Chocolate of the Day
Origen Cacao
80% Putumayo dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $30.00 for a 6-bar variety pack
Purchased from: Origen Cacao, online
Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate & Colombia Theme Week.
Today's 80% Putumayo dark chocolate (bar) from Origen Cacao was "handcrafted in small batches" at the company's factory in San Roque, Antioquia (Colombia). The company name encompasses nested origin stories.
Putumayo is a department (state) in southwestern Colombia that shares borders with Ecuador and Peru. Rich in forests lowlands, this area is sometimes described as where the "Andes mountains meet the Amazon rainforest"--in a region where cultivation of cacao likely began 1,000s of years ago.
Aroma and flavor notes for today's 80% dark chocolate included: mild chocolate (especially for an 80% cacao bar), with subtle fruit (cacao fruit), and faint warm spice, nut and sweet herb. (These notes were created with just cacao and sugar. There were no nut ingredients.)
This gentle dark chocolate was low in bitterness and acidity.
Texture: well-tempered, this bar broke with a snap and had a smooth melt.
I enjoyed the subtle cacao fruit and other notes in the aroma--and the naturally mild cacao that made it easier to pick out these notes.
And I appreciated the short list of authentic and organic ingredients in this bar.
Today's bar reminded me of other chocolates made with gentle, aromatic, heritage cacaos (Criollo variety cacaos from Central and South America).*
Ingredients: "Organic Cacao, organic cane sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter"
Allergen-related information: None found on packaging.
*While this bar did not have floral notes, this mild, aromatic cacao reminded me of many heritage roses that still possess their beautiful, complex and delicate scents. The same could be said for heritage and heirloom varieties of fruits, coffees, hops and other plants. Modern varieties bred for disease resistance and vigor seem to lose many of these notes.
