Zotter - "My name is Bunny, Easter Bunny" - 72% Peru Chuncho + 75% Guatemala dark chocolate bars - Aug. 4, 2023

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Zotter Chocolates US LLC
"My Name is Bunny, Easter Bunny"
(Set of 2 different dark chocolate bars)

1.) 72% Peru Chuncho
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .615 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.23 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar

2.) 75% Guatemala 
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .615 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.23 oz. (35 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 205 calories in 1/2 of each bar (1/2 package)
Cost: $8.49 (estimate) for 1 set of 2 bars
Purchased from: Zotter US, online order

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Surprise Theme Week, including chocolates with some exotic or surprising element(s), and/or chocolates that were/are just plain fun.

Today's 72% Peru Chuncho and 75% Guatemala dark chocolate bars were made in Austria and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Fort Myers/Cape Coral, FL).

These two dark chocolates were packaged together as a set of 2 bars, providing an opportunity for a side-by-side tasting experience. Both were part of the company's "Labooko" line of pure chocolate bars. (The company also produces a variety of interesting hand-scooped, filled bars and other unique and delightfully surprising confections.) 

Zotter packaging design and illustrations are colorful and fun. Today's James Bond-like, bow-tie clad bunny (leaning on a bar and holding a martini-like cocktail) was no exception.

Below are my tasting notes, followed by Zotter's tasting notes for their two bars.

72% Peru Chuncho (bar)

Aroma notes included: smooth, sweet dark chocolate (chocolate cookie, ganache); faint cracker or savory snack; and faint diffuse fruit (sweet tropical fruit (mango) and sweet, almost floral (vanilla, rose), red berry jam on freshly baked bread).

The texture was smooth and creamy; and flavor notes included: smooth chocolate-y (dark chocolate torte, frosting/fudge), diffuse fruit (tropical (mango), sweet, slightly tart red berry, cherry plum, and watermelon), and barely detectable, spice, clean mineral, floral and salted cracker notes. 

This 72% dark Peru bar with gentle, nuanced complexity had balanced, bright fruit acidity, and was low in bitterness--consistent with Peru Chuncho cacao's reputation.*

Zotter fragrance notes: "fruity and floral, tropical fruit mix, caramelized nuts, salty pretzels"

Zotter taste notes: "sweet and mild, lightly salted crackers, nutty notes, cream, exotic fruit (echoes of mango, banana and watermelon), nutty cracker finish"

75% Guatemala (bar)

Aroma notes for this 75% bar included: bold dark chocolate; tart-sweet, dried fruit (peach, plum, berry, banana); very light bitter/acidic earth (peat); and very faint leather.

Flavor notes for this creamy 75% dark chocolate included: bold, yet balanced and smooth, cacao notes; deep chocolate (Forastero/Trinitario cacao); diffuse dried fruit (berries, banana, stone fruits); fleeting nut (peanut); fleeting warm spice; very faint, fleeting, balanced earth; and very faint, fleeting savory. 

The cacao itself, judiciously added cocoa butter by the maker, and sophisticated techniques (like fine-mist roasting) yielded creamy texture; balanced, sophisticated layered flavors that were bold but without the "rough edges" that might be more/too intense for some.

Zotter fragrance notes: "intense fruity notes of berries, cherries, banana and peach"

Zotter taste notes: "mild notes of lightly salted lye (sic) roll, sweet spice mix, intense mix of fruit: notes of exotic fruit, berries, cherries, peach, watermelon, mild peppery, fruity finish"

Thank you to Zotter for all that they continue to offer. Today's 3-ingredient, single origin dark chocolate bars (made with organic and fair trade cacao) were well-balanced and smooth, yet had surprisingly subtle complexity. This set would be an enjoyable after meal dessert; well-suited for a high-end chocolate tasting; and appropriate for a sophisticated, James Bond-like, bunny.

---------------

*Peruvian cacao notes:

Many varieties of cacao can be found growing in different cacao-growing regions of Peru, including Criollo, Trinitario, Forastero and Nacional.

Chuncho cacao is prized by chocolate makers for its aroma and flavor characteristics. Bar & Cocoa (an online specialty/high-end chocolate retailer in the U.S.) offers this description:

"Chuncho cacao encompasses around a dozen related cultivars of the Upper Amazon Forastero group, now considered to be native to the Quillabamba Valley of central Peru. They're believed to have been domesticated by the Matchiguenga people, whose members were ancestral inhabitants of the Valley."

 

Volo Chocolate - 73% Dark Chocolate + Candied Orange Peel bar - June 6, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Volo Chocolate
73% Chocolate Orange - Dark Chocolate + Candied Orange Peel (Guatemala) (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (36 g.) / 2.5 oz. (72 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar (+ shipping)
Purchased from: Volo Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Citrus and Ginger Theme Week.

Today's 73% Chocolate Orange Dark + Chocolate Orange Peel (bar) was made by Volo Chocolate* (Windsor, CA).

Today's flavorful dark chocolate base (made from cacao grown in Lachua, Guatemala) blended very well with bits of crunchy candied orange peel. The chocolate had an appealing, bold, roasted aroma and flavor with citrus-fruit notes and a slight nutty-fudge chocolate note and smooth texture. The sweetness and citrus-acid levels were balanced with a hint of sea salt, and warmed with a trace of cinnamon. 

Nicely done by (married chefs and chocolate makers) Jeff and Susan Mall--who deepened their interest in chocolate when they lived and worked in Mexico.

"Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Unrefined Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Candied Orange Peel (orange peel, sugar), Baja Sea Salt, Cinnamon."

*Volo Chocolate makes bean to bar chocolate in Sonoma County, CA, an area of northern California known for wine and food. In addition to bars, the company recently made a 62% dark chocolate "Masked 2020 bean-to-bunny" rabbit with a white chocolate face mask (a reflection of Covid-19 social distancing/sequestrations in 2020). This masked rabbit sold out, but was still visible on Volo's website this week. Volo wins my award for most clever use of chocolate and leftover Easter chocolate bunnies in 2020.

Bisou Chocolate - Silk Verapaz (Guatemala) 78% (bar) - June 3, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Bisou Chocolate

Silk Verapaz (Guatemala) 78% (bar)

Good +

Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 1 bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar

Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bisou, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Maya Empire Theme Week.

Today's Silk Verapaz (Vera Paz) (Guatemala) 78% (bar) was made by Bisou Chocolate (Oakland, CA). 

Bisou has been making single origin bars and chocolate truffles in Oakland for several years. The company's current offerings are made from cacao beans grown in Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua.

This four-ingredient dark chocolate bar was smooth in aroma, flavor and texture. It had hot chocolate, true chocolate, tart fresh fruit (mild nectarine, berry) and very faint earth and natural vanilla notes with a pleasant lingering dark chocolate finish.

Ingredients: cocoa beans, organic whole cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla

Nuance Chocolate - Guatemala Lachua 2015 70% (bar) - May 31, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nuance Chocolate
Guatemala Lachua 2015 70% (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Maya Empire Theme Week.

Today's Guatemala Lachua 2015 70% (bar) was from Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

The bar was made using "Trinitario cacao from the Alta Verapaz mountains in Coban, Guatemala."*

Made only with cacao, cane sugar and cocoa butter, this three-ingredient chocolate still conjured up its own unique impression.

It had a relatively uniform sweet grape aroma and flavor with sweet fruit (red grapes, melon, very sweet tangerine, sweet tea) acidity, a fleeting faint nuttiness and relatively low bitterness. Re-tasting multiple times revealed slightly more flavor complexity; however, I kept thinking of sangria (sweet wine and fruit beverage).

A sweet lingering finish and a slight astringency tickled the back of the throat for a short while. After re-tasting a very subtle, fleeting herbal (caraway and coriander) note appeared in the finish as well. 

This 70% cacao bar (presumably with 30% percent sugar) tasted more like a 60% cacao offering (with 40% sugar)--serving as a good example of why 70% cacao (and 30% sugar) may be a fine blend for many artisan dark bars, but some cacao beans can do with less sugar. It would have been interesting to have a side-by-side tasting with a 75% or 77% cacao version (i.e. with only 25-23% sugar) using the same Guatemala cacao. It's hard to know which would have been judged "best"--a subjective term in any case. 

The Nuance chocolate maker's tasting notes read as follows:

"A complex chocolate with juicy layers of rum, wine, raisins, and papaya. Magical things happen right at the melting point. A slightly dry finish, with moderate acidity."

*Coban is also the name of the capital city of the Department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala in the Chama Mountains. It was founded about 1538 near Mayan ruins and was named for the Indian chieftain Cobaou. Agricultural exports have included: coffee, tea, cacao, vanilla, orchids, livestock, lumber/hardwoods.

Michel Cluizel - Plantation La Laguna Chocolat Noir 70% (bar) - May 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Michel Cluizel
Plantation La Laguna Chocolat Noir 70% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Maya Empire Theme Week.

Today's Plantation La Laguna Chocolat Noir 70% (bar) was from Michel Cluizel (Damville, Normandy, France). Plantation La Laguna is located in the west central part of Guatemala.

This bar had a true chocolate aroma with faint fruit (raspberry) and a very faint green note.
The flavor had light roasted, caramel, fruit, light earth, fudge brownie, and very faint leather saddle notes. The texture was...smooth melt with booth creaminess and a few pieces of ultra-fine cacao grit.

Maker's tasting notes read as follows: "The succulent aromas of plums and roasted cocoa are followed by notes of buttered apples and licorice, ending in a long finish with bitter-sweet notes of mint and spice."

Sirene Chocolate - 65% Lachua, Guatemala Dark Milk bar - Nov. 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sirene Chocolate
65% Lachua, Guatemala Bar - Dark Milk
Good++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total pkg. of 2 different bars
Calories: 79.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 package of two different dark milk bars
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Single Origin Dark Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 65% Lachua, Guatemala Dark Milk Bar from Sirene Chocolate (Victoria, B.C., Canada) was one of two single origin dark milk bars in one package.

This Sirene bar was exactly what you'd hope for from a single origin dark milk bar, it was smooth and flavorful, with an added slight creaminess and a hint of caramel from milk.

The maker's tasting notes about the origin of the cacao beans were as follows:

"In the lush, mountainous department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, generations of knowledge and a heritage tracing back to cacao's origin in the Mayan civilization, to into the cultivation of these cacao trees. For these farmers, access to a burgeoning, international market allows them to benefit from a real economic opportunity while producing a beautiful cacao bean."

Sprouts - Organic Cacao Nibs - May 15, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Sprouts Farmers Market

Organic Cacao Nibs 

Good +

Weight: 1 TB (14 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) in total bar

Calories: 90 calories in 1 Tablespoon

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

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

These Organic Cacao Nibs were manufactured exclusively for Sprouts Farmers Market (Phoenix, AZ). If you really like chocolate, but aren't wild about sugar, give cacao (or cocoa) nibs a try.

Nibs are the essence of (and the raw material for) chocolate—before cacao beans are ground to a paste and before sugar or other ingredients are added. Their exact flavor depends on their origin, harvest year and fermentation process they went through in their country of origin.

Today's crunchy cacao bean bits came from a blend of countries, including Peru (Peru, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Ecuador). They had rich, uniform, true chocolate flavor (think brownies).

And speaking of brownies, nibs like this would super-charge a batch of your favorite brownies or other chocolate baked goods. They would help balance the sugar level a bit in chocolate, chocolate chip cookies. And they would be great over vanilla ice cream, or just about anything else.