The Organic House
Vietnam Dak Lak Cacao Vanilla Bean and Sea Salt 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 30 g. of bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Organic House, online order
Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Vietnam Theme Week.
Today's Vietnam Dak Lak Cacao Vanilla Bean and Sea Salt 60% Cacao (bar) by The Organic House (Burlington, ON, Canada).
The cacao used to make this bar was from Dak Lak--a mountainous province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. (Sourced from T-BROS chocolate makers in Vietnam.*)
Aroma notes for this chocolate included: chocolate, light and bright botanical (fruit, banana floral--all infused with vanilla (and to a lesser extent vanilla marshmallow and vanilla coconut sugar).
Texture: This relatively thin dark chocolate bar had an almost velvety smooth melt and mouthfeel, and a fleeting texture from the generous dusting of fleur de sel flakes (if you can detect the delicate salt flakes before they quickly melt and disappear).
Flavor notes included: dark chocolate with an uplifting chorus of sweet, almost floral flavors--buoyed by vanilla and coconut floral nectar. These more angelic notes were tempered with sea salt, faint smoke, and balanced, flavorful dark chocolate with medium (diffuse fruit) acidity and low-medium bitterness.
I enjoyed the texture and the lively mix of aromas and flavors in this bar. (Even though the vanilla and salt almost stole the show.) Almost everyone enjoys a gravity-defying vanilla uplift--especially warming and welcoming as the weather turns cooler.
Many chocolates have very similar aroma and flavor notes. But single origin chocolates (especially those with certain teas/herbs, coffee, fruits, flowers, spirits and authentic vanilla bean flavor inclusions) often call for additional aroma details. My advice: smell chocolates before eating them, or you may miss something very unique and special.
Maker's tasting notes: "Vanilla bean and maple with light notes of cherry, lemon, orange, and mocha."
Ingredients: "Vietnam Dak Lak cacao beans, Coconut flower nectar, Ontario maple sugar, Peru cacao butter, Vanilla beans, Sea salt"
Allergen-related information: "May contain: Almonds, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Oats, Pistachios"
*T-BROS (aka TBROS), a bean-to-bar chocolate company, was founded in 2017 by two friends and classmates, Truong Minh Thang and Nguyen Duy Thong. They direct source cacao from farms/farmers and focus on "meticulous post-harvest cacao processing" -- resulting in award-winning chocolate bars.
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