Chocolate of the Day
Chocolate Tree
Belize 75% Dark Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 171.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order
Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate & Central America Theme Week -- a week with several dark bars crafted by small batch makers using cacao grown in Belize--sourced from Maya Mountain Cacao in Southern Belize.*
Today's Belize 75% Dark Chocolate Bar was made by Chocolate Tree (Knowes Farm, Scotland), using cacao ("Native Criollo (varieties), Upper Amazon Hybrids") from Maya Mountain Cacao.
Aroma and flavor notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, slightly roast-y dark fudge brownie); diffuse and faint tart-sweet/tropical fruit; and very faint warm spice.
Texture: relatively smooth, dark chocolate with a very subtle tart fruit astringency.
I appreciated the company's thoughtful sourcing; the mold they used to create the beautiful interlocking birds pattern on this bar (and other bars); the short list of three, organic ingredients; and the chocolate-y flavor with secondary, diffuse tropical fruit notes. (For those who don't care for the wonderful fruit, there was a little less fruit in this bar than some other Belize dark chocolates featured this week. Personally, I love balanced, naturally occurring cacao fruit notes.)
Maker's Tasting Notes: "Dried Fruit, Honey, Pineapple"
Maker's Pairing Suggestions: "Pair With: Brownies, Granola, Dark Rum"
Ingredients: "Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cacao Butter."
Allergen-related information: "Manufactured in a facility that processes: milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nut ingredients."
*When I visited Maya Mountain Cacao years ago, the Toledo district (and more broadly Southern Belize) felt like the equivalent (for cacao) of the Napa wine region in northern California. A special place. (The opportunity to discuss centuries old cacao traditions with Maya people/farmers was also very special.)
Maya Mountain Cacao purchases cacao (freshly harvested beans with pulp) from many local cacao farmers and provides high-quality, fine-flavored cacao beans to chocolate makers around the globe.
