Rogue Chocolatier - Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 75% bar - Sept. 15, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier
Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 75% bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 318 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Bolivia Theme Week.

The aptly named Tranquilidad (tranquility) 75% cacao bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) was made with cacao beans from Hacienda Tranquilidad in the Bolivian Amazon Basin.

I experienced none of the brash, acidic boldness of Bolivian cacao in this bar that I found in other Bolivian cacao bars featured earlier this week. Instead, this bar had lovely, lilting, floral, marshmallow, and cream honey on toast aroma and flavor, with a clean finish.

Lest you think this flavor profile sounds too "sweet" -- I should add, it was not. It was just right. Well executed and well balanced.

I like floral flavors. But, many dark chocolate critics seem unimpressed with this floral + marshmallow + green banana profile, often associated with Ecuadorian cacao-based bars.

Some critics prefer bold flavors, the way a wine fan might prefer reds. However, today's bar exemplifies a successful execution of this lighter, floral cacao. Thank you to Colin Gasko at Rogue Chocolatier for his focus on quality and coaxing great flavor out of a variety of cacao types.

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Rogue - Porcelana 80 percent bar - Sept. 8, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier Inc.
Porcelana 80 percent bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 159 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week. Chocolate for breakfast, again.

Porcelana is a relatively rare type of Criollo* cacao that hails from the region near (south of) Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Today's 80 percent bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) was crafted from Porcelana cacao from the El Chama** Estate in Venezuela.

This Porcelana bar was made with just two ingredients: cacao (80%) and organic cane sugar (20%) from the Green Cane Project in Brazil.

Eighty plus percent bars can be tricky, as there is not as much sugar to accentuate a fruity zing or balance out bitterness or other various attributes. The cacao flavors are present in their more raw, unadulterated state. This bar had a slight earthiness to it, that is sometimes present with higher percentage bars.

As with yesterday's very fine Carenero 70% bar -- also from Rogue Chocolatier -- chocolates can be outstanding for what they include, and others for what they leave out. In addition to a lower sugar content, there was "no soy, wheat, nuts, (or) dairy" in this Porcelana bar.

Colin Gasko, founder and head chocolate maker at Rogue, works directly with farmers and when searching for the finest cacao he can locate, he selects cacao that are "delicious and ethical" to make his single origin bars. As with many smaller bean-to-bar makers, he works to bring out "unique flavors from the best cacao to be found." As a result, his bars are some of the best in the U.S.

*Criollo is a type of cacao associated with more flavorful, heritage varieties, and is prized as a fine flavor cacao for chocolate making. As with any cacao beans, careful fermentation and handling will determine whether these flavors make it to a chocolate bar.

**The Rio Chama (or El Chama) is one of the main rivers running through the state of Merida in Venezuela; and after running through cacao growing regions, it eventually empties into Lake Maracaibo.

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Rogue - Carenero 70 percent bar - Sept. 7, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier Inc.
Carenero 70 percent bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.59 oz. (45 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 238 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Did I like this bar because of its fancy packaging? No. Was the chocolate inside artfully imprinted with an complex but beautiful design? No.

I liked this Carenero 70 percent bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) because it was great chocolate, some of the best out there.

This bar contained two ingredients: 1.) Carenero Superior cacao beans from Barlovento, Venezuela, and 2.) organic cane sugar from the Green Cane Project, in Brazil.

No emulsifiers, no vanilla, no anything else.

The resulting flavorful, creamy chocolate was, as they say in "wine talk," very fruit forward -- like a bowl of tart-sweet berries and sour cream (there was no cream or dairy in this bar), with a slight spiciness to it. Rich, well-rounded flavor with very little bitterness. And, no off notes.

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Rogue - Jamaica 75% bar - Nov. 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier Inc.
Jamaica 75% chocolate bar
Good ++  - Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 159 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Jamaica Theme Week.

This Jamaica 75% dark chocolate bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) was crafted from two ingredients: 75% cacao from Bachelor's Hall Estate in Jamaica + 25% organic cane sugar from the Green Cane Project in Brazil.

Picking quality ingredients is a great first step, but doesn't guarantee success when making chocolate from scratch. Technical excellence and consistent execution are important during each step when making bean-to-bar chocolate.

A glossy, well-tempered bar will break with a hard snap and will look like this Rogue Jamaica bar. It will also have a complex, smooth dark flavor.

The tasting, or profile, notes on the packaging for this chocolate mentions notes of star fruit, tobacco and spices. Perhaps. The flavor profile was indeed rich in cacao flavor, but I found it was generally more subtle and smooth than these notes suggested. And, it's important to note that a well-executed bar doesn't necessarily require any extra acrobatic flavor handsprings to be really great.

Rogue - Sambirano bar - Nov. 20, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Rogue Chocolatier
Sambirano 70% bar
Very Good
Weight: .848 oz. (24 g.) /  2.12 oz. (60 g.) total bar
Calories: 127 calories (estimate) in 40% of 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Lemon Theme Week.

What does this lovely Sambirano* 70% single origin bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) have to do with lemons? The answer has to do with experimenting with flavor pairings.

Much like there are color groupings that will work better in a given context than others -- one can pair chocolate with items that mirror, complement or oppose certain characteristics of a bar. Sometimes the pairings result in delightful surprises and sometimes the results are oddly unpredictable.

The profile (tasting notes) printed on this bar's packaging stated: "citrus, rum raisin, toast." I mimicked the tasting notes, by pairing this bar with slices of (gluten-free) raisin toast, drizzled with Meyer lemon infused olive oil; Myers's dark rum, and Meyer lemon jam.

I enjoyed the pairing; however, with a bar this good, I also made sure to savor bites of chocolate before, during and after the toast plate items. This artfully complex bar did indeed have very pleasing, well-balanced citrus and raisin notes.

*This 70% Sambirano bar was made with cacao beans from the Akesson Estate, in Madagascar. The most recent batch (bar) may have slightly different tasting notes. Much like a wine, batches differ from year to year.

Rogue Chocolatier Silvestre 75% bar - Aug. 8, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier
Silvestre 75% bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in 1/2 bar / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 159 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ N/A part of a Kickstarter campaign/pledge*
Purchased from: Rogue Chocolatier/ The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today I wrapped up Chocolate and Banana Theme Week with a single origin chocolate bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA). This Silvestre 75% cacao bar, made from rare, wild cacao harvested by "cacao hunters" in the Amazon Basin region, along Bolivia's Rio Beni. The bar was designed and hand-crafted, from bean to bar, by Colin Gasko, the head chocolate maker at Rogue Chocolatier.

Like many higher end dark chocolate bars, it contained only a few ingredients. In this case two: cocoa beans and sugar.

And, like many bars from a single region, there were flavor "notes" that were characteristic of the beans grown and fermented in that area of origin. There was no banana flavoring or bits in this bar. This bar had a subtle complex flavor arc that contained hints of implied flavor. Colin listed plum, jasmine,  banana and nuts as notes often associated with Silvestre cacao.

The fruit acidic notes were akin to a deep plum flavor, and I did indeed pick up banana notes as well, especially with bars that were hot off the presses (newer, vs. stored for a longer period of time). Last time I looked on the Rogue website, they were down to the last batch of beans for this bar, so act fast if you're interested.

As a general rule, dark chocolate bars can be kept in a cool, dark place, for months; however, while bars may still be good after this time, more volatile or delicate flavor components can attenuate over time.

*Note: I participated in a Kickstarter (fund-raising) campaign in 2012 for new equipment/bar-making capability, in exchange for a number of limited edition chocolate bars that were subsequently produced and delivered. 

Rogue Chocolatier - Balao 75% bar - February 6, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rogue Chocolatier
Balao 75% bar
Very Good - Very Good+
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 305 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $ N/A - part of a Kickstarter campaign
Purchased from: Rogue Chocolatier via The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA -- part of a Kickstarter project

I'm delighted to kick off Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week today with this dark chocolate Balao 75% bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA).

This past week, I savored the earthy, nutty flavors of cacao nibs. This week, with a focus on single origin bars from Ecuador, will be a study in subtle flavors from a country that straddles the equator -- right in the heart of cacao growing territory. (Cacao is generally grown within 20 degrees north and/or south of the equator.)

Rogue founder, Colin Gasko, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to raise money for improved equipment -- to up the ante on what already were well executed single origin dark chocolate bars, that have routinely sold out quickly.

Colin is a bean-to-bar maker, an art that requires attention to detail, patience and technical skill -- from start (sorting dry, fermented beans upon arrival) to finish (ensuring bars are properly tempered, molded and packaged before shipping), with all important production steps in between. More work, but these new American makers, like Colin at Rogue, are producing some of the best small-batch dark chocolate in the U.S.

Judging from this simple, two-ingredient bar (made with cocoa beans from Camino Verde, Ecuador and cane sugar), the new equipment/process was a success. I received this bar from Batch #1 as part of the Kickstarter initiative (I was one of many funders). The bar maintained a smooth, subtle fruit acid flavor throughout the tasting experience, with a slight floral note at the very end. A very nicely balanced, and well-crafted bar. Uniform and still very interesting.

Rogue Chocolatier - Piura 75% bar - December 21, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Rogue Chocolatier
Piura 75% bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 307 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $13.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today I experienced pure, unadulterated chocolate. And then I mixed it with pure lavender. I love short ingredient lists.

The Piura 75% cacao dark chocolate bar from Rogue Chocolatier (Three Rivers, MA) had just two simple ingredients: cacao beans (from Peru) and cane sugar. This bar, an exclusive I obtained by being a future chocolate holder at The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA), was smooth and uniformly great, with enough of an acidic bite to keep it interesting.

This simple, unmarked bar was just the right thickness to access flavor notes. Tasting notes listed on the packaging for Piura: "molasses, tea, dried apricot." I agree with the dried apricot and the molasses. Not sure about the tea, which I sometimes associate with heavier tannic acid.

First, I broke off a few small pieces -- that yielded with just the right amount of snap. I ate these plain. Next, I took the bar outside into the yard, where it was raining, to try it with some lavender flowers I'd picked earlier. Again, just some dried lavender flower buds; nothing else.

Then I melted a half dozen small pieces of the Piura bar with a tablespoon or two of water in an espresso cup in the microwave, to make some drinking chocolate. Don't try this with just any dark chocolate bar; you may end up with a lumpy mess, in part due to the fact that most bars contain a long list of additives.

Last, but not least, I enjoyed this micro-serving of smooth, rich and delicious hot chocolate with gluten-free toast, goat cheese, and rose-colored Lavender Jelly from Tumalo Lavender (Tumalo, OR). Best snack plate I've had since chocolate and fig week.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Lavender Theme Week.