Domori - Milk Chocolate with Puffed Rice (bar) - Dec. 20, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
Milk Chocolate with Puffed Rice with Criollo Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: unknown (not found on label)
Cost: $N/A - "bonus bar" from Bar & Cocoa 
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa (part of a larger order) 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Rice Theme Week.

Today's Milk Chocolate with Puffed Rice with Criollo Cacao was from Domori (None (TO) Italy.

Aroma and flavor notes for this sweet treat included: sweet milk chocolate and puffed rice.

Texture: soft and very creamy milk chocolate and softly crunchy puffed rice

Those with a sweet tooth and like creamy textures will appreciate this milk chocolate. This candy-like bar was quite milky and sweet (a bit too much for me, a dark fan). Even though the puffed rice was slightly caramelized, it helped balance the very sweet 38% milk chocolate. 

Ingredients: "Milk chocolate 90% (sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, cocoa mass (of which Criolla mass (is) 3,5%), emulsifier, sunflower lecithin), caramelised puffed rice 10% (rice, sugar, glucose/fructose syrup), Cocoa solids 38% min. - Milk solids 24% min. in chocolate."

Allergen-related information: Gluten Free. May contain nuts and soja (soy)

Domori - 70% Trinitario Dark Chocolate Colombia (bar) - Sept. 19, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
70% Trinitario Fondente - Dark Chocolate Colombia (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 141 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Colombia Theme Week.

Today's 70% Trinitario Colombia (bar) was from Domori S.p.A (None (TO) Italy).

Aroma notes included: strong dark chocolate with slight loam/soil/peat notes.

This dark chocolate had an even, smooth texture and melt; and it was surprisingly low astringency given the strong aroma and initial flavor.

Flavor notes included: strong--but balanced, well-managed and executed dark chocolate. It had peat (and almost but not quite smoky/umami)--notes; however, it was quite good. It was much better than expected, given the initial aroma after the sealed, inner packaging was opened.

I liked the short list of (two) ingredients, and the natural sweetness that emerged from what tasted more like an 80%+ dark chocolate than a 70% cacao dark bar.

Maker's tasting notes: "Notes of cashew nuts and honey. Extraordinary sweetness and persistence."

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar

Allergen-related information: May contain nuts, milk and soy. Gluten free.

Domori - Chocolate Coated Amarena Cherries - Nov. 23, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Domori 
Chocolate Coated Amarena Cherries
Good ++
Weight: 3.52 oz. (100 g.) / 5.29 oz. (150 g.) in total container
Calories: 363 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $35.00 for 1 tin 
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week. 

And Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate this holiday in the U.S. I am grateful for many things, including spending time with friends and family today and enjoying chocolates every day.

Today's Chocolate Coated Amarena Cherries were from Domori S.p.A. (None, Italy). These flavorful rounds were packaged in an attractive, round pink gift tin.

Aroma notes for these Italian "Amarena Ricoperta" (covered black cherries) included: dark chocolate and tart-sweet, fresh cherry/cherry juice.

The thin, almost crispy-crunchy dark chocolate shell melted into smooth dark chocolate that encased a plump, dark cherry.

Flavor notes included: slightly earthy dark chocolate, and sweetened, tart-sweet, dark cherry.

Ingredients: Candied cherries 70% (cherries, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar), dark chocolate couverture 18% (cocoa min. 62%, Cocoa mass, Cane sugar, cocoa butter, Emulsifier: soy lecithin), dextrose, cocoa powder.

Allergen-related information: (Contains soy.)

 

Domori - Trinitario 70% Sur Del Lago Dark Chocolate (bar) - Sept. 14, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori 

Trinitario 70% Sur Del Lago Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ Good +++ 

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 282.75 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $9.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's Trinitario 70% Sur Del Lago Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Domori (None, Italy).

Subtle aroma notes (in order of appearance) included very faint green herb (oxalis) and latex/rubber in the first 30 seconds. These notes dissipated after the chocolate was removed from the inner wrapper and allowed to sit for a few minutes. Then molasses, green, true chocolate, and later, very faint fruit jam aroma notes appeared.

This well-tempered bar broke with a snap, and had a smooth, even texture.

The overall flavor was bold but mellow. (This apparent contradiction is possible with Trinitario, a variety of cacao that can embody aspects of bolder Forastero and milder, fruitier Criollo varieties.) 

Do let this bar melt in your mouth and chew each piece very slowly or you'll miss the subtle flavors blossoming on your tongue. Flavor notes (in order of appearance) included green, and true chocolate and molasses notes; but then these shape-shifted to include lovely buttery nut, strawberry + raspberry jam flavors, and faint, fleeting angel food cake, faint ginger molasses cookie, and faint floral (vanilla cream cheese) notes over a period of 10-20 seconds.

This was a well balanced and executed bar with a gradual unfolding of tiny flavors (think of a male peacock spreading out its tail) for those patient enough to wait.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts, milk and soy." No gluten ingredients

Domori - 90% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar) - Sept. 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori 

90% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar)

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 301.5 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $8.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's 90% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar) was from Domori (None, Italy).

The aroma of this bar softened a bit after the inner, sealed wrapper was opened. Aroma notes (in order of appearance) included: unsweetened dark chocolate, roasted peanut butter with a hint of fruit jam, green (forest vegetation, green stalks, seed, roasted artichoke), dried fruit (prune, banana peel), faint maple syrup, s'more (fire-roasted marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate treat)...and much later, a trace of molasses.

The first bite yielded a very satisfying, smooth, even, thick nut butter melt and texture.

The ultra-dark 90% chocolate had just a flicker of sweetness and a light balanced bitter-sour taste throughout. (Not quite pink grapefruit level, but a muffled notch below that on the same scale.) Flavor included relatively bold (for Criollo variety cacao beans) nutty, roasted and cocoa notes that lingered into the finish. 

What a difference a day (and 10%) makes. Today's Domori 90% Criollo bar was quite a switch from its sweeter, fruitier 80% Criollo bar sibling (enjoyed and reviewed yesterday, 9/12/2021). These differences were a testament to the variables and choices that exist when making each batch of chocolate. While there were some similar notes between the two chocolates, this 90% bar will appeal more to ultra-dark fans who appreciate bolder and roasted flavors.

Tasting notes: "Exciting notes of dried fruit with extraordinary persistence. Excellent balance."

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cane sugar. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts, milk and soy." No gluten ingredients

Domori - 80% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar) - Sept. 12, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori

80% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar)

Good +++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 288.5 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $8.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's 80% Fondente Dark Chocolate Criollo (bar) was made by Domori (None, Italy). 

Criollo cacao is known for its mild, round flavor, with little or no bitterness or astringency (tannins). The Criollo cacao used to make this bar was grown in Venezuela. 

Christopher Colombus first visited Venezuela in 1498 on his third voyage to the New World. But, it was an Italian navigator the following year who gave the country its present-day name. In 1499, Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci (part of the Alonso de Ojeda-led Spanish expedition), is said to have dubbed the land Veneziola (little Venice) after seeing houses on stilts by the shores of Lake Maracaibo (near the Caribbean coast) that reminded Vespucci of Venice, Italy.

More than 500 years later, Italian bean-to-bar maker Domori shares a wonderful heritage variety of Venezuelan cacao with us in the form of beautiful, two-ingredient,* dark chocolate.

The aroma notes (in order of appearance) included: true chocolate (brownie), bold green (fruit, stalks, floral), fruit (dried plum (prune), dried apricot), light warm spice cake, vanilla, molasses, light cherry, Thompson grapes, and very faint plant latex.

The flavor had a lovely, complex chocolate cake flavor with warm stone fruit compote, very faint spice, chocolate pudding and chocolate milk, and an ice cream sundae (cherry and fig chocolate ice cream with nuts) notes that lingered softly into the finish.

This well-balanced and well-executed 80% Criollo bar lacked the bitter, tannic (acidic), sour and/or heavy roasted notes that can cause some people to shy away from bolder, high-cacao percentage chocolates. Though more subtle, this 80% bar had plenty of flavor, while offering the smoothness and natural sweetness of a 65% to 70% cacao bar.

Tasting notes: "...offers notes of dried figs, dates and raisins...the result is a unique bar, with excellent sweetness and roundness."

*Ingredients: Criollo cocoa mass and cane sugar. 

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of soy, milk, and nuts." No gluten ingredients.

Domori - Brasile - Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) - May 28, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori

Brasile - Cioccolato Bio 70% (barra)

(Brazil - Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar))

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 270.5 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $6.90 (+ shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Bem  vinda (welcome) to Day #10 of VWXYZ Theme Week, featuring chocolates with origins and flavor inclusions that start with the letter(s) V, W, X, Y and Z; and Day #1 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week. 

Today's grown-up fruity and faintly nutty Brazil Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (bar) was made by Domori srl (None, Italy).

This well-tempered and well-executed dark chocolate had an aroma and flavor with rich concentrated, fermented fruit (prunes, figs, raisins, faint dried banana) with very faint traces of fermented fruit/sugar spirits (rum, port); cocktail herbs (sweet bayleaf, vanilla, juniper); cream; and true dark chocolate/cocoa flavored with a hint of naturally earthy Brazil nuts and almonds. 

The texture was relatively creamy and smooth; and the flavors, while relatively bold, but were nicely balanced, and harmonized to create a sophisticated complexity.

Thank you to Gianluca Franzoni and team at Domori for providing a delicious means of virtual travel. I could almost imagine myself in a temperate rainforest in Brazil.

X is for Xingu

The letter"X" is linked to a significant cacao origin story in Brazil. Domori was involved in the creation of this chocolate from "tree-to-bar," selecting cacao from 17 family-run farms along the Xingu River, (a SE tributary of the Amazon River)--that stretches over 1,000 miles in northern Brazil--traversing the States of Mato Grosso and Para. 

The word Xingu refers to the river as well as to approximately fifteen tribes of native/indigenous (Amerind) people living near the river. The native peoples of the Amazon basin have enjoyed wild fish, manioc and maize, palm fruits, cashews and cacao and many other foods for centuries, long before Columbus/Europeans made their way to the Americas in search of gold and other treasures.

Ingredients: Cacao min. 70 percent. Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: Gluten free. May contain traces of nuts, milk and soy.

Domori - Amarene - Sour Cherries Covered with Dark Chocolate; White Chocolate Berries (bar) - Jan. 23, 2021

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Domori 
Amarene - Sour Cherries Covered with Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Powder 
Good 
Weight: .705 oz. (20 g.) / 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total package
Calories: 190.6 calories in 1 package
Cost: $4.25 for 1 package
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Domori
White Chocolate (with) Berries (bar)
Good  
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 75 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and ABCD Theme Week, where I've selected chocolates with flavor inclusions that start with the letters A, B, C or D.

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries, and White Chocolate with Berries were from Domori srl (None, Italy).

Amarene - Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries

At the heart of these confections were candied, sour (Amarene) cherries that had a soft chew and a sweet flavor. The dark chocolate coating and dusting in cocoa powder helped to moderate the sweetness a bit. 

Italian-grown Amarene cherries are small and dark in color and are prized for their tart-sweet flavor. They're typically packed in syrup and used as a topping for a chocolate desserts.

Ingredients: Dark chocolate 60% (cocoa minimum 72% pasta di cacao, cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier: soy lecithin), candied amarena cherries 39% (amarena cherries, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, colouring agent: E163, acidifying agent: E330, natural flavors), cocoa powder 0.6% dextrose. 

White Chocolate (with) Berries

Domori's petite, pink "White Chocolate Berries" dessert bar was made with real cocoa butter (from tree to bar) and flavored (and colored) with raspberry (powder) and strawberry (powder). 

This pretty bar will please those with a sweet tooth. (The number one ingredient was sugar.) Combined with a hint of vanilla, the aroma was similar to a dessert mousse or berry-flavored vanilla cake frosting.

Ingredients: Cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, raspberry powder, strawberry powder, emulsifier: soy lecithin, vanilla extract. (Non GMO ingredients; made without gluten)

Domori - Dark Chocolate Apricot with Almond Grains (bar) - Jan. 22, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Domori

Dark Chocolate Apricot with Almond Grains (bar)

Good +

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar

Calories: 148.5 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $4.00 for 1 package

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and ABCD Theme Week, where I'm featuring flavor inclusions and forms of chocolate that start with the letter A, B, C or D. (Yesterday's chocolate pairing involved apple, banana, coconut and dark chocolate. Today the focus is on apricot, almond and dark chocolate.)

Today's Dark Chocolate Apricot with Almond "grains/nibs" bar was from Domori srl* (None, Italy). The company was founded by Gianluca Franzoni in 1997 (after he lived in Venezuela where he worked to help preserve Criollo cacao varieties). 

The smooth, 60% Cocoa (African blend) dark chocolate base had a robust flavor with a subtle earthiness. The apricot and crunchy almond bits added authentic, dried stone fruit (tart-sweet, lush, apricot scent) and pleasant nutty aroma and flavor notes that balanced the bold dark cocoa.

Chocolates with stone fruits (other than cherry), such as apricot, nectarine and/or peach, are difficult to find, so I was delighted to come across this one. A is for Apricot (or Albicocca in Italian.)

Ingredients: Dark chocolate (89%): cocoa paste, cane sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soy lecithin); almond nibs (10%) and apricot powder (1%).

*Domori became part of Grupo Illy (Illy SpA Group) in 2006. 

Domori - Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori
Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 279 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Trinitario Peru 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Domori srl (based in None (Torino), Italy). 

This well-executed chocolate was wrapped in packaging that contained the image of a muscular yet agile spotted jaguar in a tree. The bar had a satisfying, thick, firm creamy/fudgey texture. (Note: it was eaten in a cool room.) 

The aroma offered beautiful and seductive hints fruit, light floral (vanilla rum-soaked raisin),  green (earthy, lush grasses) and nut. The sleek bar delivered with similar/complementary flavor notes (which are not always the same as the aroma notes in a chocolate). 

Tasting it revealed concentrated fruit (with bright red raspberry highlights), nut butter (almond), faint green floral flavor notes and an very faint earthiness. 

The finish* was purr-fect, and lingered until it stealthily disappeared, presumably back to the jungle. I don't know where departing chocolate or jaguar** spirits go. I was too focused on enjoying this chocolate, from start to finish, to notice.

So much flavor was coaxed out of just two ingredients.* And of course, much of that was due to the choice of the Trinitario variety of cacao that was chosen.

The cacao beans were grown in "the Apurimac river area in southern Peru. A recently created hybrid (Trinitario Cocoa) with notes of flowers, caramel and cream. Very delicate, with a discreet acidity and a fresh taste that makes it a protagonist in high level patisserie production and in cocktails." 

Why do you stick around and pay close attention to the "finish" that an artisan dark chocolate bar or a fine wine might have? The same reason why you stay as the sun is setting, for the potential to see/experience that last bright flourish of light and color parfait. Don't miss the green flash :-).

*Ingredients: cocoa mass, cane sugar.

** Jaguars used to be found in the U.S. Sadly, they were hunted to extinction. These beautiful animals might occasionally be sighted as far north as Mexico but are primarily found further south in the Americas. Their stronghold is in the Amazon Basin, not far from where cacao is grown. They can live in forests and transitional areas between canopied regions and grasslands. 

Domori - Chacao Organic Milk Chocolate 42% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori 
(Chacao line)
Cioccolato Al Latte Bio 
Organic Milk Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 295.5 calories in 1 bar; 147.75 cals. in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Cioccolato Al Latte Bio (Organic Milk Chocolate) Ivory Coast bar was from Domori (None, Torino, Italy). 

This bean-to-bar, organic dark milk 42% bar was made from "Forastino" cacao, a complex and interesting variation on popular Forastero cacao beans, grown in Cote de Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

The dark milk chocolate had an aroma with slight green, followed by nut, caramel and warm spice and floral honey notes.

This bar's complex dark milk chocolate flavor included caramel and nut notes, and a lingering sweet finish. The sweetness was balanced by a muffled undercurrent of dark chocolate bitterness.

Ingredients: organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic milk powder, organic cocoa mass, emulsifier (soy lecithin).

Domori - Chacao Organic Dark Chocolate 85% bar - Aug. 21, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Domori srl
(Chacao line)
Cioccolato Fondente Bio 85%
(Organic Dark Chocolate 85% (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Cioccolato Fondente Bio 85% (Organic Dark Chocolate 85%) bar was from Domori (None, Torino (Turin), Italy).

Note: Please take your time with this bar. It will be worth it.

The aroma of this bar had bold dark chocolate with sweet spice, green, wax and coconut notes and a very faint bitterness. This chocolate had a relatively complex aroma that shifted a bit over time.

The melt and texture were relatively smooth with a balanced and relatively soft astringency and bitterness for an 85 percent made using (what I thought was a) bold Forastero* cacao grown in Cote de Ivoire (Ivory Coast). 

The flavor was bold and dark and not too sweet (thank you!). There were also balanced roasted and earth notes that unfolded during the tasting process. It was as if there were two different roasts (dark and light) that had been blended--to great effect. (There were some borderline charcoal-leaning notes in the flavor and yet some green in the aroma.) 

The roast profile chose may not have worked with a Criollo or even a Trinitario variety of cacao, but whatever it was it worked with today's with a bolder, darker (yet complex) cacao variety.*

The finish was lingering with an interesting expansive quality to it that was not quite bitter or sour, but similar to a nice, round, ripe, sweet grapefruit. It was not unpleasant and a little fascinating. It was as if, after a walk down a relatively dark corridor, someone opened a door in the ceiling and some interesting light was revealed. Perhaps this was true metaphorically as well as literally.

Having tasted many bold, densely dark Forastero* cacao bars before, this was one of the most fascinating ones. Savor this slowly, and you might appreciate the often unappreciated profundity of this cacao variety--thanks for the skill applied by the chocolate makers (and likely the in-country suppliers/growers as well). 

It was not flitty and fruity; but it had quite a bit to say if you slowed down and listened. (Moments later after I thought the finish had tailed off, there was a belated nutty (peanut butter) note. This bar never ceased to amaze.) All this with just two ingredients.**

This chocolate belongs in a tasting flight, to help illustrate what this cacao variety (and origin) are all about.

Maker's tasting notes: "A strong chocolate in which notes of ripe fruit stand out, supported by a dominant note of cocoa."

*Thank you to Chocosphere.com, a U.S. distributor for Domori. They provided more information on the cacao in this bar. The cacao variety used was organic "Forestino," from the Scay Cooperative in Cote de Ivoire. This Forestino cacao "...selected by Domori for this project comes from...the area between the villages of Toumodi, Oulaidon, Taabo and Liebe, not far from the seashore. Most of the plantations in this area are smaller and grow the Forestino (or French) cacao variety created in the early 20th century as a hybrid of the Brazilian Amelonado and the Guaiana from French Guaiana. Some plantations even preserve and harvest traces of pure Guaiana varieties." 

**Ingredients: Organic Cocoa mass, organic cane sugar

Domori - Land Costa d'Avorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar) - Aug. 19, 2020

 Chocolate of the Day

Domori S.p.A.
Land Costa d'Avorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar)
Good 
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

Welcome to Day #7 of Ghana and Ivory Coast Theme Week.

Today's Land Costa d'Ivorio (Ivory Coast) organic 70% dark bittersweet (bar) was from Domori S.p.A. (None, Torino (Turin), Italy).

West African Cacao Power

Ivory Coast--the top cacao producing country in the world--supplies almost 1/3 of the world's cacao. Yes, one rarely sees "Ivory Coast" identified as the source of cacao on chocolate bar packaging. Not that often. I was happy to find three Ivory Coast bars this week.

It's easier to find chocolate made with cacao grown in Ghana (World's #2 cacao supplier). Together these two West African countries produce approximately half of the world's cacao. 

Today's organic, Ivory Coast 70 percent dark bittersweet bar had a rich dark chocolate with a trace of bitterness and a faint spice/molasses note. The melt and texture of this bar was smooth. 

The flavor was powerful with heavy roast (light singed toast*) notes with a medium, lingering acidity (acidic, concentrated/dried plums, citrus). A thinner bar made flavors more accessible.

Maker's tasting notes for this two-ingredient chocolate (70% cocoa mass, cane sugar) read as follows: "Cacao harvested in the area between the villages of Oulaidon and Lilebe" (in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, aka Ivory Coast). "Dominant note of cocoa, accompanied by coconut, hazelnut, bread crust and spices."

*Note: Heavy fires burning in California this week have resulted in smoke wafting across five counties including where I live. These conditions can affect taste and smell. I try to consider ambient conditions when tasting, and today was one time where a "clean" tasting environment was not possible. The faint heavy roasted, burned or singed/charcoal notes I mentioned above could have been amplified by "real" smoke.

Domori - Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate; Arriba Milk Chocolate 45% with Sea Salt - July 26, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Domori srl
Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 276 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $6.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Domori srl
Cioccolato Al Latte Con Fior Di Sale (milk chocolate with fleur de sel)
Good ++ - +++ (reviewed a similar bar before - this is almost a re-tasting)
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.75 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Italian Chocolate Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Nacional 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Domori srl (None, Torino (Turin), Piedmont, Italy). Domori (founded in 1997 by Gianluca Franzoni) offers a variety of single origin bars, and a few bars with sea salt. In addition to the company's Arriba Nacional Ecuador bar, I sampled a Domori milk chocolate with sea salt bar that was very close in description to a similar bar featured previously on Chocolate Banquet.

Arriba Nacional 70% Ecuador bar
This Domori dark bar had a very enjoyable, surprising complexity. The aroma included slightly earthy, fermented stone fruits, light molasses, and rum-marinated dried fruit (raisin, prune) notes. 

I thought I knew how this 70% Ecuador (Hacienda Victoria) dark chocolate would taste, i.e. very similar to the aroma. But, this chocolate opened up further when I took the first bite.

It had a well-executed creamy, fudgey melt and smooth texture. And ooh the flavors: layers of tart, concentrated fruit (nectarine and citrus (sweet lemon, tangerine), balanced flourishes of green floral (very subtle versions of white jasmine, citrus blossom, other blooms), fudge brownie, and faint nut butter. 

The aroma and flavor notes lingered into the finish. 

All these flavors from just two ingredients: cocoa mass and cane sugar. Sometimes I get tired of uniformity and want a bit of well-executed, layered excitement. Today I felt rewarded. And, thank you Domori. This bar was not too sweet. 

The maker's notes read as follows: Hacienda Victoria has an extraordinary vision of cultivating three pure clones of Nacional cocoa, with their extreme elegance and delicate notes of white flowers.

Milk Chocolate Fleur de Sel 45% Arriba bar

This 45% dark milk chocolate (made with Arriba cacao) also was relatively complex and well executed. It was well balanced with faint, balanced, bitter earth, fruit and green notes in the aroma. It had a creamy melt and texture. 

The well-made chocolate was flavorful with fruit, fermented fruits (ripe fruit, very light citrus), milk chocolate with delicious rich caramel notes, with occasional, balanced wavelets of Guerande fleur de sel (sea salt) that lingered for a short while.

This was meant to be a sweeter, creamer bar; however, the sugar/sweet level was relatively restrained allowing more subtle flavors to shine through (thank you!).

Domori - Cacao Criollo 75% Puertomar - May 13, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Domori
Cacao Criollo 75% Puertomar (square)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: .166 oz. (4.7 g.) in 1 square
Calories: 25 calories (estimate) in 1 square
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: (part of a Chocosphere.com, online order)

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Criollo 75% Puertomar chocolate was made by Domori* (None, Turin, Italy), using Criollo cacao grown on a Domori plantation in Venezuela. Fortunately for us, Domori founder Gianluca Franzoni visited Venezuela in 1993 and worked with the Francheschi family (a prominent name in chocolate in Venezuela) to develop and preserve heritage Criollo cacao known for its complex, subtle and wonderful flavors.**

This tiny square of chocolate was packed with complex, subtle and exquisitely balanced flavor. The promise of Criollo cacao fulfilled. It had a sweet rich chocolate aroma and notes of coffee, light toffee-molasses, balanced slightly sweet-tart dried fruit. An appealing touch of bitterness and a light lingering blossom of a finish rounded out this tasting experience. I wanted this tasting experience to go on and on.

*Domori was founded in 1997 by Gianluca Franzoni, and was one of the first companies to focus on fine-flavored and Criollo cacao. In 2006, Domori became part of the Illy SpA Group (Trieste, Italy) that also produces high-end coffee, tea and champagne offerings.

** Criollo cacao represents a small percentage of chocolate sold today. This variety has a reputation for complex, but not overwhelming or bitter, heritage aroma and flavors (fruit, caramel, nuts, cream). However, because the fine-flavored Criollo trees also can be more fragile and prone to disease, approximately 90% of of the world's chocolate is made of the more robust, high-yield Forastero cacao variety (grown widely in West Africa, Brazil and elsewhere), that tends to have a darker, denser, bolder, less complex flavor.

Domori - Cocco recoperto di cioccolato al latte - Apr. 11, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori

Cocco recoperto di cioccolato al latte 

(Coconut (pieces) covered with milk chocolate)

Good  

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in total package

Calories: 224 calories in 1 pkg.  

Cost: $3.75 for 1 package

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

Welcome to Day #7? of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

Today's gluten-free Coconut (pieces) Covered in 50% Milk Chocolate was from Domori srl (None, Italy).

These sweet little milk chocolate and coconut confectionery orbs made for a pleasing snack.

Ingredients: milk chocolate (50% cocoa min.) cane sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, milk powder, emulsifier, soy lecithin, natural vanilla extract), dehydrated coconut (sugar, coconut, sulfur dioxide), sugar syrup (water, sugar, glucose syrup, thickening agent - arabic gum).

Domori - Trinitario 70% Tanzania Dark Chocolate bar - Nov. 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori srl
Trinitario 70% Tanzania Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 137 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere (online order)

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Africa Theme Week.

Today's Trinitario 70% Tanzania Dark Chocolate bar was from Domori srl (None, Italy), made with cacao grown in the Morogoro region of Tanzania in Africa.

This thin 4-square bar had a wild aromatic profile: earthen jars, marinated dried fruit/raisins, grapes/sweet and sour fruit fermenting in oak casks, a cute but slightly gamey lion cub,* and a slight bitter(s) note.

The melt and texture were very civilized: smooth, creamy and uniform. They were the tamest part of this bar.

The flavor was complex and interesting with some of the some earth and fermented fruit notes described in the aroma. (However, there was no touch of lion or bitterness.) And the finish was lingering, but fairly clean.

As wild as this bar sounds, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Bean to bar chocolates are becoming more uniform in flavor in recent years, thanks to fermentation training and expertise; decisions about what is "good" cacao; and farmers getting more support and a fair price for their cacao which may, in turn, enable efforts to produce better quality cacao.

This evolution has, arguably, produced better chocolate, or at least fewer bars with off flavors, which is good. But, there are also more bars with tamed down and uniform flavor profiles that are almost dull. I miss the Wild West sometimes.

*Yes, lions are a cheap way to get your attention, aren't they? Fortunately, Tanzania (while having to take strong measures to protect elephants (like the one pictured on the packaging for this bar)) has one of the healthier populations of wild lions remaining in Africa. Lion cubs are adorable and a privilege to hold when they're young (in a zoo or approved facility, not out in the wild). Like many wild animals, they can have a faint gamey or pungent aroma, especially if they've been in an enclosed area around adults. 

Note: This chocolate was recently expired (2019) when I wrote this review (2019). Generally, bars, if stored properly, have a reasonably long shelf life. However, I believe it is unfair the maker if I write a review of an expired bar without disclosing this information.

Copyright 2019. Unauthorized use of the text and/or images from this site, www.ChocolateBanquet.com, is a copyright violation.

Domori - D-Fusion LatteSal Milk Chocolate with Salt (bar) - July 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori srl

D-Fusion Latte Sal Milk Chocolate with Salt 45% (bar)

Good - Good +

Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total package

Calories: 75 calories in 1/2 bar 

Cost: $3.96 (sale) for 1 bar + any shipping

Purchased from:  Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week.

Today's D-Fusion Latte Sal Milk Chocolate with Salt (bar) was from Domori srl* (None, TO, Italy), and was made with Arriba Nacional cacao.

This 45% cacao milk chocolate had a sweet, caramel (almost "candy") aroma, with some light fruit and chocolate notes. The thin bar had a creamy smooth, almost gummy texture. The sweetness masked the chocolate and salt nuances a bit, but it will have a definite appeal for some.

Maker's notes: "(the bar was made with)...sweet and aromatic Guerande** sea salt to bring forth a fresh hint of banana and citrus fruits..." ***

And speaking of the chocolate maker, the following quote was printed on the Domori website:

"I am only a humble servant to Chocolate, and my true mission is to help change the history of fine cacao." -- Gianluca Franzoni

*Domori has been part of the illy Group since 2006. The company was involved in looking at fine cacao and supply chains before the craft/artisan chocolate movement really took hold. And they were one of the first and only makers to offer a 100% Criollo bar, made using a delicious, fine heritage variety of cacao.

**The Guerande salt used in this bar was harvested from the Guerande salt marshes of France.

*** Ingredients: "Cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole powdered milk (20%), cocoa mass, Guerande salt (0.4%)"

Domori - 100% Criollo Cacao bar - Jan. 16, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori

100% Criollo Cacao bar

Good ++

Weight: .66 oz. (21 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar

Calories: 117 calories in 3/4 bar

Cost: $ N/A - gift from a friend

Purchased from: N/A - gift (Apple store, Cupertino, CA)

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

Just when it crossed my mind that maybe 11 years of chocolate might be enough, surprise! This generous gift from a friend arrived. 

Today's single-ingredient,* 100% Criollo Cacao bar from Domori (None, Italy) was purchased by said friend at an Apple Computer store adjacent to the company's Cupertino headquarters. Disk drives and Domori. Interesting combination.

This bar had a slightly bitter, earthy tobacco aroma. The relatively thin bar allowed access to a flavor profile (similar to the aroma) right away; and the chocolate broke with a had snap (a sign of a well-tempered bar). The melt was rapid and even; and the texture was smooth, almost creamy. 

For such a powerful dark aroma and flavor profile, it was surprisingly mild in terms of bitterness and lacked the astringent pucker one might expect. It was like a ship in heavy seas that you expect might founder but it kept miraculously righting itself.

The flavor was very even and persisted with a similar aftertaste for several seconds, then tailed off gradually. 

Tasting notes printed on the packaging read: "...dried fruit with low bitterness and astringency, and an almost immediate balance." It was all of these, but without some of the more delicate dried, fruit acidity at the beginning that is ofter present with bars made with pure Criollo** cacao. 

*One ingredient: cocoa mass, gluten free

**Criollo, a variety of cacao, is known for its subtle, exquisite, usually balanced flavors. Fruits for this tree tend to be slightly smaller, and it is often more delicate, and less disease resistant than Forestaro and Trinitario varieties.

Domori - Cioccolato Al Latte D'Asino bar - Oct. 14, 2106

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori
Cioccolato Al Latte D'Asino (Donkey's Milk bar)
Good ++
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar
Calories: 66 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of And Now for Something Completely Different* Theme Week.

What do Pliny the Elder, Hippocrates, Cleopatra and Pope Francis have in common?

They've all either expounded on the benefits of, or experienced benefits first-hand from, donkey's milk. Cleopatra took baths in donkey's milk which was/is said to benefit the skin. And Pope Francis apparently was fed a supplement made with donkey's milk when he was an infant.

Well, it's not everyday that you get to try a milk chocolate bar made with donkey's milk. And, where did I find such an odd treasure? At Chocolate Covered (San Francisco, CA) of course. This tiny shop is one of a few places in the Bay Area to carry unusual, high-quality chocolate items that also taste good.


Today's Cioccolato Al Latte D'Asino (Donkey's Milk) Cacao Criollo bar was made by Domori (None (near Turin), Italy).**

This 45 percent bar was quite sweet; but even so, the initial aroma and flavor contained something unique, but it was hard to characterize. I expected a slightly gamey flavor, but that wasn't it.

However, after the first few nibbles, the unidentified flavor softened and brightened to a slightly fruity, rich caramel, and continued to yield interesting caramel and dulce de leche notes—due in part to high-quality Criollo cacao. The bar had a creamy melt and texture, and was well balanced and tempered for a milk bar. The finish tailed off gently and left no real aftertaste.

*For those old enough to remember, the phrase "And now for something completely different" was sometimes uttered by narrator John Cleese, one of several comic performers, who appeared on the British television show "Monty Python's Flying Circus"—as an interlude between bizarre and outrageous skits or stories. 

**Domori has been part of the Illy Group since 2006.