A. Morin - Costa Rica - Quetzal Noir 70% cacao (bar) - May 26, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Costa Rica - Quetzal Noir 70% cacao (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 294 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Costa Rica - Quetzel Noir 70% cacao (bar) was made by A. Morin Chocolatiers (Donzere, France) using cacao grown in O'Payo Nicaragua cacao. The company has been in the family since 1884.

Aroma and flavor notes included: relatively aromatic and bold (but well-balanced) dark chocolate with complex notes: (from roasted woody earth (peat) to toast and coffee, to diffuse, almost honeyed fruit (concord grape)). 

It tasted much better than the initial sniff/aroma seemed to indicate; or put another way, it finished unexpectedly delightfully. It reminded me of certain red wines that way.

I found this chocolate oddly addictive, and had to stop myself from eating too much. This says something about the cacao beans as well as the chocolate maker.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans from Costa Rica, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin. Cocoa 70% minimim.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk, nuts and sesame 

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. - Extra Dark 71% with Salt & Nibs (bars) - Sept. 5, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir et sel de Camargue 
(Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar))
Good ++
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Les gourmandises des Francais S.A.S. 
Noir, eclats de feves de cacao 
(Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar))
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in total bar
Calories: 85.35 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Il Parco, Presidio, San Francisco, CA

Bonjour, and welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and The Sea Theme Week--that featured a variety of chocolates with marine-related flavor additions and themes. The first of the two bars featured today contained sea salt and was adorned with a colorful, tattooed sailor.

This is also Day #2 of Chocolate and Seeds Week with chocolates that contain seeds (including seeds that are misnamed beans).**  The second bar featured today has bits of cacao seeds (aka nibs).

Extra dark chocolate and Camargue salt (bar)

Aroma notes for this 71% French dark chocolate with salt bar included: deep, dark chocolate (West African, Forastero/Amelonado varieties of cacao); dark, fudge-y, with a touch of earth and very faint tree bark/peat; and barely detectable cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxe texture and melt interspersed with crystalline sparkles of salt.

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate (that tasted slightly darker than 71% cacao); faint and balanced loamy earth and peaty-bark; satisfying upticks of salt; and very faint tropical fruit and nut. The unrefined cane sugar contributed a subtle, natural, fruity sweetness.

I liked this flavorful, dark and not too sweet dark chocolate, with a thick, luxurious melt and texture. I enjoyed the small crystals of Camargue* salt (and the salt origin story); the colorful illustration of a sailor with the tall ship (and bird) tattoos, on the package; and the use of organic ingredients.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, Camargue salt flower 0.3% (* = Ingredients from organic farming, certified by FR-BIO-O1)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs (bar)

Aroma notes for this second 71% French dark chocolate bar--with cocoa nibs--included: deep, dark chocolate and faint fruit (melon, fig) and very faint chocolate cookie.

Texture: fudge-y, luxurious texture and melt in the base 71% dark chocolate; accented with crunchy bits of cocoa nibs. 

Nit-picking time....Cacao beans or cocoa beans are actually seeds; and the terms cacao (or cocoa) nibs used to describe bits of beans, are (you guessed it) bits of seeds. It seems unlikely we'll correct these terms after using them for many decades now. But, a seed-themed week seemed like the best time to make this point.**

Flavor notes included: Rich, deep dark chocolate; subtle fig cookie and very faint diffuse tropical fruit (ripe pineapple, mango, sweet green banana, red apple); faint, balanced slightly acidic, woody (peaty) earth, and nut cookie.

I liked the depth and subtle complexity of the rich, cocoa flavor in this small dark chocolate bar; and that it wasn't too sweet (thank you!). The sugar did not mask some of the more nuanced cacao and chocolate flavors. I also liked the use of organic ingredients and the lack of emulsifiers and other additives.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass* (Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru), unrefined cane sugar*, cocoa butter*, cocoa nibs* (* = Ingredients from organic farmers)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, gluten, eggs, soy, peanuts and nuts."

*Salts in chocolates come with their own sea-related origin stories. Camargue salt comes from salt marshes in the Camargue region of southern France. This Mediterranean fleur de sel is used extensively in cooking in Southern France. The harvested salt is pushed up into large piles near pink salt evaporation ponds. Flamingos in the region also enjoy feeding in this landscape with large, shallow expanses of sea water and salt ponds. 

I could relate to this origin story. I live near the southern end of the San Francisco Bay (with salt marshes and a history of salt-making). We even have one, lone (live) flamingo that has been sighted feeding in some of the old salt ponds. 

**We may end up updating/clarifying definitions for seeds and beans in the future; but the following is what I was taught decades ago: A seed comes from a mature flowering plant/tree. A "bean" is a type of seed that comes from legumes; e.g. plants in the pea family (peas, lentils, beans). Cacao, coffee and vanilla are not part of the legume family; but their seeds are, nonetheless, called beans.

A. Morin - Pure Origine Noir 100% Equateur Esmeralda (bar) - Dec. 19, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin  
Pure Origine Noir 100% Equateur Esmeralda (bar) 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .586 oz. (16.6 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 106 calories in 1/6 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's A. Morin Pure Origine 100% Ecuador Esmeraldas (bar) was from SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin (Donzere, France). The company has been passed from father to son for generations (dating back to 1884).

Esmeraldas is a coastal province in northwestern Ecuador, where the Esmeraldas River joins the Pacific Ocean. Home to Ecuador's main seaport, Esmeraldas is also known for its white sand beaches and tropical climate.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate ice cream, drinking chocolate, earthy fudge brownie.

Texture: This chocolate had a smooth, even melt and thick creamy mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: Smooth but hearty bouquet of pure chocolate flavors followed by balanced bitter, and relatively subtle sour (for 100% cacao) notes. The finish was long and satisfying with a return to smooth dark chocolate ice cream, creamy dark chocolate mousse, and faint dark chocolate malted milk notes. (Note: there were no dairy or malt ingredients.)

The lack of sugar in any 100% cacao bar (with no added sugar) might be too much for those with a sweet tooth. I found this 85% bar flavorful, delicious and satisfying. After slowly savoring 4 squares (1/6 of this bar) I was in chocolate heaven. This French chocolate definitely belongs in a 100% tasting flight.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans from Ecuador* (Organic)

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, nuts and sesame."

Pralus - Indonesia Criollo 75% (bar) - Dec. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Pralus 
Indonesia Criollo 75% (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 292.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar & Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Indonesia Theme Week. 

Today's Indonesia Criollo 75% (bar) was made in France by Patisserie Chocolaterie Pralus s.a.s. (Roanne, France).

The Java Criollo cacao variety used to make this chocolate was grown on the Island of Java, in Indonesia. This hybrid cacao is known for nuanced, subtle heritage Criollo flavor(s), blended with the bolder dark chocolate flavors of a Forastero* cacao variety.

Aroma notes included: bold dark chocolate, gentle fruit (sweet, green grapes; faint peach), very faint sweet cracker, malt, and honey; and barely there lemon-green herb (oxalis, wood sorrel, sour grass).

This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap, and had a smooth texture and melt. As this relatively thick bar melted, there was a subtle unfolding and undulation of flavors that I associated with chocolates made with Criollo cacao(s).

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate, honey, subtle fruits, and fudge brownie.

Ingredients: Indonesian cocoa (min. 75%), sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier: sunflower lecithin.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of nuts or milk.

*Some would call this blend somewhat counter-intuitive hybrid a "best of both worlds" that combines the subtle prized flavors of a Criollo cacao (originally transported from the Americas to the Philippines and Indonesia--via Spanish ships many years ago), with the bold flavors of a Forastero cacao. Forastero pods are larger (contain cacao beans) and are more disease resistant as well.

 

Bonnat Chocolatier - Indonesia Java Milk 65% (bar) - Dec. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Bonnat Chocolatier
Indonesia Java Milk 65% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 209 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Indonesia Java Milk 65% (bar) was from Bonnat Chocolatier (aka Chocolat Bonnat), based in Voiron, Isere, France. The company has been making chocolate for almost 140 years.

The cacao used to make this bar was from Java (a large island in the Indonesian archipelago), located west of Bali and south of Borneo.

Aroma notes for this bar included: bold dark chocolate and cream of rice cereal with milk, sugar and butter.

This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap, and had a satisfying, creamy, buttery texture.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, faint grain/cereal, and very faint brown bread. The choice of a bit more cocoa butter, sugar and milk (65% cacao vs. 70% cacao dark chocolate) seemed like a good choice. The cacao was fairly bold, and seemed well managed in this bar.

Ingredients: Cocoa (Indonesie), cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder; 65% cocoa minimum.

Allergen-related information: Contains milk. 

Valrhona - Araguani Pur Venezuela 100% Cacao (bar) - June 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Valrhona
Araguani Pur Venezuela 100% Cacao (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 211.7 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Araguani Pur Venezuela 100% Cacao (bar) was from Valrhona (Tain l'Hermitage, France).

Aroma notes for this ultra-dark bar included: an aromatic, attractive dark chocolate with a small bouquet of subtle fruits (including sweet berries), nut (almond butter) and barely detectable spice (aromatic, floral ground pepper, warm spices), sweet green, and very faint, freshly sawed wood.

The texture was thick and buttery smooth.

The strong 100% cacao chocolate had a balanced bitterness (porter, ale) throughout. It also had mellow faint wood and almond butter notes; faint acidic dried fruit notes, followed by a very faint refreshing, clean mineral water taste in the finish.

If you're not put off by bitter, deep flavors (or the 100% absence of added sugar), then this pure Venezuelan cacao would be a good ultra-dark bar to try, by itself or as part of a 100%er flight. The aroma was rich and pleasing, the texture was buttery smooth, and while it did stray into unsweetened baking chocolate territory*, the taste of this un-sugared chocolate wasn't too far off the rails. 

Note: what you eat (before or during this tasting) may also make a difference in what you're tasting with this bar more than others. Eating lightly toasted fresh bread with grated melted cheese; roasted savory almonds; baked, stuffed potatoes; or a cheese plate may create interesting pairings. (Think of foods you might pair with a bitter ale.)

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Chocolatey (chocolatee) woody (boisees), full-bodied (corsees)

Ingredients: Cocoa beans from Venezuela. "Milk (Made in a facility that uses milk)."

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that uses milk. This product may contain: gluten, nuts, soya.

*For chocolate lovers who, as children, opened a bar of baking chocolate found in a kitchen cupboard, and expected a sweet treat--and were shocked to find otherwise--you'll know what I mean here.

La Feverie - Chuncho Urusayhua 75% Peru (bar) - Dec. 8, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

La Feverie

Chuncho Urusayhua 75% Peru (2019 Harvest) (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar

Calories: 163 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Chuncho Urusayhua 75% Peru (2019 Harvest) (bar) was made at La Feverie, Hasnaa Chocolats Grands Crus (Bordeaux, France).

Aroma notes for this handcrafted dark chocolate included: fermented cacao (the faint fermentation and fruit vinegar notes dissipated after the package had been opened), and faint, floral peppercorn and sweet, ripe blackberries.

This 75% single origin dark chocolate was relatively smooth, with only a very slight graininess/fruit astringency.

The flavor notes for this bar included: floral (pink and black) peppercorn (that faded after package had been opened for about 30 minutes); sweet green and maple sugar; very faint and fleeting olive; sweet red berry; and slightly tart-sweet, ripe lush blackberries.

This was an enjoyable single origin bar with a pleasant, layered complexity that included balanced flavors and sweetness level(s). It was slightly tart-sweet, and low in bitterness.

Maker's flavor profile description/tasting notes read as follows: "Succession of fresh and greedy notes of red fruits (cherry, wild strawberry...) on a slightly Moka finish (coffee)."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans and organic sugar

Allergen-related information: (No information listed on packaging.)

Note: The post for this entry was delayed due to international travel.

A. Morin - Perou 63% Absolut - Limited Edition (bar) - Dec. 6, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Absolut 63% Edition Limitee (tablette)
Peru Absolute 63% Limited Edition (bar)
Good +++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140.75 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $12.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Perou Absolut 63% Limited Edition (bar) was from SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin (Donzere, France). 

All three ingredients--cocoa beans, cocoa butter and sugar--used to make this truly single origin dark chocolate were all from Peru. 

Rich and pleasingly complex aroma notes for this dark chocolate included: dried fruits (date, plum, fig, dried peach, and barely detectable dried pineapple with some almost invisible (perhaps imaginary) rum), warm spice cake, faint sweet green, very faint molasses, and very faint, warm, woody earth (peat).

The relatively thick bar had a smooth, relatively buttery melt and a very fine granularity consistent with some stoneground chocolates (or shorter conche times that help preserve flavors). These two absolutely complementary textures were skillfully melded together, to arrive at what felt like the best of both worlds.*

The taste was very consistent with the aroma described above, with more dark chocolate (flavorful dark ganache) notes intermingled with the deep, dark but smooth, dried fruit and molasses spice cake holiday party murmuring softly in the background.

This well-executed, all-Peru chocolate offered rich, sweet flavor depth and complexity. And the choice to go sweeter (63% vs. 70%) worked well in this case. The sugar seemed to brighten up/highlight all the best naturally occurring notes in the cacao beans and added cocoa butter--rather than overpowering them.

Ingredients: Peru cocoa beans, Peru cane sugar, Peru cocoa butter.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, nuts and sesame."

*Longer grinding and conching times can reduce cocoa solid particle size and fully integrate solids and cocoa fat (butter) together, resulting in a creamy/creamier texture. But, taken too far, longer processing times can result in the loss of more volatile flavor elements that would be desirable to preserve. There is both art and science that goes into this step, and arguably every step, involved in chocolate making.

 

A. Morin - Cote d'Ivoire Guemon Noir 100% (bar) - Feb. 6, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin
Cote d'Ivoire Guemon Noir 100% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.17 oz. (3.3 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 202.3 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of 100% Cacao Theme Week.

Today's Cote d'Ivoire Guemon Noir 100% (bar) was from SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin (Donzere, France).

The aroma notes for this bar included: deep, dark bittersweet chocolate, faint green and molasses, a very faint fruit (red/purple grape, blueberry) and almost invisible impression of incense.

This 100% cacao chocolate (made with cocoa nibs) broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a buttery mouthfeel, melt and texture.

Flavor notes: fudgey, buttery, relatively uniform, roasty, mild* ultra-dark chocolate, and a small pop of berry (raspberry) toward the end/finish.

Ingredients: Cocoa nibs

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, nuts and sesame"

*Mild meaning a relatively (for a 100% chocolate) balanced bitterness and acidity level and a lack of sharp or scary notes. 

A "milder" 100% cacao chocolate is sometimes achieved by starting with a milder variety of cacao, longer roast and grind/conche times, and/or the addition of cocoa butter. (Cacao beans are about 1/2 cocoa solids and 1/2 cocoa butter, but the proportions can vary with climate/growing latitude and cocoa variety. Cacao beans grown at the Equator might be leaner than others growing 20 degrees above or below the Equator.)

Those new to consuming any 100% chocolates may miss the sugar initially. I often see people tasting 100% chocolates with a facial expression that says: momentarily confused brain expected something sweet that wasn't there, and is trying to re-calibrate. For those already used to unsweetened cacao chocolate, a piece of today's bar might be a good addition to a 100% cacao bar tasting flight. The aroma was quite nice, and the little pop of raspberry at the end was fun.

 

Michel Cluizel - Noir 63% Ecorces D'Orange (Dark 63% Orange Peels) (bar) - Nov. 5, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Michel Cluizel

Noir 63% Ecorces D'Orange

(Dark 63% Orange Peels)

Good ++

Weight: 33.3 oz. (1.16 g.) / 100 oz. (3.5 g.) in total bar

Calories: 179.8 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar

Cost: $10.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Noir 63% Ecorces D'Orange (Dark 63% Orange Peels) bar was from Michel Cluizel (Damville, France).

This chocolate had a subtle aroma. This relatively thick bar yielded a smooth, substantial mouthfeel with a sustained creamy melt and texture.

The dark chocolate had smooth and satisfying flavor and malt and butter notes, with occasional sparkles of orange (candied orange peel). The vanilla pod was used sparingly. Overall, it was very nicely balanced, not too sweet (thank you) and quite appealing.

Ingredients: Cocoa, sugar, candied orange peels (13% minimum) (orange, sugar, glucose syrup), cocoa butter, emulsifier (rapeseed lecithin), Bourbon vanilla pod.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of shelled tree nuts, milk and gluten."

Francois Pralus - Bresil Forastero 75% (bar) - May 29, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Francois Pralus
Bresil (Brazil) Forastero 75% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 292.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.60 (estimate) (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com (online order)

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Brazil Theme Week.

Today's Bresil (Brazil) Forastero* 75% (bar) was made by Francois Pralus (Roanne, France).

The aroma notes for this dark chocolate included: cocoa, fruit (dried apple, dried persimmon), butter, faint, warm spice (cinnamon, 5-spice blend with a hint of tangerine peel), and faint herb/green (sweet lemon balm, light green grass).

The Brazil 75% chocolate had a creamy melt and texture (a luscious quality almost all Pralus chocolates seem to share). This trait may be due to longer conching/grinding times** (resulting in smaller particle size and full incorporation of cocoa solids and fats), and added cocoa butter.

The chocolate flavor was quite pleasant and subtle complexity, and relatively civilized for being made using just a Forastero cacao variety. (A longer conching time can also tame certain notes.**) 

The flavor notes included: chocolate (mocha brownie), with faint fruit (bright red apple and sweet, sun ripened blackberries) and a pleasant finish. 

The cacao was from a plantation located in Itacare along the Rio de Contas (De Contas River), in northeastern Brazil (Bahia). The river water flows from "Chapada Diamantina" (a national park, with a name that means "Diamond Plateau"). 

This water contains alluvial diamonds and "bathes the Forastero cacao trees and creates precious cacao pods." Cacao Badaro has over a century of history. Diego Badaro is a fifth generation cacao farmer who helped introduce organic/biodynamic, environment-friendly agricultural practices to the region.

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Single plantation chocolate. Powerful nose, well-balanced, coffee, cocoa and woody (boises) aromas."

Ingredients: "75% cocoa, sugar, pure cocoa butter, GMO-free soya lecithin"

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of nuts or milk.

*Forastero (cacao variety) is associated with bold, hearty flavor(s), and is more disease-resistant, than say, the more delicate Criollo cacao variety. The robust Forastero leads in terms of cacao production worldwide.

** I have not visited Pralus chocolate makers. My comments here (about conching/grinding times) are speculations about processes, based on knowledge I've accumulated from past tours, tastings, interviews with makers and other research.

La Feverie - 60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Tanzania (bar) - May 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

La Feverie 
60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Chocolate Tanzania (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 583 kcals in 100 g. -- 330 calories in 1 whole bar
Cost: $9.50 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's La Feverie 60% Kokoa Kamili Dark Milk Tanzania (2019 Harvest) bar was from Hasnaa Chocolats Grand Crus (Bordeaux, France).

Sophisticated, layered and complex, this flavorful dark milk bar offered a sweet, luxurious tasting experience, and an enjoyable ride around the chocolate tasting wheel over the course of several minutes. 

The aroma and flavor notes included green nut, subtle fruit (peach and honey jam), floral (rose), warm molasses spice cake, cream, light honey caramel nougat and wood (faint oak). Some of these notes lingered lightly into the finish.

The melt and texture were smooth with a well-managed, very faint fruit astringency.

Thank you to the cocoa farmers and Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania for this cacao. And applause for the maker for taking great beans and turning them into such a delicious dark milk chocolate. The roast choice, sugar and milk powder levels were perfect--just enough to create warmth, sparkle and smoothness, without losing any of the great flavors. Not an easy thing to do.

The company's "flavour profile" description read as follows: "Notes of heather honey, chestnut and cinnamon stick."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: Contains milk.

Valrhona - Noir Orange Flavored Chocolate 56% Cacao - Mar. 22, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Valrhona Chocolate

Noir (Dark) Orange-Flavoured Chocolate 56% Cacao (block) 

Good +

Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 7.06 oz. (200 g.) in total bar/block

Calories: 230 calories in 1 segment of bar

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and NOPQ Theme Week, where chocolates with flavor inclusions and origins starting with the letters N, O, P and/or Q.

Today's Noir Orange Gastronomie (Baking) Chocolate 56% Cacao (block) was from Valrhona Chocolate. Varhona has been producing premium chocolate in the small village of Tain-l'Heritage, France, in a wine-growing region near Lyon, since 1922.*

This smooth, dark chocolate was perfumed with a balanced, natural orange aroma. A hint of vanilla added warmth, for eating and baking. And, happily, it was not too sweet for a 56% cacao chocolate (thank you!). 

When I started my Chocolate Banquet journey in 2006, I noticed I was gravitating more toward baking, i.e. less sweet, chocolate. There were fewer dark chocolate options back then. French chocolate had a certain cachet; and Valrhona chocolate was one of the first dark chocolates I remember really liking.

Today's orange-flavored French chocolate offered both a pleasing, high-end eating and baking/dessert experience. This would be great choice for chocolate mousse (regular or non-dairy versions), brownies (regular or gluten-free versions), melted over ice cream or in a smoothie, drizzled over a croissant or crepe, made into chocolate fondue, etc. 

The chocolate had a uniform undercurrent of rich, velvety, sophisticated, true chocolate (dark chocolate fudge brownie) from start to finish. The orange evolved during the tasting experience, from neroli (orange blossom)-like scent, to a slightly tart-sweet, true orange citrus flavor finish.

Ingredients: "sugar, cocoa beans, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soy lecithin), orange flavor, natural vanilla extract."

Allergen information: "This product might contain traces of nuts, milk and egg proteins, gluten and peanut."

*I remember as a child growing up in the U.S. in the 1900s, Valrhona chocolates, and French chocolates in general, were spoken about with great reverence.

My young siblings and I were chocolate monkeys back then. I can remember climbing up on the counter to investigate baking chocolate in the cupboards above. Most of the American baking chocolates were too bitter. But, Swiss-processed (alkalized) varieties were more approachable. A few pieces of the dark stuff would fuel tree-climbing, bicycling and swimming adventures for hours in the summers. 

And, for outdoor sun protection and trips to the beach, squares of ivory-colored cocoa butter were rubbed on and applied. The smell was heavenly, even if these 100% cacao fat squares weren't particularly edible. 

Michel Cluizel - Mangaro Noir 65% Madagascar (bar) - March 13, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Michel Cluizel 
Mangaro Noir 65% Madagascar (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 199.4 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.99 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and JKLM Theme Week, where I'm featuring chocolate items with flavors and origins that start with the letters J, K, L and/or M; and Day #2 of Chocolate and Madagascar Theme Week.

Today's Mangaro Noir 65% Madagascar (bar) was from Michel Cluizel (Damville, France). This chocolate was made using cacao from a single farm (Mangaro Plantation) located in northwest Madagascar, in the lush Sambirano River valley--a region known for its high-quality cacao (which is sometimes referred to as "green gold").

This chocolate had a complex and appealing aroma, especially for a 65% (sub-70%) cacao bar. Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, light honey, fruit and faint/fleeting green (tea, very faint chicle/rubber, forest) and light earth and roasted notes. 

The chocolate had a smooth melt and texture with little to no astringency.

Flavor notes included earthy dark chocolate, faint, fleeting (balanced) umami/savory fermented, and faint fruit (ripe citrus, tart sweet berry) and warm spice. There was a friendly amount of well-managed earthiness; that is, there were no jarring "dirt" or "loamy" spikes. 

A very subtle hint of authentic, slightly earthy vanilla pod rounded out this bouquet of flavors and added a bit of warmth and charm.

The finish was relatively short and clean, with only a trace of smooth, sweet chocolate remaining by the very end. 

Ingredients: "Fine cocoa from the Mangaro Plantation (in Madagascar), sugar, cocoa butter, Bourbon vanilla pod."

A. Morin - Jamaique Marvia Noir 63% (bar) - March 1, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin (SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin)

Jamaique Marvia Noir 63% (bar)

Good - Good +

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar

Calories: 284 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's single origin Jamaique Marvia* Noir 63% (bar) was from the French artisan chocolatier A. Morin (SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin, Donzere, France). The company's origins stretch back to 1884.

This relatively thick, generously sized French chocolate bar had a deep, dark chocolate flavor. A pleasing true chocolate (smooth, baked fudge brownie) note was accompanied by a slightly woodsy, loamy earth undercurrent and a very faint fruit (lightly spiced peach) note. These notes were consistent from start to finish. 

The chocolate was not too sweet (thank you). In fact, the 63% cacao content tasted darker, more like a 70% cacao chocolate.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin

*I am not sure about the "Marvia" name; but, if I had to guess, it may be a reference to Marvia Borrell, the Jamaican-born founder and CEO of Black River Chocolate in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, and cocoa ambassador. Her company also has a presence in Europe.

Hasnaa Chocolats Grands Crus La Feverie - India Idduki 71% bar - Feb. 17, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

La Feverie - Hasnaa Chocolats Grands Crus

India Idduki 71% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar

Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.50 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Bonjour and Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and India Theme Week, and Day #1 of EFGHI Theme Week, where you'll see words like Idduki, India, and Hasnaa's La Feverie, and floral flavor elements, featured.

Today's Idduki India 71% (bar) was created by Hasnaa's Chocolats Grand Crus La Feverie bean-to-bar workshop (in Bordeaux, France). It was made using (2019 Harvest) organic cacao grown in Idukki, Kerala, in southern India. 

Hasnaa, her husband and team make confections and bars in a celebrated red wine region of France. In borrowing some of the language of wine that refers to high-value ingredients and sources, the "Chocolats Grand Crus" label says to me they make great single origin chocolates. (La Feverie is Hasnaa's bean-to-bar workshop.) 

This 71% India bar had an aroma with a sequence of interesting elements: the first bite had a refreshing, but subtle and well-balanced green floral (rose) note which dissipated after the package was open for a while.*

The second bite had an aroma and flavor with a faint fermented red fruit (red grape, cherry and cacao fruit) note. Both were followed by dark chocolate flavors with light, tart-sweet, tropical fruit (ripe pineapple, mango, mangosteen, and cacao fruit/pulp) notes. 

Maker's tasting notes on Bar and Cocoa (U.S. chocolate distributor) site: "Plump notes of cherry, slight flowery rose on a final of pineapple and candied exotic fruits."

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar

*Floral notes are a bit shy. They will escape out a window as soon as possible, presumably to return to the gods or the garden. And, once gone, they rarely return. In more scientific terms, floral notes tend to be more volatile; and heavily roasted/processed chocolate will typically have far less of these flavor elements left.

A. Morin - Java Arjuna 70% Noir (Dark) (bar) - Jan. 4, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin 
Java Arjuna 70% Noir (Dark) bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 292 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and South Pacific Islands Week. This extended edition 10-day "week" is ending with two days of cacao origins from further West--where the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia--an island archipelago made up of 17,000+ islands (approximately 6,000 of which are inhabited)--is one of the top cacao producing regions in the world. Cacao is cultivated on several of the larger islands/countries, namely Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Java, Papua, and East Kalimantan. That said, few people in the U.S. have had access to a large number of single origin bars from these islands. 

Java is the most densely populated island in Indonesia, but there is still room for crops like: palm, coconut, rice, coffee, tea, spices (e.g. ginger), sugar, cocoa and other fruits and vegetables.

Today's Java Arjuna 70% Noir (Dark) bar was made by SAS Chocolaterie A. Morin (Donzere, France)--a bean-to-bar/artisanal chocolate company since 1958, with family origins dating back to 1884. 

I'm guessing the cacao used to make this chocolate was grown either near Arjuna* (aka Arjuno) the name of a volcanic mountain in eastern Java; or closer to the Arjuna temple complex in Central Java. 

Aroma and flavor notes for this polite, but intriguingly complex, 70% chocolate included such a huge range of aroma and flavor notes over the course of a few hours, it was hard to believe. Notes included: wood, faint savory/umami (light mushroom soup gently simmering over a wood stove with buttered toast/popcorn), very faint barn yard/saddle leather, gently roasted seed/mild nut notes, cocoa, and very faint fruit (mild red apple, dried apricot, light lemonade) and spice (the almost invisible smell of freshly baked banana spice bread with ginger, cinnamon and lemongrass). The was an ultra-faint oxidized note very late in the finish.

With each taste, the flavors shifted a bit, revealing a new facet with every bite. Very few chocolate bars are able to conjure up the breadth of aromas and flavors, or can manage this many shifts, in the way this Java bar did.** There were no strong or "off" notes during the entire tasting arc, just more flavors appearing and sharing the stage with each bite. Magic.

The texture was even and smooth, with a very mild astringency. 

Tasting notes from the maker: "This chocolate stands out with woody aromas. Gently smoky, it releases notes of nuts and spices..." (These) "aromas reflect our emotions while tasting this chocolate but they should not prevail over the ones you experience."

Tasting notes on the Bar and Cocoa site read as follows: "This chocolate is distinguished by woody aromas. Slightly smoked, it has some notes of dried fruits and spices. Java cocoa has a large percentage of Criollo..." (Note: Criollo is a cacao variety, heritage (variety) prized for its mild, but complex, delicate and sophisticated flavors.) 

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin. 

*According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia: "Arjuna (also given as Arjun) is the great hero of the Indian epic Mahabharata and the philosophical-religious dialogue Bhagavad Gita. His name means "shining", "silver" and similar terms relating to brightness...Arjuna represents the best aspects of humanity: Courage, Strength, and Humility." (It is not an uncommon name in Java.)

**The other notable "shape-shifter" bar in the past year that rivaled this Java bar's layered tasting experience was a delicious Venezuela Porcelana 70% Chocolate bar crafted by William Marx of Wm. Chocolate (Madison, WI). 

A. Morin - Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar) - Nov. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 336 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Cusco Noir 70% (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by A. Morin (Donzere, France). Andre Morin founded la chocolaterie "A. Morin" in 1958; and the family's chocolatier skills and history have been passed down "from father to son" since 1884.

This Peru 70% bar was a lovely choice to brighten up a cold, windy late November day. I savored this chocolate as I watched the last of a the bright yellow leaves being wrenched from trees outside...from the warm window view inside. 

The aroma of this bar was lovely. Think fresh baked chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with fruit (peach-light plum) and faint green notes. The flavor was just as pleasing with a balanced sweetness.

The cacao used to make this pure origine (single origin) chocolate was grown in Peru. The maker's tasting notes read as follows: This chocolate reveals notes of sour fruits at first, then develops aromas of mango and plums before a spicy and flowery finish.

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

 

A. Morin - Perou Chanchamayo Noir 100% (bar) - Nov. 16, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Chamichanga Noir 100% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 336 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.80 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Chanchamayo Noir 100% (bar) was made from bean-to-bar in France, by A. Morin (Donzere, France), from one ingredient: Organic (Peruvian) cacao beans. 

The company has been creating chocolate for over a century ("from father to son" since 1884).

Today's bar was one of those 100% cacao bars that had a rich, chocolate aroma with bright-sweet true chocolate (chocolate cake) with faint earth and molasses/spice notes. The "sweet" association meant that the unsweetened taste reality was a bit of a brain disconnect with the first bite. (The palette-brain was expecting sugar.) This brain foolery happens more in some 100% bars than others.

This A. Morin thick chocolate had a fudgey rich, velvety (creamy nut butter) texture, and some initial tart acidity that mellowed over the course of the tasting experience to a relatively uniform, ultra-dark chocolate (think Forastero cacao variety and/or heavy roast profile). There was a very slight, (dark roast) balanced bitterness that lingered late in the finish after a sip of water.

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans

 

A. Morin - Perou Chanchamayo Noir 63% (bar) - Nov. 15, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

A. Morin 
Perou Chamichanga Noir 63% (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 295 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Buen Dia, Bonjour and Good Day. Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Weeks.

Today's Perou Chanchamayo Noir 63% (bar) was made in France from Peruvian cacao, by A. Morin (Donzere, France). The company has been creating chocolate for over a century (passed"from father to son" since 1884...I'm always impressed with this level of continuity in business). 

The chocolate had a true, sweet chocolate (chocolate cake) aroma.

The primary flavor spike included a tart sweetness and medium acidity, with some astringency. (I briefly imagined a fruit salad with sweet pink grapefruit, green apples, ripe persimmons and tart cherries, drizzled with honey). 

A mild (honey) and with a faint herbal-floral/spice finish lingered after things settled down.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter