Zotter - Belize 72% + Panama 72% Dark Chocolate (bars) - May 25, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Zotter 
Belize 72% + Panama 72% Dark Chocolate (bars)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total pkg. of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 of each two bars x 2 -- adding up to 1/2 pkg.
Cost: $10.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zotter USA, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's 72% dark duo was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter US LLC (Fort Myers, FL) -- using cacao from two different countries: Belize and Panama.

Both Belize and Panama bars had relatively long conch times: 21 hours and 22 hours respectively.  Belize 72% cacao (bar) was joined by a Panama 72% cacao (bar); i.e. these two were individually wrapped, but wrapped up in the same package. 

Both Belize and Panama bars had relatively long conch times: 21 hours and 22 hours respectively and were relatively subtle in aroma and flavor. (No harsh or spiky notes.)

Belize "vs." Panama comparisons were not directly possible. The attractively packaged dual-origin bars concept was appealing; however, the two bars weren't clearly labeled, so they are identified below only as Bar #1 and Bar #2.

Bar #1

Aroma and flavor notes were very subtle... dark chocolate flavor (dark chocolate torte/tart, ganache, very slightly earthy, ultra-dark brownie). Diffuse, sweet fruit (citrus, raisin, dark ganache). 

The texture was smooth and creamy.

Bar #2

Aroma and flavor notes included: sweet green (light green fig jam on freshly baked,fluffy bread); nut (faint cashew); almost floral; light, clean/clean mineral taste; and very faint bitter/earth drinking chocolate/ultra-dark cookie/brownie in the finish.

Texture: light, almost whipped/fluffy melt and mouthfeel.

Both of these Organic 72% dark bars has much in common. They both were made using cacaos "cultivated in the jungles of South America by indigenous farmers." And both chocolates were made with just three ingredients: Organic, Fair Traded Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar and Cocoa Butter,

I liked: 1.) the gently complex flavor notes; 2.) the short list of thoughtfully sourced single origin and organic ingredients; 3.) the smooth textured chocolates; 4.) and being able to taste these two single origin chocolates side-by-side.

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on Equipment That Processes Tree Nuts., Peanuts, Milk, Sesame and Soy."

Honeymoon Chocolates - 70% Raspberry Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey, Belize (bar) - June 22, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
70% Raspberry Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey, Belize (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 171 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Missing information

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

Today's 70% Raspberry Dark Chocolate with Raw Honey, Belize (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (St. Louis, MO). The company was "founded in a dorm room in 2016," and, happily for us, has produced a variety of (single origin cacao) chocolates sweetened with honey.

This dark bar was created using bean-to-bar Maya Mountain Belize cacao; Missouri Wildflower and Clover honey; and raspberries.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (deep dark chocolate fudge; berry fruit; very faint, fleeting warm spice, fruit vinegar); raspberry fruit pieces; and very faint floral (honey).

Texture - somewhat soft dark chocolate, with a rich, slow melt; and occasional bits of raspberry and crunchy whole raspberry seeds.

Tasting notes included: pleasing, single origin (Belize) dark chocolate flavor, interspersed with authentic, bright, tart-sweet raspberry fruit bits.

I liked that this chocolate was not too sweet (thank you!) and I appreciated it was made with just four high-quality ingredients--allowing each ingredient to shine.

Ingredients: Cacao, Raw Honey, Cacao Butter, Raspberry

Allergen-related information: Made in a facility that prepares Dairy products. "Free of refined sugar, soy, and gluten."

  

Dick Taylor - Chocolate Coated Cherries (65% Belize dark chocolate) - Jan. 7, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate 
Chocolate Coated Cherries - 65% Belize dark chocolate
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 7 oz. (198 g.) in total container
Calories: 260 calories in 1 (2 oz./57 g.) serving 
Cost: $16.00 for 1 container
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cherry Week.

Today's Chocolate Coated Cherries from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA) were a delicious intersection of these two themes.

It's a cold, rainy winter outside; but it's bright and fruity inside. Last week's New Year's lineup featured the almost magical fruit flavors/notes in six different single origin Belize dark chocolate bars. This week: a Chocolate and Cherry Series, will be followed by a Chocolate, Berries and Vanilla week. Winter seems less drab and gray with bright fruits, warm spices and chocolate.

Dick Taylor - Chocolate Coated Cherries

Aroma notes for these high-end chocolate coated cherries included rich dark cocoa, warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom) and very faint fruit and sweet cream/yogurt. 

Every mouthful was full of flavor. When I bit into a piece, there was a gentle crackling through the successive layers of thinly-deposited 65% Belize dark chocolate, into a chewy dried cherry fruit center. This chocolate had mild tart-sweet fruit notes. 

The tasting experience was both a reveal and a delightful ambush: that started with smooth and flavorful, layered dark chocolate followed by strong bursts of tart-sweet, organic cherry. 

Notes: Possibly addictive. I recommend not biting into these pieces right away. You'll get more of the chocolate experience that way. The authentic, concentrated cherry flavor tends to dominate once you bite into the center.

Maker's notes/description: "Organic dried tart cherries deliciously coated in layer upon layer of our award-winning 65% Belize dark chocolate. " 

Ingredients: Organic cherries, organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa powder, organic cocoa powder, organic sunflower oil (cherries).

Allergen-related information: (None visible on label. Check with Dick-Taylor if you have questions about these confections.) Note: the allergen-related language printed on the packaging of the last Dick-Taylor bar I sampled read: "Made in a facility that also processes milk, tree nuts, wheat and peanuts." 

Zotter - Belize Sail Shipped Cacao 72% dark chocolate (bar) - Jan. 6, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Labooko Belize Sail Shipped Cacao 72% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $8.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zotter, online order 

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

Today's Zotter Labooko Belize 72% dark chocolate (bar) was made in Austria using cacao sailed across the Atlantic, and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Fort Myers, FL).

Zotter offers several single origin bars (Labooko line) as well as a wide variety of organic and fair trade, creatively layered, filled bars with flavor inclusions. (The wrapper design/artwork is powered by Andreas H. Gratze and has helped convey this family-owned company's unique and creative spirit.)

Aroma notes for this bar included: subtle dark chocolate (brownie, dark chocolate cookie), and very faint, fleeting cool green, warm sweet spice and barely there nut.

This well-tempered bar broke with a snap and had a surprisingly creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate with balanced, mixed fruit acidity, and a bit of ripe, sweet blackberries in the finish.

Like the other makers (and Belize bars featured this week), Zotter's 72% dark bar was made using cacao beans from the well-respected co-op and fermentery, Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC), in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The fact that cacao was sail-shipped to its European maker/destination is a nice environmental story. (It took two month to sail the cacao from Belize to Hamburg.) 

This bar was a bit higher in cacao solids (72%) than the other Belize dark chocolates (70%). It was creamier in texture, but tasted slightly darker, and had subtler fruit complexity than the even more tart-sweet, fruit-forward others.* The enjoyable, fluxing fruit from this origin can't be denied.

Maker's description: "...This bar starts with a fruity bouquet along with a hint of olive and cinnamon, then transforms into something entirely different on the tongue: a pleasantly mild taste, caramelized nuts, sweet condensed milk, and a delicate floral note. The finish offers blackberries and a beautiful aftertaste of grape hulls and malt."

Ingredients: Organic, fair traded cocoa mass; organic, fair traded cane sugar; organic, fair traded cocoa butter. 

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, milk, soy, peanuts and sesame."

*All these Belize chocolates have been above average; and tasting them in the same week makes it easier to experience the many choices, and sometimes trade-offs, that are made when working with a given cacao origin. 

In today's case, a creamier mouthfeel may have been, in part, the result of the 21-hour conching time and added cocoa butter. While still having some Belize/MMC fruit magic, the milder (less intense) fruit flavor (compared with others) could have been a result of roasting and processing times and/or the higher cacao percentage.

Standout Chocolate - Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar) - Jan. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Standout Chocolate

Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar)

Good ++ 

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 146 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)

Cost: $10.25 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Maya Mountain Belize 70% (bar) was handcrafted in Sweden by Standout Chocolate (Kallered, Sweden), using cacao beans from Maya Mountain Cacao in the Toledo District of southern Belize.

Aroma notes included smooth dark chocolate, soft fruit (stone fruit salad: dried peach, ripe sweet cherry, plum with a drizzle of honey), sweet yeast bread, and very faint sweet green.

The texture was smooth with a very faint tart fruit astringency in the finish.

Low in bitterness, this flavorful 70% dark chocolate was high in tart sweet fruit flavor (stone fruits and dried fruit acidity--the type one might find in dried grapes (golden raisins) or dried golden berries, aka Inca berries (Physalis peruviana).

This naturally sweet bar gave me a lift with its invigorating, pleasing, tart fruit notes. 

Maker's tasting notes: Stonefruits, raisin, honey

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of milk. 

Maverick Chocolate - 70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) - Jan. 4, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Maverick Chocolate Co.
70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 178 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate - part of a larger, 3-bar order) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Good Food Awards Marketplace, online order

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

Today's 70% Belize Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Maverick Chocolate Co. (Cincinnati, OH), using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao* in the Toledo District of southern Belize. 

Aroma notes for this person included true chocolate (dark chocolate cookie/brownie), gently undulating fruit (sweet black currant, pomegranate juice, peach jam), nut butter, faint warm vanilla spice and brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this three-ingredient 70% cacao chocolate included rich, smooth and subtly flavorful dark chocolate with subtle fruit (ripe red cherry) and spice (warm vanilla), faint bread, and ultra-faint sweet green notes. 

Summary: Nicely balanced, single origin bar; enjoyable deep (for 70%) dark chocolate bar with subtle, sophisticated layered fruit complexity. Clean finish; relatively low in bitterness.

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

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and milk products due to shared equipment. Soy free. Vegan."

*Founded in 2010, Maya Mountain Cacao--a co-op and centralized fermentery that works directly with cacao farmers in Belize (and Guatemala)--has become a key supplier of high-quality cacao for many craft chocolate makers--and has made possible the single origin Belize bars featured this week from Spinnaker Chocolate, Maverick Chocolate Co. and Standout Chocolate (Sweden).

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize with Nibs and Salt (bar) - Jan. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize with Nibs and Salt (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 70% Belize Nibs and Salt (bar) was made by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize. 

This is the 3rd Belize bar featured this week from Spinnaker. All have been well above average. Like every bean-to-bar chocolate that "scores" very well, today's makers started with sourcing great beans, and followed a very rigorous chocolate making process to ensure the best results possible.

They have, e.g., built some of their own sorting equipment* to further ensure that no off flavors happen and they roast cocoa nibs vs. cocoa beans.**

Aroma notes for this bar included: Criollo-like (cacao variety) smooth chocolate; complex and layered fruit (dried peach and light tropical fruits, dried goji and red berries, very faint date); and fresh bread with jam and salted butter.

Flavor: deep, appealing chocolate with complex fruit notes. Flavor notes included: "true" chocolate (freshly roasted and ground cacao, deep dark chocolate brownies with cacao nibs (with mild woodsy nut aspects) that balanced out the natural sweetness of the mixed fruits (dried stone fruits (peaches, red plums), sweet citrus, very faint sweet tropical fruit and ripe red berries). 

There was a fleeting earthiness in one bite (likely from one nib), but otherwise it was awash in waves of bright, beautiful freshly baked fruity chocolate sunshine, and quite low in bitterness.

All this flavor was balanced with a perfectly balanced, judicious dose of sea salt. The Pure Flake Finishing Salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. (Portland, OR) contributed subtle, warm saline sparkles. When you have a cacao that is this flavorful, every inclusion must be thought about carefully.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, cocoa nibs, sea salt flakes.

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

*Without exception, all my favorite bean-to-bar chocolates have been made by chocolate makers who have been driven (some would say obsessed) with their process and machinery, right down to the micron level. 

And all who have been willing to show me how they operate in their factory will stand with pride (rightfully so) next to equipment they have either created themselves or finely tuned with a great deal of precision. Hats off and a deep bow for their dedication.

**Cacao beans may vary enough in size that a single roasting profile may not roast all beans equally; whereas grinding the cacao beans into smaller, more evenly sized cacao nib pieces may result in more even, predictable flavor. 

Note: My question was would the greater surface to mass ratio of the pieces vs. the whole cacao bean in the roasting process result in the loss of more volatile flavors. However, the makers at Spinnaker Chocolate seem to be very carefully choosing gentle roasting profiles.

 And, the proof is in the results. The resulting chocolates (based on the Belize bars I've tasted this week) have been very flavorful and wonderful.

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize (bar) - Jan. 2, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Spinnaker Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 70% Belize (bar) was made by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize. 

Aroma notes for this bar included: Criollo-like (cacao variety) smooth chocolate; slightly honey-ed fruits (peach, light tropical fruit, goji berry, faint date); faint fleeting fresh bread; faint sweet green; and graham cracker/cookie.

Flavor: tangy, relatively tart fruity flavor notes including: mixed fruits (stone fruits (dried peaches, red plums), sweet citrus (tangerine), very faint sweet pineapple, and berries (golden and goji)), and gently complex dark chocolate.

Summary: This single origin 70% dark bar had an appealing chocolate complexity with abundant and complex fruit, a natural sweetness (warm, fresh baked bread with honey), and long pleasant and clean finish. It was also relatively low in bitterness. A well-executed chocolate that preserved and highlighted the best features of a wonderful cacao.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

Spinnaker Chocolate - 70% Belize with Bourbon - Jan. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Spinnaker Chocolate
70% Belize with Bourbon (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar (per label)
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar

Welcome to Day #1 of 2023, and the first day of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week.

Today's 70% Belize with Bourbon (bar) was crafted by Spinnaker Chocolate (Seattle, WA) using cacao from Maya Mountain Cacao in southern Belize, and with 100% Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey supplied by Seattle distillery 2BAR Spirits.

Aroma notes for this New Year's Day bar included: Relatively "mellow(ed)" dark chocolate, sweet green notes, heady bourbon whiskey spirits, and faint, diffuse fruit (sweet orange, goji berry, very faint, fleeting fig and cherry).

Wow, the flavor. Notes included dark chocolate; diffuse and gently morphing/fluxing fruits (listed above); bourbon; sweet butter/cream; vanilla; very faint sweet corn; and much more. 

Flavorful may be an overused word to describe single origin chocolates, but today's 70% dark chocolate raised the bar for use of this term. There was more flavor per (ounce, gram, square, bar, ingredient, etc.) than 90% of 70%ers out there. 

And yes, I do like the flavors that spirits impart. Whiskies pair very nicely with many chocolates. Today, e.g., I enjoyed getting the maximum residual distilled and aged flavors without much (if any) alcohol.*

Thank you to Spinnaker Chocolate for making today's special chocolate. After some heavy rain yesterday in California (that included minor flooding in my kitchen, today's soothing, flavorful chocolate was especially welcome--and the Spinnaker "nautical" theme was humorously appropriate. Ride the waves!

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, straight bourbon whiskey (for flavor)

*Maker's Note: "This product contains liquor and the alcohol content is one percent or less of the weight of the product."

Allergen-related information: Processed in a facility that uses milk powder and nuts.

Valrhona - Tulakalum (Belize) 75% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 16, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Valrhona

Tulakalum (Belize) 75% dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $7.50 (plus shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Tulakalum (Belize) 75% cacao dark chocolate (bar) was from Valrhona Chocolate (Tain L'Hermitage, France).*

Aroma notes (in order of appearance) included: earthy, dried fruit (fig, prune, banana), sweet cocoa and nut butter.

Texture: Thick, creamy melt and smooth mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: chocolate-y (fudge brownie with a hint of vanilla) with bright, tart fruit (raspberry, sweet cherry, and strawberries dipped in brown sugar) that extended into the finish. 

Valrhona description/tasting notes: "Tulakalum's...fruity, tangy...nutty intensity and powerful cocoa nibs dreamily encapsulate the gorgeous biodiversity of Belize, an endlessly colorful country with multiple culture and history."

Ingredients: "Cocoa beans from Belize, brown sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla..."

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that uses milk." "This product may contain: gluten, nuts, soya." "May contain wheat, soy, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, chestnuts, coconut and/or all their derivatives."

*Valrhona has historically (since 1922) partnered with pastry chefs and artisan chocolatiers around the world, supplying them with quality French chocolate. In recent decades they have enhanced their efforts to source sustainable cacao (traceable and sourced directly from producers). They are also a Certified B Corporation (that stipulates adherence to standards associated with social and environmental impact).

Wm. Chocolate - Belize Maya Mountain 68% Dark (bar) - Oct. 11, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Wm. Chocolate LLC
Belize Maya Mountain 68% Dark (bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, featuring chocolates made with cacao from Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Today's Belize Maya Mountain 68% Dark (bar) was created by chocolate maker William Marx of Wm. Chocolate LLC (Madison, WI).

The (2017 Harvest) cacao used to craft this bar was grown on "rainforest farms in (southern) Belize's Maya Mountains, where...Maya Mountain Cacao...works with growers to sustainably produce bright, luscious cacao deserving of the high prices it fetches." 

Aroma notes for this dark chocolate included a diffuse sweetness (date); red fruit (cherry, goji berry, pomegranate); and faint brown sugar, molasses with an implied warm spice.

The texture of this well-tempered and executed chocolate was pleasing, smooth and creamy.

The chocolate tasted intriguing, smooth and sophisticated. A soft, layered undulation of high-quality flavors contributed to its overall deliciousness. Flavor notes included: fruit (soft "round" white grape/raisin and goji berry); faint fleeting aromatic, sweet tobacco; creamy vanilla and warm creamy, vanilla mocha; and a reoccurring (diffuse but) identifiable tart-sweet fruit through note (including red fruit and berries with brown sugar).

Maker's tasting notes: "candied pineapple, custard, raisin"

Ingredients: Organic cocoa beans, organic whole (unrefined) cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.

Allergen-related information: "Sourced for flavor and fairness. No soy, no dairy, no nuts, no grain, no refined sugar, and no animal products."

Zotter - Labooko Belize 82% Sail Shipped Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 10, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter

Labooko - Belize 82% Sail Shipped Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total package of 2 bars

Calories: 210 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $8.25 for 1 bar (+ summer shipping)

Purchased from: Bar and Cacao, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, featuring chocolates made with cacao from Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Today's Labooko Belize 82% Sail Shipped* Cacao Dark Chocolate (bar) was made in Austria and distributed by Zotter Chocolates US LLC (Cape Coral, FL). The company makes a variety of bars and chocolates that are organic and fair trade.

Aroma notes included (in order of appearance): dark and chocolate-y with slight, balanced bitterness, and diffuse, dried fruit (potent but not too strong, bright or sweet, e.g. plum/prune + fig) and a very faint hint of warm spice. (In re-tasting, there was also a barely there, fleeting vegetable (green + baked potato + nut) note, and a very faint, fleeting earth note.)

This chocolate had an attractive, thick, creamy (almost whipped), and nut buttery mouthfeel and texture.

Flavor notes: The bar was well balanced with smooth, flavorful, dark chocolate (fudge, ale) and a smooth, pleasing ultra-dark finish. (In re-tasting, there were also some sparkles of red berry/fruit.) 

Maker's Notes

Zotter aroma notes: "The chocolate is just faintly bitter and offers a broad aroma spectrum." "Fragrance notes: nutty notes, accents of dried fruit (plums, cherries).

Zotter tasting notes: "...nutty praline, cream, accents of caramel, mild notes of spice. Also fruit: hints of cranberry and plum, then intense sour cherry aroma. A mild note of tannin at the finish."

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

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on equipment that processes tree nuts, milk, soy, peanuts and sesame."

*The "genuine Maya" cacao used to make this bar was grown in Belize, and transported (emission free) from Belize across the ocean to Hamburg via sailboat. 

LetterPress Chocolate - Maya Mountain Cacao - Belize 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 9, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

LetterPress Chocolate

Maya Mountain Cacao Belize 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++ 

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

Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar 

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

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, featuring chocolates made with cacao from Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Today's Hacienda Azul, Costa Rica 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by LetterPress Chocolate (Los Angeles, CA). 

The cacao used to craft this bar was from Maya Mountain Cacao located in the southern Belize department of Toledo--a region famous for its cacao.

Aroma notes included (in order of appearance): fresh bread and dark chocolate, diffuse fruit sweetness, and very faint molasses/brown sugar.

This chocolate bar had an even melt and creamy, smooth texture.

Flavor notes included berry and peach jam, butter and melted dark chocolate on fresh bread with a sip of warm, naturally sweet latte with creamy milk on the side. This was followed by a very faint flicker of floral spice (freshly ground black pepper).

Maker's tasting notes: "stone fruit, mocha, pepper"

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

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes nuts and dairy" (Made with certified organic ingredients.) (Parve, Kosher LA)

Tosier - Maya Mountain, Belize 90% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Tosier Chocolatemaker
Maya Mountain Belize 90% Rich Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 148.8 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, featuring chocolates made from cacao grown in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Toledo District in southern Belize is to chocolate what Napa is to wine in California. That was my take-away after visiting Southern Belize years ago. (This visit included a Jeep ride to visit Maya Mountain Cacao,* a small co-op working directly with Mayan cacao farmers.)

Today's Maya Mountain Belize 90% Rich Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Tosier Chocolatemaker (Suffolk, U.K.). The cacao (2019 Harvest, Batch 23219) used to craft this micro-batch bar was carefully gathered from farmers.

The complex but relatively subtle aroma notes for this bar included (in order of appearance): molasses, and concentrated fruit (berries, figs). After being open for a few minutes this mellowed and evolved into faint, fleeting vegetable (green squash, baked potato), then back to dark chocolate with faint spice and fruit compote (plum and peach), and faint tart-green (oxalis), followed by faint flicker of green tea.

Flavor notes included rich dark chocolate (fudge) with subtle loamy earth and very faint (barely there) mushroom. There was a slight astringent, dry graininess or chalkiness to the texture. This textural attribute softened into a smoother, more buttery mouthfeel toward the end. 

If I'd eaten the whole bar I might have discovered this perceived dryness was either a fleeting quality, more present in one part of the bar, or it may have shape-shifted away altogether. But, I only sampled two, adjacent, rectangular pieces...

...One hour later, I re-sampled this relatively smooth (low in bitterness, acidity) 90% ultra-dark bar--from the other end of the bar. And while still present, this dry mouthfeel was less noticeable. And, it morphed into a smoother finish more quickly. I'm a fan of re-tasting chocolate if possible. Truth can be fluid when it comes to flavors and taste and one's palette, even after very short periods of time.

Maker's tasting notes: "Redcurrant and stone fruit with a long buttery finish." ("Light roast, 60 hours grinding in stone melanger with refiner.")

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, ethically sourced cocoa butter

*Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC), majority-owned by Uncommon Cacao, is located in the Toledo District, inland from the Caribbean coast. When I visited there it had been in operation for a few years and was already producing fine cacao that had caught the attention of many specialty chocolate makers producing single origin dark chocolate. 

MMC were (and still are) working/trading directly with indigenous Maya farmers and helping to incent and support production of high-quality beans. Most of the approximately 350 farmers are small land-holders. This cacao was "intercropped with hard wood, fruit trees, banana, coconut and mango."

The hilly Maya Mountain area surrounding this organization (and its centralized fermentery) is an undulation of interesting shapes and multi-story building-sized mounds, covered by vegetation. 

From the air, looking down on the area, it's easy to imagine old dwellings/cities/temples built by ancient Maya and related, Central American civilizations that might lie beneath the jungle. In fact, this is partly true. I spoke to someone who remembered growing up in the area and remembers playing among historic ruins. "It was just something we took for granted. It was no big deal," he told me.

 

Dick Taylor - Chocolate Coated Almonds 65% Belize - Aug. 8, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Dick Taylor 
Chocolate Coated Almonds 65% Belize
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) / 6 oz. (171 g.) in total container
Calories: 330 calories in 1 container
Cost: $12.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Nugget Markets, Tiburon, CA

Welcome to Day #21 of Chocolate and Almonds Week(s).

Today's Chocolate Coated Almonds 65% Belize were made by Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (Eureka, CA). 

This exquisitely packaged, high-end take on a chocolate covered classic used traditional coating pans to build up the layers of single origin 65% Belize chocolate coating around organic California almonds. 

Instead of a shiny, confectioners glaze top coat, these almonds were dusted with/in cocoa powder giving them a luxe, deep brown powdered velvet look. 

The aroma: malty, roasted almonds and rich, high-end dark chocolate milk/cocoa notes.

The Belize chocolate contributed a layered tasting experience not usually found in chocolate covered confections. The chocolate had balanced bittersweet, fruit (citrus, dark ripe berry), very faint earth notes that complemented the milder, rounder, nuttier, woodier, hand-roasted almonds--that had their chance to shine after the dark chocolate was chewed into and melted away.

These were carefully crafted, with a deftly balanced complexity. They weren't overly sweet (thank you), allowing quality ingredients to be fully enjoyed.

Ingredients: "Organic almonds, organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder"

Allergen-related information: "Contains almonds. Processed in a facility that also uses milk, tree nuts, wheat and peanuts."

Crimson Dane Chocolate - 75% Cacao Maya Mountain Belize bar - May 24, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Crimson Dane Chocolate
75% Cacao Maya Mountain Belize bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.6 oz. (45 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ N/A - gift for a friend (Thank you Rick!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift from a friend (who bought at a farmers market in Palo Alto, CA)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Maya Empire Theme Week.

Today's 75% Cacao Maya Mountain Belize bar was "handmade, poured and packaged" by Crimson Dane Chocolate (San Jose, CA), using cacao from Maya Mountain (Cacao/Co-op in the Toledo District of southern Belize).*

Crimson Dane, founded three years ago, has focused on creating single estate,* bean-to-bar, craft chocolate from multiple origins, including Belize.

This well-crafted single origin Belize chocolate had a pleasing, balanced, complex aroma with light green, herbal, sweet spice, light molasses, dried fruit, fleeting floral, very faint malt and chocolate cake notes. The light roast option (for the cacao beans) selected by the makers preserved delicate/volatile flavor elements that might have been lost with a longer roast time.

This relatively thick bar broke with a hard, very well-tempered snap. 

A smooth, somewhat creamy melt vied with a slight fruit/nut astringency (drying, fuzzy feel on the palette) for mouthfeel dominance. The tasting notes echoed the aroma notes like a returning yodel, symmetrically, and with a slight astringency and a clean finish. Note: the light astringency had almost disappeared upon re-tasting an hour, and two hours, later. (Flavors often evolve over the course of the day for various reasons, which is why I try to re-taste.)

*Crimson Dane Chocolate currently, as of this writing, offers single origin bars, with cacao grown in Honduras, Peru, Guatemala, Belize and Madagascar.

Nuance Chocolate - Moho Valley Belize (2015) 70% bar - May 23, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nuance Chocolate
Moho Valley Belize (2015) 70% bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 293 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Maya Empire Theme Week.

Today's Moho Valley Belize (2015) 70% cacao bar was made by Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

The bean-to-bar makers at Nuance chose a rare criollo/trinitario cacao grown near the Moho River that runs from eastern Guatemala to/through the Toledo District of southern Belize (eventually emptying out to the Caribbean Sea/Atlantic side of Central America). The river runs through what once was part of the Maya Empire. This area is rich in cacao history; and Maya people, farmers, still grow cacao here.

Today's attractive, thin, dark bar had a true chocolate (hot cocoa), nutty, and roasted aroma and flavor. If held up to light at just the right angle, one might see a flicker of reddish color.

The thinness* (which I like in bars) yielded ready access to texture and flavor, and contributed to the chocolate's relatively rapid (slightly creamy) melt.

This relatively sweet three-ingredient chocolate's complex flavor notes included wood, tart fruit (pink grapefruit) and fleeting nut (peanut, walnut) notes, and a roasted coffee-like acidity. About five seconds in, fruit acidity gave way to astringency--notably without the tannic** bitterness that often accompanies this drying sensation in one's mouth.

This astringency and a roasted coffee note lingered in the finish with a light throat tickle farewell.

Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter

*Whisper thin tasting wafers melt like snowflakes on one's tongue offering a quick, relatively uniform hit of flavor, whereas thicker pieces offer a more gradual reveal, as different facets of the piece reach a melting point at different times. Try sampling both thin and thick versions of the same chocolate and see how/if it alters the tasting experience for you. 

Just paying attention will slow you down, and open up your senses. Taking a contemplative stroll through a neighborhood vs. an athletic sprint creates an opportunity to see/hear a bird in a tree and appreciate its colors, to notice a child's chalk drawing on a sidewalk, to smell oncoming rain. It's the same with chocolate. If you choose the slower path, imagine kayaking down the Moho River with a Maya guide who will point out to you a crocodile on the bank, a howler monkey in the trees (the source of the loud, low whooping calls in the treetops) and a rare bird flying overhead.

**Tannins (tannic acid), are water-soluble polyphenols, with astringent properties, produced by plants and trees, found in coffee, tea, wine, grapes, chocolate and many other fruits, nuts, food and spices we consume. In the wild, they help protect plants against bacteria and fungi infections, and may deter animal and insect predators.

Map Chocolate - Starry Night Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup - Apr. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Map Chocolate Co., LLC
Starry Night - Belize 60% Dark Milk with Mugolio Pinebud Syrup
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estim.) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Plants and Herbs Theme Week. Like yesterday's chocolate, pine trees figure into today's offering. We love Douglas Fir tip tea and related foodstuffs, so we were excited to taste this bar. And it delivered.

Today's "Starry Night" Belize 60% Dark Milk (with) Mugolio Pinebud Syrup* (bar) was from Map Chocolate Co., LLC (Eugene, OR).

The bar had a pleasing chocolate and slight herbal, pine bud (light pine with lemon floral notes) aroma; a creamy melt and smooth texture.

At first the rich tasting milk chocolate seemed a bit too sweet (after eating darker bars this past week). However, after two bites of this 60% cacao bar—like all good dark single origin milks—the sugar ceased to matter quite so much as we fell under its flavor spell.

The light pine taste from powdered Douglas Fir tips (the edible, new growth portion, which can be seen on the back side of the bar) combined with the pine bud syrup, and the occasional crystal of sea salt, tasted great to us.

*According to Google, Mugolio Pinebud Syrup was created by a woman, Eleonora Cunaccia of Primitivizia, in the Alps in Trento, Italy. 

Map Chocolate Co. - The Secret Garden - dried plum, cardamom Belize 70% bar - April 22, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Map Chocolate Co. 

"The Secret Garden - respite from the storm" dried plum cardamom Belize 70% bar

Good+++ - Very Good

Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz (70 g.) in total bar

Calories: 187 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's "The Secret Garden" dark bar from Map Chocolate Co. (Eugene, OR) had a long, poetic name: "The Secret Garden respite from the storm Belize 70% with dried plum and cardamom."


This attractively packaged and designed bar came with a tiny leaflet laced with colorful, commentary—a weaving of information about the chocolate bar (makers notes) with memories and associations.

Pieces of local (Oregon) dried plum, and freshly-peeled cardamom seeds, adorned the back of this bar.

This well-tempered dark bar broke with a hard snap, and had an aroma with dark chocolate, spice, toast and dried fruit notes. The Belize 70% chocolate was smooth, almost creamy, and the bar had a light plum and cardamom spice finish.

*Note: The bar was listed as sold out on the company's website.

Dick Taylor - Single Origin Chocolate Rabbit 72% Belize - April 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day:

Dick Taylor 

Chocolate Rabbit Single Origin 72% Belize Dark Chocolate

Very Good

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

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 rabbit

Cost: $15.00 for 1 rabbit

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Bonus Feature!

This year April Fool's Day and Easter fell on the same Sunday (which also overlapped with Passover). Regardless of where and how you celebrate the return of Spring, today's bonus item would have delighted dark chocolate lovers.

Today's Single Origin 72% Dark Chocolate Chocolate Rabbit was lovely, complex, and made with Belize-grown cacao. This rabbit was not too sweet, and full of exquisitely-crafted and well-balanced flavor depth, including bold fruit, light spice and bittersweet notes.

It was the perfect finish to a great Spring celebration meal, and it was followed by a hike up in the green hills.