Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Gianduia Dark Hazelnut (bar) - Mar. 20, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Gianduia Dark Hazelnut (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 206.62 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Hazelnuts Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and New Zealand Series.

Today's Gianduia Dark Hazelnut 45% Cacao (bar)--made with New Zealand hazelnuts--was from Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). 

Founded by Karl (a former fisherman and sailor) and Marina Hogarth, the eponymous small-batch, bean-to-bar company offers a wide range of bean-to-bar chocolate bars with interesting and thoughtful flavor inclusions, and some single origin bars.

This "Kiwi style Gianduia" chocolate was made with toasted and ground New Zealand hazelnuts.

Aroma notes included: mild dark milk* chocolate with peach green tea and very faint nut and butter.

Texture: soft, smooth and relatively creamy/buttery. 

Flavor notes: lightly roasted, fragrant dark chocolate with green tea, stone fruit (peach, very faint sweet red berry jam), nut butter, very faint green tea and dairy milk.* 

The ground hazelnuts (30% of bar) had become one with the chocolate, creating an almost seamless fusion between relatively mild and nuanced cacao (think Criollo variety) and hazelnut chocolate (gianduia) flavors. The 45% cacao chocolate was also low in bitterness and acidity.

Ingredients: Cocoa Solids 45% (Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter**), Cane Sugar*, Hazelnuts (30%).

Allergen-related information: Contains Nuts. May Contain Traces of Milk. 

*Aroma or flavor notes do not necessarily track with actual ingredients. For example in this case, there are no milk ingredients, but there were like dairy-like/buttermilk-like notes.

Hogarth Chocolate Makers - 100% Hacienda Victoria, Ecuador (bar) - Dec. 22, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
100% Hacienda Victoria - Ecuador (bar)
Good + - Good ++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.)/ 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 211 calories in 1/2 bar 
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's 100% Hacienda Victoria, Ecuador (bar) was made by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand), and enjoyed in a wonderful coffee house.

Hacienda Victoria (named for the founder's wife, Victoria) is located in the central coastal area of Ecuador. This single estate farm is located inland from the Rio Guayas (Guayas River) in an ideal location for growing cacao.*

The texture for this bar was fairly thick and creamy, and there was a faint, well-managed astringency. 

Aroma and flavor notes for this 100% cacao bar included: appealing deep ultra-dark chocolate; faint roasted coffee and wood; complex but well-balanced lush forest and earth notes; faint and fleeting freshly baked bread; and dried, slightly tart/sweet-sour fruit (faint pomegranate, blackberry and dried plum when first unwrapped and cacao fruit pulp with tart citrus later). 

There were some bold but balanced bitter and sour (think beer) notes in this single ingredient bar. This 100%, unsweetened chocolate may not be for the faint of heart. But, I enjoyed it. (I recommend trying the Hogarth 85% Hacienda Victoria Ecuador bar if you love exploring dark cacao flavors, but need a little sugar.) 

Maker's comments: "...We have used our Hacienda Victoria Arriba Cacao from Ecuador so you can expect a smooth but strong cocoa hit, with a hint of citrus."

Ingredients: "Directly Traded Ecuador Cocoa Beans (100%)."

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Milk and Nuts."

*Cacao trees are native to South America, and grow up to 20 degrees North and 20 degrees South of the Equator.

The Equator runs east-west through Northern Ecuador. ("Ecuador" translates to Equator in English.) And the country's privileged geographical position has made its long history as a cacao-growing country possible. 

Hacienda Victoria owners are dedicated to growing and preserving Arriba Nacional cacao, part of a lineage of prized heritage cacao varieties in South America.

Hogarth - Ecuador Hacienda Victoria Single Estate 85% Cacao (bar) - Dec. 21, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Ecuador Hacienda Victoria Single Estate 85% Cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++ 
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.)/ 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar 
Calories: 205.8 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Ecuador Single Estate 85% (bar) was made by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). This was one of two Hogarth Ecuador bars enjoyed this week. (See tomorrow's entry for the Hogarth 100% bar).

The Arriba Nacional (variety of cacao) beans used to make this chocolate were from Hacienda Victoria, a single estate farm established in 2011 in (Cerecita, Guayas) Ecuador, not far from the coast (Pacific Ocean).*

Aroma notes for this "intense dark chocolate" made with Arriba (Nacional) cacao included: slightly bitter dark chocolate (think dark porter/stout if you're a beer drinker); very faint green; molasses; coffee; wood (very faint cedar); barely there green/dried banana; faint, fleeting balanced earth (peat); and very faint sourdough bread...And that was just the aroma.

This well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap in a cool room. It was relatively smooth and creamy, and I was waiting for some astringency, but it never really happened. 

This 85%er had all the flavor, but none of the flinch (at least for ultra-dark fans like me).

Flavor notes included: deep rich, well integrated, ultra-dark chocolate flavor(s), with much less sour and bitter aspects than expected. There was a bit of fruit (citrus, tropical, cacao fruit pulp) sweet-tartness, but it was balanced and subtle. For those who love bold, balanced taste, this was a great ultra-dark bar.

Maker's comments: "...you can expect a smooth but strong cocoa with a hint of citrus."

Ingredients: "Cocoa Solids 85% (Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter*^), Sugar* 15% (* = Organic; ^ = Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: "May Contain Traces of Milk and Nuts."

*Cacao trees are native to South America and grow up to 20 degrees North and 20 degrees South of the Equator in South (and Central) America. 

The name "Ecuador" means Equator in Spanish. The Equator runs east-west through Northern Ecuador. The country's privileged geographical position has made its long history as a cacao-growing country possible. 

No surprise that chocolate makers seek out prized heritage/ancient varieties of cacao found in Ecuador (and neighboring countries adjacent to/part of the Amazon Basin). Arriba Nacional (and other criollo ("native") cacao varieties) are found in Ecuador. And Hacienda Victoria owners are dedicated to growing and preserving Arriba Nacional cacao.

Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Kumara Milk Chocolate with Sweet Potato Flavour 46% Cacao (bar) - Aug. 12, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Kumara Milk Chocolate with Sweet Potato Flavour 46% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 204 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Surprise Theme Week--a week that includes several chocolates with unique ingredients and surprising blends.

Today's Kumara Milk Chocolate with Sweet Potato Flavour 46% Cacao (bar) was made from bean-to-bar by Hogarth Chocolate Company Ltd. (Nelson, New Zealand).

I was surprised to find a second sweet potato-related (Kumara) chocolate to feature today. This is only the 4th time (in almost 17 years and 6,000+ different chocolates) that I've found a blend of these two ingredients. 

Days ago, I featured a Batata (sweet potato) chocolate bar from Arcelia Gallardo (Mission Chocolate, Sao Paolo, Brazil). (Both the cacao and the Batata in Arcelia's chocolate were from South/Latin America.*) 

Today's chocolate included not one but three varieties* of Kumara, in the form of crisps (aka chips in the U.S.) from Proper Crisps (Nelson, New Zealand). 

Aroma notes included: light chocolate, clean mineral, and pleasant botanical green tea and sweet straw.

The texture and melt were smooth and creamy. (All Kumara crisps seemed to be thoroughly incorporated into the chocolate).

Flavor notes included: smooth, flavorful milk chocolate; light sweet potato; light caramel; and very faint botanical: oolong and green teas, sweet cereal, and soft/diffuse fruit.

This was a surprisingly light, and likable, chocolate, in part due to the choice of a criollo cacao variety. The maker (Karl Hogarth) notes that "...our Peruvian criollo cacao...highlights the caramelisation of the crisps, adding caramel and fruit notes..." 

Criollo (heritage) variety cacao(s) are subtle, nuanced and flavorful, and are known for soft stone fruit (think peaches and cream), light caramel, clean mineral, and very faint floral notes. Criollo cacao is lower in bitterness as well. Great choice for this Kumara crisp-flavored chocolate.

Ingredients: Cocoa solids 46% (Cocoa Beans*^, Cocoa Butter*^), Sugar*^, Proper Kumara Crisps, Skim Milk Powder (*Organic, ^ Fair Trade)

Allergen-related information: Contains dairy (milk powder). "Gluten Free, Soy Free"

*Batatas, Kumara and Sweet Potatoes...Many varieties and cultivars, many stories, and at least two different origin stories.

White and red potatoes are part of the nightshade family and developed in South America. Sweet potatoes (part of the morning glory, not the nightshade family), were also thought to originate in South America. Recent research has suggested the morning glory clan (including sweet potatoes) may have originated in Asia, based on 50-60 million year old plant fossils. (Stay tuned for more origin stories from the paleo-botanists.)

More recently, there has been considerable botanical moving and mixing (some by earth changes, some by humans).

We do know that Kumara has long been cultivated in the South Pacific. Some sources say the Kumara is slightly sweeter than our (American) sweet potato; but I can't be sure as I've never done a side-by-side tasting; and I think that would depend on variety/cultivar. (We grow mostly Beauregard variety of sweet potato in the U.S.)

Getting back to today's bar...Crisp maker, Proper Crisps, "make their crisps using seasonally selected (Kumara) varieties, mostly Red Kumara (Owairaka), Gold Kumara (Toka Toka) and Orange Kumara (Beauregard)."

Hogarth - Manuka Honey & Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao - Feb. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers 

Manuka Honey and Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 194.1 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Manuka Honey and Cacao Nibs 66% Cacao (bar) was created by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). 

The company offers a variety of chocolate bars (single origin and with flavor inclusions) made with fairly traded and organic ingredients. 

Today's bar--made with Peruvian cacao--was a collaboration with "You're a Honey"-- a New Zealand supplier whose bees have created prized Manuka honey from manuka* tree flower nectar.

Aroma notes for this bar included: honey butter, dark chocolate, and faint green maple. The relatively thick bar had a hearty smooth texture punctuated by softly crunchy cacao nibs.

The flavor was remarkable for its undulating honey and flower pollen notes, and smooth, but flavorable, dark chocolate that had subtle red/berry fruit notes. Cacao nib pieces balanced the richly sweet honey tones and added extra unsweetened, pure cacao flavor depth (with mellow wood, nut/seed and earth notes). 

Normally, 66% dark chocolates taste too sweet for me; but I loved the layers of authentic floral honey flavor in this bar. 

Maker's tasting notes: "...a chocolate with full honey flavour and a little fruit, balancing out the sweetness with bitter, crunchy cacao nibs."

Ingredients: Cocoa solids 66% (Organic, fairtrade cocoa beans; organic, fairtrade cocoa butter); organic, fairtrade sugar; Manuka honey (5%).

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk and nuts." "Gluten free; Soy free"

*Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is a flowering plant/tree in the myrtle family, native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It's also known as manuka myrtle and New Zealand tea tree. Manuka flowers in Nelson (NZ) are said to have a high pollen content and the flavor imparted (into what is often a thicker honey) was appealing and unique.

The most poetic description of manuka honey I found was a frequently quoted passage said to come from the Honey Traveler website: "aromatic with damp earth and heather notes and a cool menthol (or eucalyptus) taste and rich flavour of mineral, barley sugar and herbs."

Hogarth - Peru Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar) - Nov. 30, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Peru - Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 77.7 calories in 1 serving (1/5 bar)
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order  

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's Peru Single Origin 66% Cacao Piura Blanco (bar) was created by Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand). 

The Hogarth company name refers to chief chocolate maker, Karl Hogarth. And the company offers a variety of bean-to-bar chocolates, including today's single origin Peru bar.

Aroma notes for this single origin Peru chocolate included: gentle fermented cacao, cream; very faint, balanced earth; and very faint diffuse spice and lemon-herb (oxalis).

Texture: smooth with a very slight granularity (astringency). 

Flavor notes included: chocolate (warm cocoa/drinking chocolate), natural diffuse fruit sweetness (faint, slightly tart-sweet pink lemonade and goji berry), and fresh fleeting green (sweet green tea latte with lemon).

Ingredients: Organic fair trade cocoa beans, organic fair trade cocoa butter, organic cane sugar.

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk and nuts. "100% Organic, vegan, gluten free, soy free"

Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Espresso Italian Roast Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 20, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Makers

Espresso Italian Roast Dark Chocolate 68% Cacao (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 83.174 calories in 1/5 bar (1 serving) 

Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #19 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

Today's Espresso Italian Roast Dark Chocolate 68% Cacao (bar) was from Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand).

Aroma notes for this bar included: true chocolate (dark chocolate fudge), coffee, diffuse faint red fruit, roasted nutty-seed and wood notes (maple sap, very faint green), and very faint warm spice.

The attractively patterned Hogarth bar was relatively thick (in terms of size/depth), and had a smooth texture with a relatively thick, slow melt.

This complex blend of dark, sweet roasted coffee and chocolate--with flavor notes that mirrored the aroma notes mentioned above--was the product of Pomeroy's Coffee dark roasted Italian style blend + 68% cacao Dominican Republic OKO Caribe cacao. 

This 68% dark chocolate was relatively sweet but also had complex, dark and satisfying well-balanced flavor.

Ingredients: Cocoa solids 68% (organic cocoa beans, organic fairtrade cocoa butter), organic sugar, coffee beans.

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk and nuts." "Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free"

Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Sarsaparilla and Orange 68% (bar) - Nov. 4, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Hogarth Chocolate Company Ltd.
Sarsaparilla and Orange 68% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 185.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Sarsaparilla and Orange 68% Cacao (bar) was from Hogarth Chocolate Company Ltd. (Nelson, New Zealand).

Hogarth makers described sarsaparilla* as a "thirst quenching, slightly spicy tonic, (that's) not so common these days." They combined sarsaparilla with licorice and ginger to achieve this classic spicy flavor (similar to sassafras, horehound, birch beer and/or root beer) and blended it with cacao and orange.

Orange is a challenging flavor to impart in desserts and baked goods. Orange peel loses it's flavor and is often enhanced with orange juice and/or orange oil (and/or artificial flavors) as a result. It also often requires preservatives. (Sugar can also act as a preservative.)

The aroma for this sarsaparilla flavored chocolate with candied orange pieces included: subtle dark/bittersweet chocolate, root-y/herbal, and faint citrus/floral notes.

The bar had a lush, thick, creamy texture with a satisfying melt and mouthfeel.

After a few day of sweet milk chocolates, this less sweet bar was very satisfying. (I admit I have a fairly strong bias toward less sugar, if only because too much sugar obscures flavor nuances.) This orange flavored chocolate was not too sweet. (Thank you!)

The flavor was a mix of dark/bittersweet chocolate and a balanced, yet complex, blend of slightly earthy and naturally sweet root flavors: sarsaparilla, ginger, licorice, and maybe a little inferred arrowroot (cookie) and star anise. These flavors lingered lightly into the finish. 

Tiny islands of sugared orange peel/zest shreds were pressed into the back of the bar. The orange peel provided a subtle, authentic citrus flavor (that complemented the roots/herbs) and contributed a barely there chewy textural element.

Maker's notes: "...aromatic and refreshing, with candied orange pieces for a sweet zesty bite."

Ingredients: Cocoa solids 68% (organic cocoa beans, organic, fair trade cocoa butter), organic sugar, sarsaparilla root, licorice root, ginger root, orange oil; candied orange (orange peel, glucose, sugar, citric acid, preservative E220).

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

*Sarsaparilla (actually a group of similar plants in the Smilax genus) is a woody, tropical vine-like plant that can be found in South American rainforests, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Mexico, Honduras, and the West Indies...some of the same places where cacao is grown/originated.

The soft drink known as "sarsaparilla" that was popular many years ago was often made with sassafras, birch, and other roots and herbs. (The taste is said to be similar to sassafras, horehound and "wild sarsaparilla," birch beer and/or root beer.) Due in part to health concerns associated with people consuming too much sassafras and sarsaparilla (e.g., not being cooked in the correct way to make it fully safe), and perhaps cost savings associated with substitutes, the flavors of these herbs/roots are often synthesized in a lab or factory.

Note: The roots of "Wild sarsaparilla" (Aralia nudicaulis)--a North American plant closer to the ginseng family, and not part of the Smilax genus--is sometimes used as a sarsaparilla substitute to flavor root beer and has also been used as a medicinal plant.

Confusing? Yes it is.

Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Rose and Vanilla Tea bar - May 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Rose and Vanilla Tea bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week (and is the second of two posts today).

Today's Rose and Vanilla Tea bar was from Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand).

This 70% cacao (Madagascar) dark chocolate was infused with Dilmah Tea rose and vanilla tea, and was a New Zealand collaboration between chocolate maker Karl Hogarth and chef Simon Gault.

After opening the inner gold pouch that contained this dark bar, the smell of rosewater wafted up, with light fermented leaf/plant and vanilla notes in the background. If I was blindfolded, doing a taste test, I might not have guessed initially I was smelling a chocolate bar. However, it was early morning and the room was cold. Once it warmed up a few degrees, the dark chocolate aroma came to the forefront.

Meant to conjure images of a "high tea in a rose garden," this chocolate did just that. I also imagined fleeting images of Alice in Wonderland and a lost white rabbit, but that's another story.

The base dark chocolate was flavorful, slightly fruit-acidic, and not too sweet. The rose flavor continued to perfume the tasting experience from beginning to end. If you like floral flavors and scents, this light lingering rose note will be a lovely trait.

The Hogarth team hand mold their bars. And the mold design for this vegan, gluten free and soy free chocolate bar—with an "H" (for Hogarth) signature "block" in the center—was beautiful. We hesitated to break a piece off to taste, thus ruining the design.