo heritage cacaos. The cacao used to make this bar was from "a new fermentation facility in the town of San Pablo de Borbur" (in Boyaca, Colombia, that) "allows farmers to produce these exceptionally high-quality fine flavor beans."

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Toasted Marshmallow & Honey"

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

Allergen-related information: "Soy Free, Vegan, Gluten Free"