Loon Chocolate - 70% Heirloom Bolivia (bar) - Oct. 27, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Loon Chocolate
70% Heirloom Bolivia (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 212.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Loon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Loon Chocolate 70% Heirloom Bolivia (Batch 924-34) bar was manufactured by White Birch Living LLC (Manchester, NH).

Aroma and flavor notes for this Bolivia bar included: dark chocolate (chocolate-y, dark ganache), fleeting tangy/acidic fruit (dried fruit: cherry, nectarine, raisin), faint earth and very faint oxalis.

I appreciated the short list of (three) ingredients; the maker's choice of organic cane sugar and organic heirloom cacao (that seemed naturally sweet); and fleeting complexity--that included some tangy fruit. 

The makers at Loon Chocolate, like many other small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers, work to showcase the range of unique and special, often nuanced, flavors present in cacao. And I feel grateful for their dedication.

Ingredients: "70% Organic Cacao, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter"

Allergen-related information: "Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan" "Produced in a Facility That Uses Almonds and Milk."

Intrigue Chocolate - 60% Bolivia Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 26, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
60% Bolivia Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 60% Bolivia Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

Cacao source: 2021 wild harvest HCP Heirloom cacao--from tall trees* in a forest canopy setting--used to make this chocolate were from Tranquilidad Natural Forest Estate in Bolivia.

Aroma and flavor notes included: dark chocolate, sweet green (plant stalks, hay, tree syrup, slightly floral honey).

Texture: smooth dark chocolate.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate, sweet green (hay, tree syrup) and slightly floral honeycomb.

I really enjoyed the gentle complexity and natural sweetness (even the higher sugar level than yesterday's 78% version of this chocolate). 

The sealed, smaller, tasting bar size, package helped preserve the heirloom flavors. (If I have leftover chocolate, I share with others; but if that opened bar can't be sealed up quickly, the aroma and flavor profile may be less "fresh" or more subdued. The tasting experience may be different.

Makers tasting notes: "Expect full-bodied chocolatiness with notes of molasses and aged balsamic."

Ingredients: "Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter."

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, no dairy, no soy, no gluten."

*Cultivated cacao trees are often shorter (for easier harvesting) and grown in denser rows (to increase yields). More delicate heirloom varieties left to grow wild often yield more nuanced, complex and flavorful cacao. 

Intrigue Chocolate - 78% Bolivia dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 25, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
78% Bolivia Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 78% Bolivia Dark Chocolate (bar) was made and distributed Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

The 2021 (wild) harvest certified HCP heirloom cacao used to make this chocolate was from Tranquilidad Natural Forest Estate in the Bolivian Amazon basin. The maker describes these cacao trees as quite "tall and spindly, nestled among the forest giants..." with smaller cacao pods and brands that are nonetheless "packed with flavor."

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (dark ganache, torte), and very faint green floral and light paraffin/beeswax notes. 

Texture: Smooth with a very faint, fleeting astringency in the finish.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (dark ganache, torte), subtle sweet green, floral honey, and barely detectable wood, nut (coconut, blanched peanut) and cookie. (Note: there were no coconut or peanut ingredients.)

I appreciated the slightly floral notes and the inherent sweetness of the wild Bolivia cacao used to make this bar. The maker's choice of 78% cacao--a slightly higher cacao percentage (and slightly lower percentage of sugar) also made it easier to detect the subtle, attractive aroma and flavor notes that are more likely to be present with heirloom cacao(s).

Makers notes: "...aromas of chocolate sheet cake, clover hay bales, and aged firewood."

Ingredients: Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter.

Allergen-related information: "Vegan, no dairy, no soy, no gluten."

L.A. Burdick - Bolivia 68% Drinking Chocolate - Oct. 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

L.A. Burdick 
Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% drinking chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 12 oz. (?? g.) in total package
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. serving + water
Cost: $32.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Bolivia Week.

Today's Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% drinking chocolate was from L.A. Burdick (Walpole, NH). The company offers a variety of chocolates, including chocolate mice, and single origin (bars and drinking) chocolates.

Aroma notes for today's Bolivia drinking chocolate included: dark chocolate with very faint grain, pickled/fermented sweet pepper and black pepper; and (I must have been imagining this) barely detectable grilled cheese on a corn tortilla.

After adding water, microwaving for 30 seconds, and using the whisk that was included, the mix quickly dissolved into a smooth, rich, velvety, warm drinking chocolate. The texture was very pleasing. (I added less water for a thicker drinking chocolate with less diluted flavor.)

Flavor notes included: rich, nuanced drinking chocolate with very faint pepper. It was sweet without being too sweet, and balanced (not too acidic).

I really appreciated the small metal whisk that was included; it created a smoother texture and enhanced the tasting experience. And I enjoyed the relatively smooth, but lightly complex chocolate-y flavor.

Maker's notes: "Grapefruit and floral notes mingle with roasted nuts and give way to a smooth finish."

Ingredients: "Dark chocolate (Cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, sunflower lecithin, soy lecithin, vanilla bean)"

Allergen-related information: Contains soy. Gluten free (made in a gluten free kitchen). "Our chocolates are crafted in a kitchen where milk, eggs, tree nuts, soy, and sesame are present."

L.A. Burdick - Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% (bar) - Oct. 23, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

L.A. Burdick 
Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 238 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Bolivia Week.

Today's Single Source Bolivia (Beni River) 68% bar was from L.A. Burdick (Walpole, NH). The first store opened was in New York, and the company now has locations in multiple U.S. cities.

Aroma notes for today's Bolivia bar included: roasted (nuts, cacao), dark chocolate, earth (peat, wood), fruit (cherry, citrus) and dark chocolate tart/cake.

Texture: smooth, cocoa buttery

Flavor notes included: pleasing dark chocolate with some complexity (dark brownie; mellow, roasted;  subtle earth spectrum; and fruit (citrus)).

I liked that this dark chocolate was well-balanced and tasted at least 4 percentage points darker and richer than a 68% cacao chocolate. (It wasn't too sweet.) Also, the fruit/citrus added some brightness without making it too acidic.

Maker's tasting notes: "Grapefruit and floral notes mingle with hints of roasted nuts and give way to a smooth finish."

Ingredients: "cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter. may contain soy lecithin, may contain vanilla."

Allergen-related information: "Our chocolates are produced in a kitchen where nuts are used and where nut traces may be present. Allergens: dairy, soy, eggs, tree nuts"

Mutari Chocolate - Tranquilidad, Heirloom, Wild Bolivia 72% (bar) - Nov. 4, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Mutari Craft Chocolate
(White Label/Single Origin Chocolate)
Tranquilidad, Heirloom, Wild Bolivia 72% (bar)
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: $ Missing information
Purchased from: Mutari Chocolate, Santa Cruz, CA

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

Today's White Label Tranquilidad, Heirloom, Wild Bolivia 72% (bar) was from Mutari Craft Chocolate (Santa Cruz, CA). 

The Beniano cacao used to make this bar was from the Tranquilidad Forest Estate, managed by Volker Lehmann, in the Beni Department of northern Bolivia.*

Aroma notes for this chocolate included: naturally sweet, pleasing cocoa, very faint molasses, very faint dried fruit (raisin, peach), and ultra faint graham cracker.

This well-tempered bar had a smooth texture and a creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: dark chocolate (smooth, rich chocolatey, (warm cocoa, brownie)) with naturally sweet notes (very faint honey, sweet molasses, very faint sweet nut); and very faint dried, iron-rich fruit (raisin, dried plum). 

This chocolate had a very pleasing, nuanced, chocolate-y flavor. It possessed a rich aroma and flavor complexity, while also being relatively low in bitterness. The choice of 72% cacao seemed just right.

Today's Tranquilidad Heirloom Wild Bolivia chocolate (made with rare Beniano beans**) reminded me of other Criollo/heritage cacao-based chocolate bars: subtle, rich, layered flavors that were gentle, but transporting. 

Chocolates made with heirloom and heritage cacao beans make up a small fraction of the world's bars. Many thanks to all those who were part of growing the cacao, bringing the cacao to market, and making and distributing this special, small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Raisin, Tabacco, Nutty, Chocolate Base"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter

Allergen-related information: 

*Bolivia is about the size of Texas and California combined, and cacao growing regions are often in very remote areas. The Beni Department alone (in northern Bolivia) is close to the size of the Western U.S. State of Idaho.

** Beniano cacao is grown in the Beni Department of northern Bolivia, adjacent to wild forests of cacao that date back thousands of years. Evidence to date (2015 study) has suggested that wild cacao trees first evolved in present day South America approximately 10 million years ago--long before the first humans arrived. 

Solstice Chocolate - 70% Tranquilidad Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 3, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Solstice Chocolate
70% Tranquilidad Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Solstice Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 70% Tranquilidad Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by Solstice Chocolate, Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT). 

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in northern Bolivia, and likely from Hacienda Tranquilidad. Some very wonderful wild heirloom and/or single estate cacaos grow in this area.

Aroma and notes included: smooth dark chocolate; diffuse fruits (very faint honeyed mango, raisin); and faint brown sugar/molasses.

The texture was smooth with a creamy melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes for this naturally sweet 70% dark chocolate included: smooth dark chocolate, faint cream and very faint brown sugar/molasses. There was a small uptick in bright, diffuse fruitiness (subtle fruit acidity) in the middle, followed by a creamy, chocolate-y finish.

Maker's Tasting Notes: "Honey, Cream, Molasses"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a tree nut, gluten, dairy and soybean free facility."

Fruition - Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) - Nov. 1, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate Works
Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Limited Release Bolivia Beniano Dark Tranquilidad 66% (bar) (Batch #1) was from Fruition Chocolate Works (Shokan, New York).

The company sourced the wild Beniano Bolivian cacao beans used to make this chocolate from Volker Lehmann via Uncommon Cacao. Lehmann operates Hacienda Tranquilidad, in northern Bolivia. And their cacao is designated as a special heritage cacao by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund.

Aroma notes included: subtle, complex dark chocolate that started with a slightly more intense dark chocolate and ended with a more delicate, almost floral, sweet botanical dark chocolate.

This well-tempered 66% dark chocolate bar broke with a hard snap, and had a smooth, even texture and melt.

Flavor notes included: sweet dark chocolate; very faint coffee; molasses brown bread; honey; and sweet nut(s). This Bolivia Beniano dark chocolate had a gentle, pleasing finish with slight roasted cacao/coffee and faint, fleeting forest notes.

I've tasted and featured several bars from different makers who used Tranquilidad, Bolivia, (Beniano) cacao grown in the Beni Department of northeastern Bolivia. 

While the resulting chocolates vary slightly (based on harvest year, selected roasting and conching/grinding times, etc.) all have had gentle, appealingly complex aroma and/or flavor aspects to them. 

Love live these wonderful islands of heirloom cacao trees and those that protect them. 

Ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* = Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Allergen Warning: Our facility contains tree nuts, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, and sesame. Trace amounts possible."

 

Mission Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 30, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Mission Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 144 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Wild Bolivia 65% dark chocolate (bar) was from Mission Chocolate (San Paolo, Brazil).

Aroma: subtle dark chocolate with faint forest and natural sweetness; faint molasses (spice cookie); almost invisible fig; and very faint bright green/fruit (kiwi + sweet lime).

Flavor notes: rich dark chocolate with faint molasses/brown sugar and spice (star anise); a brief hint of cream*; followed by more true cacao, nut and very diffuse nut. The finish included a very faint, bright citrus note (sweet lime). Tasting this bar felt like a gentle walk through a lush rainforest that ended with dappled sunshine.

This chocolate was made with wild cacao from the Bolivian Amazon Rainforest. Wild and Heirloom cacaos can be full of subtle, nuanced flavors. This chocolate was no exception. 

Thank you to the chocolate makers like Arcelia Gallardo at Mission Chocolate who source these very special cacao (bean) varieties and produce chocolate with them for us to enjoy.

Ingredients: Cacao, organic sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: May contain traces of peanuts, lactose, coconut, tree nuts, and wheat due to shared equipment.

*There was no milk, cream or dairy ingredients in this chocolate.

Monsoon Chocolate - 73% Tranquilidad (bar) - Oct. 29, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Monsoon Chocolate
Origin Series Tranquilidad Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 217 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.95 (+ shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Monsoon Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Origin Series Tranquilidad* Bolivia 73% Dark Chocolate (bars) was from Monsoon Chocolate (Tucson, AZ).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; floral, light oolong tea; other lightly sweet, green botanicals; and faint brown sugar.

Flavor notes for this smooth dark chocolate included: rich cocoa (drinking chocolate, faint fermented cacao); very faint spice (black pepper); and faint cream. (Note: there was no actual cream/dairy in this bar. Some heritage cacaos can have this lovely cream note.)

This 73% chocolate had a very pleasing aroma; rich chocolate flavor that was relatively low in bitterness; and a gentle, lingering, almost honeyed finish.

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (* Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, milk, eggs and peanuts. May not be suitable for people with allergies to these foods."

*Hacienda Tranquilidad is a farm located in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. Wild ("Sylvestre") cacao trees grow in a large, natural forest. The estate's owner, Volker Lehmann, has been the key supplier of native Beniano (Heirloom) cacao beans to small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate makers. The results: some wonderful, very special chocolate bars.

LetterPress Chocolate - Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Oct. 28, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

LetterPress Chocolate
Tranquilidad (Bolivia) 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar (current price)
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Tranquilidad 70% Dark Chocolate (Batch #0006) (bar) was from LetterPress Chocolate LLC (Los Angeles, CA).

The cacao beans used to make this chocolate were from northern Bolivia. "Designated Heirloom Cacao (HCP #2) by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund in 2014, Tranquilidad is an ancient and rare varietal known as Beniano."*

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (fleeting freshly baked bread and butter, sweet green botanicals (green jasmine tea, sweet grass/hay); and fruit (light apricot)). 

This bar broke with a snap, and had a buttery melt and mouthfeel.

Flavor notes included: much more subtle versions of the light green botanical and stone fruit notes  mentioned above and rich dark chocolate (with a faint latte note) with balanced fruit acidity and relatively low bitterness. The buttery texture also gave this chocolate a luxe dark chocolate buttercream frosting feel.

The fragrance at the beginning was lovely. Hats off to the maker for preserving these more delicate notes-- that contributed pleasing complexity to the richer, buttery, chocolate-y taste and finish. 

Unfortunately, this Tranquilidad, Bolivia 70% chocolate bar is currently showing as sold out on the site where I purchased this.

LetterPress tasting notes: "buttercream, espresso"

Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Unrefined Cane Sugar*, Cocoa Butter* (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that also processes nuts and dairy"

*LetterPress Chocolate sources fine cacao beans from several countries to make their bean-to-bar chocolate bars. Chocolate makers often work with or consult cacao experts in cacao growing countries--such as Volker Lehmann in Bolivia. The maker's description of this cacao field expert is below.

Lehmann, "originally from Germany, relocated to Bolivia in 2000 as a trained agriculturist. Throughout the Beni Department, Volker works with wild cacao in the area and personally oversees the fermentation process to ensure the highest possible quality. We became enamored by these beans several years ago and were able to secure a very limited amount of these special cacao beans..."

Original Beans - Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) - Oct. 27, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Original Beans
Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 198 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 (estimate) + shipping for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Original Beans Beni Wild 66%, Beni Amazon, Bolivia (bar) was made in Switzerland. (Original Beans is based in Amsterdam, NL.)

This chocolate had a wonderful and complex aroma. Notes included: cacao with floral (honey), faint molasses/brown sugar; very faint fleeting freshly baked breads (yeast bread and steamed Boston brown bread with cornmeal, molasses and raisins); fruit (dried peach); very faint, fleeting jungle (loam/peat); and other trace sweet green botanicals.

The texture was smooth, uniform and creamy. (It likely would have been even creamier; but I was enjoying this chocolate after the expiration date.)

Flavor notes for this 66% Bolivia bar included: vibrant and complex, naturally sweet flavors. Many of these flavors were similar to the complex and varied aroma notes above. Honeyed floral notes and peach (fruit) were joined by a lovely fleeting ripe, sweet blackberry flavor note. 

It's been a long time since chocolate made me feel so transported (to a rain forest where I could imagine scents, movements and sounds among the stillness). The "fleeting" notes I mentioned seemed almost alive. One appeared and disappeared up in a forest canopy; another shimmered briefly between some lush plants between trees. I could almost hear muted bird calls and the rustling of wildlife. 

This special chocolate was made from the "rarest of the rare" Beniano wild cacao beans from the Beni* Amazon area of Bolivia. It was low in bitterness and acidity, well balanced, and wonderfully blessed with natural wild cacao flavors.

Thank you to Original Beans for making this tasting experience possible.

Original Beans Tasting Notes: "Hints of floral honey, apricot and jasmine tea..."

Ingredients: Cacao mass*, raw cane sugar*, cacao butter*. Cacao solids: 66% minimum. (*Certified Organic)

Allergen-related information: (No allergens listed on label.) "Certified Organic, Vegan, Dark"

*The Beni River is a major tributary of the Amazon River that originates in the Bolivian Andes. It is home to ancient forests, rare species of cacao and other plants, and indigenous peoples.

Zotter - Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar) - Sept. 1, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Zotter
Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 175 calories (estimate) in 1 bar (of 2)
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information (San Francisco, CA)

Welcome to Day #10 of Bolivia and Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Labooko Bolivia 90% dark chocolate (bar) was made by Zotter in Riegersburg, Austria, using Nacional cacao (bean variety) from "Bolivian Cooperative El Ceibo." 

Zotter's Labooko line of bars is "pure chocolate," and includes single origin bars. (They also offer hand-scooped/carefully layered and filled bars with different flavor inclusions, and drinking chocolate.)

Today's ultra-dark 90% dark bar came with instructions. Do (as the small card insert instructs) savor this chocolate slowly. Tiptoe through this deep, dark forest of a bar at a pace where you can detect flavors that shift with each bite.

This package contained two gold-foil wrapped, ebony-colored bars that were just the right thickness for tasting. That is, they was relatively thin--making it easier to access and appreciate the complex and evolving flavors of the Bolivian cacao beans (from the El Ceibo Cooperative) used to make this bar.

The aroma was much subtler than I expected very faint dark chocolate, nut and forest notes. And the melt and texture were creamy, smooth (conching time was 22 hours**) with a flicker of very creamy nut butter-like consistency. So far, no scary beasts in the forest that would scare fainter hearts and palettes.

The flavors shifted over the course of eating this bar. Faint nut (pine nut) and faint dark fruit (prune, forest berry), balanced bitterness, then a bit earthy in one or two small bites. Also detected: fleeting fresh baked bread/sweet yeast/buckwheat pancake notes, nut butter, light woodsy notes. The finish was satisfying deep, dark chocolate notes.

This was a balanced, enjoyable "pure chocolate" experience, relatively low in acidity with balanced bitterness with only a light shake of sugar. (See tasting notes below for references to fine black licorice and black coffee. These also make sense to me. Whisps of the dark notes without the heartburn.)

Ingredients: Fair trade, organic cocoa mass and fair trade organic cane sugar

The maker's tasting notes read as follows: "Fragrance notes: sublte notes of wood and fruit (hints of grape); Taste notes: nuts, (caramelized wood, lots of cream, a hint of liquorice, mild touch of coffee, lingonberries, woody finish, mildly astringent with a little bit of fructose."

*Conching time (where cacao beans/nibs are ground into a paste) varies with the cacao variety/origin, the qualities of the cacao beans, flavor profile preferences and other considerations. Longer conche times (up to a few days) might allow for smoother, creamier texture and flavor, but some flavor elements might also be lost. That may be OK if one is trying to eliminate unruly or undesirable flavors; however, with fine cacao, you don't want to lose some of what makes the bean's origins truly unique and desirable.) The conche time selected with today's bar seems to have been quite successful.

Fruition Chocolate - Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar) - Aug. 31, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Fruition Chocolate
Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 320 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Wild Bolivia 74% Dark (bar), handmade by Fruition Chocolate (Shokan, NY), had a smooth, creamy melt and texture and offered a dreamy, uniform "Best of Bolivia" tasting experience, best savored slowly.

The bar had true chocolate, light fermented flavor with medium (sweet red fruit, rich red dried cherry and light tangerine) acidity. One bite did have a very faint, fleeting earth note. But, otherwise, the tasting experience was sophisticated, integrated and consistent...from aroma to finish. 

Normally I might prefer a more complex "flavor ride," but this Good Food Awards winner (2016) showed how impressive an excellent implementation can be. And all that with just two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar. Deceptively simple. Lovely and elegant.

I was so glad the maker went with a 74% cacao version of this Bolivian wild cacao bar (instead of the usual 70% cacao versions out there). I was wondering how a slightly darker version of this bright bar might taste; and it was great.

Chapon - Bolivie Tranquilidad 70% (small bar) - Aug. 30, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Chapon Chocolatier 
Bolivie Tranquilidad 70% (small bars)
Good ++
Weight: .352 oz. (10 g.) in 2 bars / 6.35 oz. (180 g.) in total assortment box
Calories: 55.4 calories in 2 small bars
Cost: $45.00 for 1 assortment box - 36 small bars 

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

Today's Bolivie (Bolivia) Tranquilidad 70% small bars were part of a single origin chocolate assortment box from Chapon Chocolatier (Chelles and Paris, France). These tiny individually-wrapped bars were attractively-packaged miniature works of art. (The Bolivia bars were adorned with a beautiful peacock.)

Cacao beans used to make this bar were from Hacienda Tranquilidad, in northern Bolivia, known for its historic and wild cacao.

This chocolate had a creamy smooth melt and a sweet, rich dark chocolate aroma and flavor with nutty and light fruit tart astringency and malt/cereal notes, and a very faint, very balanced earthiness. 

Ingredients: Pate de cacao (cocoa mass/liquor), cane sugar, cocoa butter.

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers - Sea Salt & Almond (Bolivia) bar - Aug. 29, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers
Sea Salt and Almond (Bolivia) bar

Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA 

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

Today's Sea Salt and Almond (Bolivia) bar was from Markham and Fitz Chocolate Makers (Bentonville, AK).

This chocolate had a pleasing rich, dark chocolate aroma with faint savory (nut and salt) notes. The texture was a blend of smooth, well-tempered dark chocolate and crunchy, toasted almond bits (on the back side of the bar).

The 60 percent chocolate, made with cacao from Alto Beni, Bolivia, had light fermented notes and faint fruit, accented with just the right amount of salt (flakes). I experienced a very fleeting hint of pleasant, licorice spice in the finish with the first bite of this bar, but it was absent in subsequent bites. 

Ingredients: Cacao, organic cane sugar, almonds, organic cocoa butter, salt flakes.

Arete Fine Chocolate - Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 28, 2020

Chocolate of the Day 

Arete Fine Chocolate
Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 173 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: Arete Fine Chocolate

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

Today's Bolivia Beniano 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was made by David Senk and Leslie Senk at Arete Fine Chocolate (formerly located in Milpitas, CA, and now in Spencer, TN). 

Beniano cacao (formerly also referred to as Amazonian Forastero) has been called the Nacional/national cacao of Bolivia, and is often associated with wild cacao with fine flavors. It is a bit more resistant (than delicate heritage varieties) to diseases like "Witches Broom" but still yields complex fine, nuanced flavors, making it desirable for small batch, artisan chocolate makers who can highlight and feature these qualities.

This chocolate had a delicious, well-balanced complexity with chocolate, spice, faint green (green tea, sweet young green peas/shoots, or steamed celery hearts with sweet greens), cereal/malt and dried sweet fruit (plum/prune) notes. All this from just two ingredients.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans (Bolivia Beniano), organic cane sugar.

Nuance Chocolate - Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 70% (bar) - Aug. 27, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Nuance Chocolate
Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 (harvest) 70% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Nuance Chocolate, online order 

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

Today's Single Origin Bolivia Alto Beni 2015 (harvest) 70% (bar) was from Nuance Chocolate (Fort Collins, CO).

Maker's notes read as follows: "A rare criollo/trinitario cacao from the Plurinational State of Bolivia. An extremely creamy mouthfeel, with a complex, but subtle profile. Initial savory layers quickly evolve into fruitier notes, before finishing with hints of dry oak."

My tasting notes: This bar had a bold, complex and shifting, aroma and flavor profile, including bitter and sweet, fermented fruit, cream, faint spice/molasses and fleeting loamy earth and mineral highlights. For those who enjoy an interesting flavor profile, you might appreciate this one.

Working for these Bolivia Alto Beni cacao beans may have required extra skill. Roasting profiles and conching times and overall balance would have been key, especially with this cacao, to maintain the complexity and balance. This was not a flat, dense dark Forastero (cacao variety) boldness where one roast profile might do, but rather a shifting blend of subtle Criollo and Trinitario, that yielded a wide flavor range. And the wider the range, the more interesting opportunities (and decisions) one may have as a chocolate maker. And the more exacting one must be when making the chocolate.

Too much roasting and/or conching and subtle fruit and cream (or any more delicate green or floral notes that would have been present) would be lost. Not enough and a loamy earth and/or latex/rubber note might not be brought into mellowed balance.

The texture and finish were smooth with a mild astringency.

Ingredients:  Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter. 

Solstice Chocolate - 70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar) - Aug. 26, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Solstice Chocolate
70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (estimate) for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 70% Palos Blancos Bolivia (bar) was from Solstice Chocolate (Salt Lake City, UT).

Today's bar had a soft, almost velvety melt and texture, in part due to added to just the right amount of cocoa butter--enough to create a great creamy, nutty texture, but not enough to dull bright, sweet red fruit (dried red cherries with sugar/honey) and true chocolate notes, with a hint of cream and very faint malt.

This is one of the best implementation of Bolivian cacao I've tried yet. The cacao beans used to make this bar were from Palos Blancos, a "wild harvest cacao from the damp, rainy Beniano region (of Bolivia). This climate results in a cacao bean that produces a deep, rich chocolate with subtle notes of nuts, honey and fresh cream."

Ingredients: Organic cacao bean, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter.  

Tabal Chocolate - Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar) - Aug. 25, 2020

Chocolate of the Day

Tabal Chocolate

Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar

Calories: 270 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Bolivia 70% Cacao Fairly Traded (bar) from Tabal Chocolate (Wauwatosa, WI) had a pleasing bold, smooth chocolatey flavor with sweet, fruit-like brightness, and faint, fleeting nutty flavor at the beginning.

I compared today's 70% cacao Bolivia bar with yesterday's 58% cacao Bolivia sibling, also from Tabal Chocolate. Yesterday, I wondered how much of the bright, fruity flavor from the 58% bar was due to the relatively high sugar content. But, after tasting today's darker version--that had had some of the same bright flavor--it was clear that brightness was from the cacao itself.

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla bean.