To'ak Chocolate - Kampot Pepper Aged 75% Nacional Ecuador (square) - June 27, 2024

Chocolate(s) of the Day

To'ak Chocolate
Kampot Pepper chocolate square
Good +++
Weight: .106 oz. (3 g.) for 1 square / 1.9 oz. (54 g.) in total bar/package of 18
Calories: 21 calories in 1 square
Cost: N/A - holiday gift from family
Purchased from: N/A - holiday gift from family (thank you Megan and Tony!)

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

Today's "Kampot Pepper" (2019 Harvest) Ecuadorian Dark Chocolate small square was part of a six-flavor, tasting square assortment--made from tree-to-bar in Ecuador by To'ak Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador). To'ak specializes in high-end, Ecuadorian cacao-based chocolates.

The makers use Ecuador's famed "Nacional" cacao variety, an historically prized cacao. (In the 1900s, disease diminished cacao harvests for decades. Happily, this rare variety still exists.*) And today's chocolate was blended with Kampot Pepper (a black peppercorn cultivar from Cambodia).

Aroma and flavor notes for today's 75% dark chocolate included: subtle dark chocolate; faint spice and aromatic black/green peppercorn; aromatic wood; clean mineral; and very faint nut; and faint, diffuse sweet citrus fruit (orange). The nuanced, aged pepper flavors were fantastic with this chocolate. There was no fiery heat, just lots of wonderful flavor.

The texture of this tasting square was well tempered, uniformly smooth, thick (in a cool room) and relatively creamy. 

Sugar was used judiciously; that is less sugar allowed these truly unique and wonderful aged pepper and cacao flavors to really shine. (Thank you!) 

Maker's tasting notes: "Black pepper, woody, citrus, brown fruits"

Ingredients: Organic Heirloom Cacao Beans, Organic Sugar

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of milk, soy or nuts."

*The disease in this case was Witches Broom, a plant gall disease (caused by fungus and other contributing causes) that disfigures plants. It also significantly affected cacao harvests in Brazil in the 1980s. 

In the maker's words: "As of 2009, pure Nacional cacao was believed to be extinct. Our journey led us to the secluded valley of Piedra de Plata, where we found some of the last surviving trees..."

 

Fjak - Hacienda Limon, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - June 24, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Fjak Chocolate  
Hacienda Limon, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.055 oz. (30 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 167.7 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Limited Edition Hacienda Limon, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) from Fjak Chocolate AS (Eidfjord (Hardangerfjord), Norway).

This bar was part of Fjak's Limited Edition "Cocoa Explorers'" series--that are made using high-quality, unique and often award-winning single origin/region cacaos. The cacao used to make this bar came from 12 Tree, Hacienda Limon, Quevado Cotopaxi, Ecuador.*

The intriguingly complex aroma notes included: dark chocolate, botanical spice (green pepper); complex and rich floral/honey; aromatic wood; and faint nut, mineral water and molasses.

Texture: smooth dark chocolate with a very faint astringency ("dryness") toward the finish.

Flavor notes included: rich dark chocolate with complex green botanicals (including freshly cut greens) and spices (including green bell pepper, green peppercorn); molasses, honey and panela; and very faint aromatic wood, earth and nut (green walnuts in sweet syrup, sweet green hazelnut, pine nuts).

I loved the maker's choice of cacao and their skilled and thoughtful execution that led to this aromatic and flavorful chocolate bar. So much delicious and complex flavor, coaxed from just three ingredients.

Maker's tasting notes: Floral Honey, Hazelnut.

*Fjak's description: "...Using the excellent "Heirloom Cacao Preservation' accredited cocoa beans from Samuel von Rutte's Hacienda Limon farm, we have created a classic 70% dark bar..."  

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

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility that handles nuts, dairy and gluten."

Puchero - 55% Ecuador Finca Garyth (bar) - June 30, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Puchero 
55% Ecuador Finca Garyth (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order 

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

Today's Puchero* 55% Ecuador Finca Garyth (bar) was made from bean-to-bar in Valladolid, Spain. 

This relatively sweet (55%), dark chocolate had a subtle, yet complex, shifting aroma notes that included: balanced faint, fleeting green (ranging from sour grass/oxalis/sorrel to a very brief green latex), dark chocolate (light fudge brownie, cake), faint fleeting light leather and licorice, and caramel cashew cookie notes.

The bar had a smooth melt and texture with a very faint green fruit stringency toward the end.

The chocolate had a relatively mild taste, but with a fair amount of enjoyable complexity. Flavor notes included: chocolate (cake, fudge brownie), sweet, slightly tart fruit (golden raisin, green plum, light kumquat), very faint spice (licorice), chocolate malt, and nut (cashew, jaguar cacao seed) and faint green (sour grass/oxalis/sorrel).

The maker's tasting notes read: "This mild chocolate with nutty notes is made with (100% Arriba Nacional) cacao grown by the Cedeno Aguilar family in northwest Ecuador."

Ingredients: "Cacao (55% minimum), sugar, cocoa butter."

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

*Puchero focuses on roasting and making high-quality, specialty coffees and chocolates from select origins, in Valladolid, a city in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, in northwest Spain. (The Puchero brand is part of/produced by Tostarix, S.L.)

Askinosie Chocolate - Dark Chocolate + Red Raspberry (American Spoon) - June 28, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
Dark Chocolate + Red Raspberry (American Spoon)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

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

Today's Dark Chocolate + Red Raspberry CollaBARation bar from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO). It was a collaboration between Askinosie Chocolate and award-winning fruit preserve and condiment maker, American Spoon Foods (Petoskey, MI). 

Aroma notes in this chocolate included: authentic, ripe, sweet-tart red raspberries, chocolate/cocoa, and nutty (peanut butter) notes.

The melt and texture were smooth and uniform (with no raspberry seeds/seedy grit).

This well-executed bar was a successful fusion of 54% cacao dark chocolate (with balanced, faint earth flavor) and fresh-tasting, sweet red raspberry jam. 

This authentic-tasting confection was a bit sweet for me. However, it would be lovely as a dessert plate or ganache ingredient; and it will please those with a sweet tooth who love high-end, bright and flavorful chocolates.

The cacao used to make this dark bar was from the Del Tambo area in the central highlands of Ecuador.

Maker's tasting notes included the following: "...delicately sweet and fruity--like biting into a juicy chocolate-covered raspberry."

Ingredients: Del Tambo, Ecuador cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter ("made in our own facility with Del Tambo beans"), Organic Turbinado sugar, organic raspberries. 

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

 

Askinosie Chocolate - San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs (bar) - June 27, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs (bar)
Good +++
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 240 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

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

Today's San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador 70% Dark Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs (bar) was from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO).

Askinosie founder and CEO, Shawn Askinosie, continues to make great chocolate. Faces of cacao farmers are displayed on the company's brown paper outer wrappers. A simple, effective way to show understanding and respect for cacao origins.

I've never had an Askinosie bar I didn't like; and I've been featuring their chocolates since 2007 here on Chocolate Banquet.

Fortunately for us, after spending 20 years as a criminal defense attorney, Mr. Askinosie turned to chocolate making. 

The aroma of today's bar evoked: concentrated, sweet fermented, dried fruit (fig, date), light spice, sweet green shading into rich dark chocolate (fudge brownie, drinking chocolate/hot chocolate) notes.

The flavor notes included a sweet cola nut/drink, faint brown sugar, rich, concentrated dark chocolate (brownie, roasted cacao nibs), light woody nut (hazelnut, pecan), and a beautiful, fleeting floral note from this cacao/nibs.

Speaking of nibs...The back of this bar was jam-packed with high-quality, crunchy cacao nibs. Only a few precious crunchy cacao seed (bean) pieces rattled onto the dinner plate I'd put underneath to catch any strays. Most of the nibs were well anchored. 

The complex cacao flavors these nibs contributed was wonderful; there were no off flavors or funky bits.* And, best of all, they added extra cacao flavor depth without any sugar, giving the chocolate a "darker" flavor/feel than most 70% cacao chocolate bars. 

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in the San Jose Del Tambo region, in Bolivar province in the highlands of central Ecuador. (Ecuador is divided into 24 provinces.)

Ingredients: "Del Tambo Ecuador cocoa beans (Arriba Nacional), Organic cane sugar, roasted cocoa nibs, cocoa butter (made in our factory with Del Tambo beans)."

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

*The overall quality of cacao nibs has improved over the last few decades. A decade ago, it was not unusual to find a few nibs that were either rock hard, stale, over- or under-roasted, or a bit funky or moldy in some craft chocolate offerings. Better bean/nib sorting and quality control, higher expectations, greater experience, and availability of good bean sources seem to have solved most of these issues.

Askinosie Chocolate - The Zeke Bar - 76% Chinchipe Ecuador (bar) - June 26, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
The Zeke Bar - 76% Chinchipe, Ecuador Dark Chocolate (bar) 
Good ++ 
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 340 calories in 2/3 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

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

Today's "The Zeke Bar" 76% Chinchipe, Ecuador dark chocolate (bar) was from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO).

Aroma: dark chocolate (fudge brownie), roasted coffee and faint green (orchid) notes.

The melt and texture were thick and smooth.

The flavor notes were very similar to the aroma and included dark chocolate (fudge brownie), and light roasted coffee and green notes. Well-executed, hearty, satisfying dark chocolate flavor. 

The smooth boldness was almost surprising for the cocoa variety listed (Criollo)--that is often thought to be limited to shy and delicate flavors.

"The Zeke Bar" origins

Askinosie founder and CEO, Shawn Askinosie, explained the bar's origin this way: "We partnered with Zeke Emanuel, chocolate aficionado and healthcare policy expert (and guest chocolate maker), to create this dynamic limited edition criollo chocolate bar." (The cocoa farmer was a 70-year old woman named Leonor.)

Askinosie founder and CEO, Shawn Askinosie, has been doing business with farmers in countries of origin (including Ecuador) for many years. Images of these cacao farmers on packaging and mentions of farmer(s) by name have been the rule, not the exception.

The cacao used to make this bar was grown in southeastern Ecuador.

Ingredients: Chinchipe (Ecuador) cocoa beans (Criollo), cocoa butter (made in our factory with single origin cocoa beans), Organic cane sugar, Organic Sucanat cane sugar.

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

 

Askinosie Chocolate - Super Dark Blend Tanzania + Ecuador 88% (bar) - June 24, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Askinosie Chocolate
Super Dark Blend - Tanzania + Ecuador 88% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 333 calories in 2/3 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Askinosie.com, online order

Bienvenidos (welcome) to the first day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Super Dark Blend Tanzania + Ecuador 88% dark chocolate (bar) was made by Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO).

The aroma of this 88% marriage of two bold cacaos had true chocolate (faintly savory, fudge brownie), light spice (molasses, star anise, cinnamon), light, fleeting well-balanced green, and faint leather and vanilla-tobacco notes--flavors that were all present throughout the tasting experience as well, along with deep, fudge-y, satisfying dark chocolate flavor.

This flavorful ultra-dark bar might make a good pairing with a whiskey, or the basis for brassy brownies with cocoa nibs. 

Askinosie founder and CEO, Shawn Askinosie, featured the farmers in Tanzania and Ecuador (on the bar's packaging) and expressed gratitude to them for making this blend possible.

Ingredients: Mababu, Tanzania cocoa beans (Trinitario); Del Tambo, Ecuador cocoa beans (Arriba Nacional); Organic Sucanat cane sugar; cocoa butter (made in the Askinosie factory with Mababu beans); Organic vanilla bean.

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

Libeert Belgian Chocolate Creators - Ecuador 71% Dark Origin Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 30, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Libeert s.a. - Belgian Chocolate Creators
Ecuador 71% Dark Origin Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.35 oz. (40 g.) / 2.7 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 255 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Ecuador 71% Dark Origin Chocolate (bar) was from Libeert s.a. - Belgian Chocolate Creators (Comines, Belgium).

Belgian chocolates have been made from cacao blends (no origin listed), and/or been made with West African cacao (where most of the world's supply is currently grown).

However, a larger number of Belgian chocolate bars are now available made with cacao from other/single origins, including Central and South America.

This thin bar had a slightly buttery melt, and cocoa/true chocolate, light floral, fruit, earth and nut notes. A balanced, subtle bouquet of flavors.

The maker's description read: "Roasted cocoa with...hints of humus and flowers." 

Pump Street Chocolate - 100% Hacienda Limon Ecuador bar - Aug. 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pump Street Chocolate
100% Hacienda Limon, Los Rios Province, Ecuador bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 174.3 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Strawberry Village, Mill Valley, CA

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

Today's 100% Hacienda Limon, Los Rios Province, Ecuador bar (Batch #9404) was made by Pump Street Chocolate, a company known for its baked goods* as well as its bean-to-bar chocolate. The company is located in the village of Orford in Suffolk, England.

When biting into a 100% cacao bar, one's brain is expecting chocolate with some sugar, and is sometimes ill-prepared for a chocolate wholly without sugar unless it's made the new association with fine, un-sweetened chocolate.

After tasting many 100% bars, my brain no longer suffers from this fleeting disconnect about sugar vs. no sugar. But when trying a new 100%er, I still find myself bracing for some strong, overpowering flavors.

I needn't have been concerned about today's bar. It was quite smooth and delicious. The chocolate had a slightly green, aroma and flavor (characteristic of many Ecuador bars).** It had bold, balanced and smooth, deep chocolate flavor with a faint, uniform earthy undertone.

*Pump Street chocolate bar flavors include sourdough and sea salt, rye crumb, hot cross bun(s). Unfortunately, we're unable to try these bars due to gluten restrictions; but they sound delicious.

**Green and floral notes are characteristic of many Ecuador bars. This particular bar was made using a long conche time for the cacao, giving it a "subtle earthiness and a low acidity." 

When cacao is conched for a longer time, the particle size grows smaller, cocoa butter and solids are more thoroughly incorporated, and particles are "polished," giving a bar a smoother, creamier mouthfeel. The longer conche time can also result in the loss of volatile or stronger flavor elements. The flavor is smoother. There may be fewer objectionable flavor spikes. However, any floral or more fragile flavors may also be lost, so there are some trade-offs to be made.

Goodnow Farms Chocolate - Esmeraldas Ecuador 70% Cacao Premium Dark bar - Aug. 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Esmeraldas Ecuador 70% Cacao Premium Dark Chocolate bar
Good +++
Weight: .97 oz. (27.5 g.) / 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 135 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Esmeraldas Ecuador 70% Cacao Premium Dark Chocolate bar was made by Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA).

The company specializes in high-quality, small batch, single origin bars (some with flavor inclusions). They make their own chocolate (and press their own single origin cocoa butter) at their farm in New England.

This bar was flavorful and very well balanced. It had bright berry fruit and true chocolate flavor with nicely balanced acidity, and a very faint, pleasant, roasted sourdough note. A very light, astringency/acidity tickled the back of the throat in a lingering, late finish.

The maker's notes read as follows:

"The cacao for this bar comes from the Salazar family farm in Ecuador's Esmeraldas region. The family controls the entire post-harvest process resulting in an exceptionally flavorful bean. This bar has intense flavors of berry jam and classic cocoa, with a long, pleasantly tannic finish."

Goodnow Farms - 77% Dark Lawley's Rum bar - Aug. 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Special Reserve - Single Origin bar
77% Cacao (Ecuador) Dark Chocolate with Lawley's Rum bar
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 290 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $18.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Spirits Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Special Reserve 77% Dark Chocolate with Lawley's Rum bar from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA) was a collaboration with Boston Harbor Distillery.

The result was a very fine, award-winning dark chocolate bar with a buttery mouth feel and creamy melt. The chocolate was infused with a whisper of warm, high-end, rich rum flavor.

Chocolita - Dark and Sweet 80% bar - Nov. 6, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolita
Dark and Sweet 80% bar
Good
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 80 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenidos a (welcome to) Day #1 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Dark and Sweet 80% raw dark chocolate bar was handcrafted by Sarah Ann Lesslie and the team at Chocolita (Sedona, AZ).

The maker indicates that the stoneground cacao used to make this bar (Arriba Nacional Ecuadorian Fina de Aroma Cacao) is associated with floral and fruity flavor notes, with hints of nutty and malty flavor. The high percentage of cacao (80%) used in this bar allowed some of the above flavors to come through; however, the overall flavor was fairly mild (as is often the case with unroasted/raw cacao).

This Organic, paleo, gluten free and vegan bar was made with fair trade ingredients. The bar was sweetened with coconut sugar and seasoned with a touch of vanilla and sea salt.

And now a second Chocolita bar; however, this one is an alternative take on white chocolate.


Chocolita
Pine Pollen and Lemon (raw white chocolate) bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 70 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

This lemon infused "white chocolate" bar was also from Chocolita (Sedona, AZ). This brown sugar-colored bar had a very subtle and harmonious pine accent—and the flavor combination was a refreshing change of pace.

The bar had a slow, relatively smooth melt and, unlike most white chocolate sold, it did not immediately result in a sugar buzz (thank you). It was sweetened with coconut sugar; and it was (and felt) lower on the glycemic index than conventional white chocolate bars made with refined white sugar.

Ingredients: cacao butter, coconut sugar, lucuma, vanilla, lemon essential oil, sea salt, pine pollen

Stone Grindz Chocolate - Ecuador 70% Cacao bar - Nov. 1, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Stone Grindz Small Batch Chocolate
Ecuador 70% Cacao bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Stone Grindz, Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #11 of South American Chocolate Weeks.

Today's Ecuador 70% Cacao bar from Stone Grindz Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ) had smooth, true dark chocolate flavor with balanced fruit.

Other aroma and flavor micro-notes were very faint and fleeting and not unpleasant, bitter or sharp: slight green, floral, marshmallow, roasted coffee, jungle.

Venchi - Organic Dark Chocolate 70% bar - Sept. 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Venchi S.p.A.
Biologico 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 400 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.08 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere (online order)

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Italy Theme Week.

I would be remiss if I didn't include at least one Venchi chocolate this week. This company had its start in the 1800s, in the Piedmont region of Italy.

Today's Venchi organic, extra dark chocolate 70% bar was made with Criollo Blanco and nacional Amendolado cacao beans from Ecuador. These beans are valued for their fine flavor and aroma, and the blend used in this 3-ingredient chocolate ("organic Ecuador cocoa mass, organic sugar cane, organic cocoa butter") yielded a wide spectrum of pleasing flavors.

The gluten free Venchi 70% bar was thick, sweet, and very creamy, and full of very subtle flavor: floral fruit, nutty, very light smoke, light earth, green olive/wood. I had to really focus to detect this incredible range of flavor notes; but other than that "effort," it was a very easy bar to eat. No real bitterness* (just a very, very balanced subtle hint in the finish); no astringency off-notes, or funky earthy molds.

Very nice and smooth, yet surprisingly complex if you pay attention.

*Polyphenols and Criollo

Plants containing certain bitter compounds and alkaloids are better able to deter insects and other would-be pests that would eat or damage plants. Interestingly, some of us omnivores (monkeys, squirrels, humans) co-evolved to tolerate, and actually benefit from, small amounts of these compounds, such as polyphenols (plant-based molecules that contain anti-oxidants). And, conveniently, monkeys, squirrels and humans helped scatter seeds to other parts of forests, benefiting plants.

Bitter and astringent flavors are present in plant-based foods and beverages such as cacao, tea, wine, berries, nuts, etc. Polyphenols, flavanol polymers, and/or tannins taste bitter or cause a sense of puckery dryness in one's mouth.

Criollo cacao beans are generally lower in polyphenols than, say, Trinitario cacao beans. As a result, chocolate made from Criollo beans tends to be less bitter and/or astringent. And, with less bitterness, subtler floral and fruit flavors can be easier to detect as well.

Twenty-Four Blackbirds - 75% Cedeno bar - Aug. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Twenty-Four Blackbirds
75% Cedeno (small bar)
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) in one small bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Plum Goods, Santa Barbara, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

I couldn't leave Santa Barbara without featuring bean-to-bar chocolate from Twenty-Four Blackbirds (Santa Barbara, CA).

The company's single origin chocolates were swathed in brown paper wrappers with black type and graphics; and the overall aesthetic provided a good example of effective design. Great design is simple, clear and not overly complicated. (The bar's long thin, rectangular shape was imprinted with a single feather pattern -- that tied back to the blackbird name/theme.) Unfortunately, my photos don't do justice to the packaging.

Today's 75% Cedeno bar was small in size -- only .5 oz. (14 grams), but big on flavor. This hand-made artisan dark chocolate bar was made with two ingredients: cacao beans from Ecuador and organic sugar. And, it was bold, flavorful, fruity, and well balanced chocolate.

I don't know if these were Trinitario beans or CCN-51* beans. CCN-51 cacao trees were first bred in Ecuador to create, shorter, more resilient trees and cacao pods (that contain seeds to make chocolate, also known as beans). CCN-51 beans now make up a substantial portion of the cacao that is exported from Ecuador to chocolate makers in other countries, but there have been concerns, at least initially, about flavor. (Breeding for resilience can sometimes result in the loss of more delicate flavors or aromas in plants and flowers.)

If this bar was made with CCN-51 cacao beans, bars like this might help alleviate concerns.

Regardless, great chocolate requires good beans to start with and skillful care in every step of the chocolate-making process to end up with great tasting chocolate. And both requirements seemed to have been met here.

Bonnat - Los Colorados Equateur 75% bar - July 14, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Chocolat Bonnat / Bonnat Chocolatier
Los Colorados Equateur (Ecuador) 75% de cacao (bar)
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $16.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #10, the last day of an extended Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

Today's Los Colorados Equateur (Ecuador) tablette (bar) was made by Chocolate Bonnat (Voiron, Isere, France).

Bonnat is a business with a strong family history in chocolate. Felix Bonnat established a chocolate shop back in the1880s in the French town of Voiron. And the family tradition continues today. The current Maitre Chocolatier (head chocolatier) is Stephane Bonnat.

The company has produced at least 10 single origin chocolates, including today's Ecuador bar.*

This 75% cacao bar was made in France, with unroasted cacao beans shipped in from Ecuador -- from the Santa Domingo de Los Colorados region, so named because of the local colors there associated with the Tsachilas people, who dye their hair (and clothes) with plant materials (achiote and other natural colors).

SOMAChocolate.com

The bar's aroma was subtle and pleasing. One of the Bonnat hallmarks was apparent with the first bite of this bar -- a buttery, creamy texture and melt combined with good flavor (flavorful and balanced dried fruit, floral notes and cream). I also get a tiny whiff of floral-banana-marshmallow with many Ecuador bars, including this one. The overall flavor was quite good and without strong bitterness.

I enjoyed a similar 75% dark Ecuador from Bonnat last year, but the packaging was a different color, the bar title was different; and it's likely the harvest year was slightly earlier. So I don't think this was a repeat.

Just in case, I had a second single origin chocolate today, albeit not from Ecuador. (They were single origin truffles from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, Canada).) It was fruity and sweet and creamy and quite good. (The tasting notes mentioned wild raspberries and wildflower honey.)

*I was first introduced to Bonnat chocolate bars by Sunita de Tourreil, owner and chocolate curator extraordinaire at The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA). The creamy, buttery texture and smoother taste of these bars was a nice complement to some of the strong, bold flavors of craft bars emerging from the wave of new American makers several years ago. Thank you Sunita.

Pump Street Bakery - 100% Ecuador bar - July 13, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pump Street Bakery
Ecuador 100% - Guantupi 2013 Havest (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $13.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

One of the best ways to learn about chocolate is to sample a few 100% cacao dark chocolate bars. Experience chocolate without the sugar; this is cacao in its pure, dark state.

Today's Ecuador 100% - Guantupi 2013 Harvest (bar) (Batch #4712) was made from scratch by The Pump Street Bakery, a small family owned bakery and cafe in the U.K. They buy beans from the farmer, and after cleaning the beans, roast them in their bread oven(s), then grind beans and conch chocolate at their bakery location.

Yesterday, I tried Pump Street Bakery's Ecuador 75% - Guantupi 2014 Harvest (bar). The beans in today's 100% Guantupi 2013 bar came from the same plantation/farm in Ecuador as the beans used to make the 75% bar, but the harvests were one year apart. There are many potential variations between craft batches (e.g. roasting and conching times might have been slightly different), making this both vexing and delightful to consumers and makers alike. So even if the same beans were used, there may be variations possible between single region bars.*

The 100% bar had a faint aroma, and very uniformly dark bitter coffee flavor, whereas the 75% bar seemed to have more complex smell (slight fruit, even a tiny bit of spice?) and flavor. Could that really be just because of the sugar? It's hard to tell without a direct, side-by-side comparison (same batch -- one with sugar, and one without).

Both bars broke with a nice clean, hard snap (a sign of a good temper), and were quite smooth in texture. Both had uniform dark flavor -- with a somewhat bitter, dark roasted coffee flavor in both. Both had good, almost creamy (but not overly so) balanced texture.

Today's 100% bar was very well executed (no small feat) and interesting to taste, but was a bit too bitter for me.

*Additional Notes:

This would be a great 100% bar to add to a plate of other 100% bars for comparison taste testing. Also interesting, if possible, would be a side-by-side tasting with a bar made with cocoa beans from the same harvest (year, farm and batch #) and roasting and conch times, but with some added sugar, i.e. not 100% but same origin conditions.

Pump Street Bakery - Ecuador 75% bar - July 12, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pump Street Bakery
Ecuador 75% - Guantupi 2014 Harvest (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $13.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

The Pump Street Bakery (Orford, Suffolk, UK) is a blend of bakery and cafe, located in the village of Orford on Suffolk's Heritage coast; and creative things are happening at this family owned business.

It sounds like a great place to linger over coffee and cake, perhaps before taking a class or workshop to learn more about great food. And last, but not least, single origin, bean-to-bar chocolate is made in their bakery.

Today's Ecuador 75% bar had a pleasant, complex bittersweet cocoa aroma, and broke with a clean hard snap.

Both taste and texture were smooth and balanced in this three ingredient bar (cocoa beans, cane sugar and cocoa butter). Hints of dried fruit, marshmallow and slight floral flavor mingled with bittersweet vanilla tea or coffee notes. (There was no vanilla in this bar.)

This dark bar was crafted from Heirloom Cacao Preservation accredited cocoa beans (Guantupi 2014 Harvest) from Samuel von Rutte's Hacienda Limon farm on the Guantupi River (Guayas basin) in the Los Rios province of Ecuador. Pump Street imports their beans directly from Samuel "and carefully processes his great beans to produce a 75% smooth dark chocolate with notes of caramel and cream, finishing with roasted coffee and honey."

Trader Joe's - Ecuador bar - July 11, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
66% Cacao Dark Chocolate Ecuador bar
Good++
Weight: .795 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of 8-bar package, cost previously recorded
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

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

This 66% cacao Ecuador bar from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) was part of an 8-bar tasting pack, or "Chocolate Passport" -- with 8 different single origin bars.

This complex little bar had a sweet almost spicy chocolate aroma, and a flavor arc that included caramel, fruit, hazelnut, and ended with very slightly bitter earth. The texture was pleasantly creamy, in terms of mouthfeel and melt.

There wasn't a lot of information as to where the cacao beans came from within Ecuador, i.e. which plantation/farm or province. But if I had to guess I'd say it contained at least some Arriba Nacional fine flavored cacao.

The concept of a Chocolate Passport was great. I love to travel, but I may not be able to get to every chocolate producing country in the world. Eating single origin chocolate bars gives us a way to travel "virtually" to each of the major cacao producing regions and learn about geographic differences in beans, and in some cases the difference in soil and local conditions as well as processing.

Duffy's - Corazon Del Ecuador bar - July 10, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Red Star Chocolate Ltd
Duffy's Fine Dark Chocolate
Corazon Del Ecuador - Camino Verde 72% bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) piece of bar
Cost: $N/A - part of a larger subscription box
Purchased from: Cocoa Runners, U.K.

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

Duffy's Corazon Del Ecuador - Camino Verde bar from the U.K. was made from Nacional cacao beans from the Guayas province of Ecuador.

Why is the bean type so important you might be asking? This tasting note printed on the packaging (pasted below) helps explain the sweeter, lighter, floral and fruit flavors that can accompany these fine flavored Nacional beans:

"A floral chocolate with hints of hazelnuts, orange blossom and allspice ..."

Today's 72% dark bar smelled sweet with a light caramel note, and very subtle, uplifting floral scent. The subtle "fruit" (think light, bright citrus + mild strawberry) was detectable as well. It faded to a light chocolate brownie finish.

This chocolate was nothing like the dense, dark earthy bars of the past few days; but then again, I'd been tasting 85% and 100% bars, which don't benefit from the slight sugar sparkle effect that 70% bars do.

Why re-tasting matters...

My only quibble was with the texture of this otherwise smooth bar -- there was a very slight graininess (as you might taste in a marshmallow) as the bar was melting in my mouth. However, when I re-tasted the bar a few hours later, none of this "graininess" was present -- only smooth chocolate. This is why it's important to re-taste during the course of a day. While some of these apparent changes in flavor and texture can occasionally be attributed to an inconsistency within a bar, it's more likely due to shifts in the taster's palette (what they've been eating or drinking in the last few hours before eating the chocolate).

And the temperature of the chocolate can make a difference too. For example, a bar that's too cold may literally have a stiffness to it that makes accessing certain flavors more difficult.