Vixen Chocolate - The Heart Flight (3 dark chocolate hearts: Desert (Peru), Forest (Uganda), and Island (Vanuatu)) - July 28, 2026

Chocolate of The Day

Vixen Chocolate
The Heart Flight
Desert - Sechura Desert Peru - 73% Dark - Good ++
Forest - Semuliki Forest Uganda - 73% Dark - Good ++
Island - Malekula Island Vanuatu 72% Dark - Good ++ 
Weight: .0.77 oz. (22 g.) in total tin of 3 hearts 
Calories: 119 calories (estimate) for 3 hearts
Cost: $22.00 for 1 tin of 3 hearts
Purchased from: The Chocolate Dispensary, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Fire & Passion Theme Week, part of a month long series of chocolates with tie-ins to the elements: earth, water and fire.

Today's The Heart Flight was created by Vixen Chocolate (Portland, OR). Vixen infuses the message of boldness and passion into their chocolates.* Their packaging is artful and memorable. (Today's black and magenta metal tin could be re-purposed to hold jewelry or other keepsakes.)

This 3-piece flight included three, faceted (gem-cut) chocolate hearts, wrapped in different colored foils (pink, green and blue, respectively) and made using cacao from three different countries: Peru, Uganda and Vanuatu. Each represented a different elemental landscape: desert, forest & island: "3 hearts + 3 origins + ONE bold tasting of place."

Desert Heart - Sechura Desert, Peru 73%

This chocolate was both balanced and bold with nuanced flavors. Chocolate-y with diffuse fruits (dried fruits, citrus). The texture: smooth, relatively creamy, satisfying dark chocolate.

Forest Heart - Semuliki Forest, Uganda 73%

Chocolate-y, relatively sweet/bright, with very faint, well-managed earth notes. The texture: smooth, relatively creamy, satisfying chocolate.

Island - Vanuatu Malekula 72%

Also, chocolate-y with a subtle lushness (sweet green; hidden fruit)--an experience I associate with a single origin/terroir chocolates. Texture: smooth, creamy. (Origin notes: "Grown on the remote island of Malekula, where volcanic soil meets ocean breeze...")

All three were well-managed and executed, and were smooth and sweet, but some individual origin notes were allowed to peek through (thank you).

Ingredients: cacao, cane sugar*, cacao butter* 417 Hz, 528 Hz, 852 Hz, LOVE. (*Organic)

Allergen-related information: (None found on small, 3-piece tin)

*And Vixen also infuses their chocolates with different sound frequencies.

U. Chocolate Corp. - "Wild Experience" 85% Organic Tree-to-Bar Dark (bar) - Feb. 9, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

U. Chocolate Corp.
"Wild Experience" 85% Organic Tree-to-Bar Dark (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 15.8 oz. (450 g.) total variety pack of 5 flavors (10 bars)
Calories: 165 calories in 2/3 bar

Cost: $29.99 for 1 variety pack of 10 bars (2 each of 5 flavors)
Purchased from: U Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

Today's "Wild Experience" 85% Organic, Premium Tree-to-Bar, Dark Chocolate (bar) from U. Chocolate Corp. (Orlando, FL) was made in Peru. It was one of five different bars (all featured this week) in a larger chocolate variety pack.

The company crafted these attractively packaged bars at their "...organic farm in the Amazonia with a selection of our fine aroma cocoa varieties..." The chocolate was "Grown, Harvested and Crafted with 100% plant-based ingredients by El Mejor Cacao del Mundo S.A.C. in our all-in-one facilities at Hacienda Umbelina, in the Peruvian Amazonia.")

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate (bold, bittersweet ultra-dark chocolate torte topped with a wafer cookie) with very faint green botanical (almost green fig or green banana, but not quite); and well-managed, very diffuse fruit (red berry, nectarine). 

Texture: well-tempered (broke with a snap) with a thick, creamy smooth texture.

Flavor notes included: well-managed ultra-dark chocolate with very faint botanical, faint diffuse fruit (nectarine, cacao fruit pulp), faint ultra-dark cookie; almost undetectable spice (ginger); faint, fleeting earth (loam) and yogurt. And, at the very end of the finish there was a tiny blip of muted fruit (strawberry-mango). 

This was an enjoyable and thoughtfully managed ride. For some, any 85% dark craft chocolate may be wildly adventurous. For dark chocolate lovers, I found this well-managed Peruvian cacao bar more complex and interesting than many 85% dark bars.

What I liked about this "Wild Experience" dark chocolate: 1.) well-balanced, ultra-dark (85%) cacao complexity, from start to finish; 2.) part of a variety pack with unique (and rare) Peruvian single region cacao flavors--five bars, that could be tasted and compared side by side); and 3.) organic, gluten-free, single origin chocolate made with just two, high-quality ingredients.

Ingredients: "Cacao and coconut blossom sugar."

Allergen-related information: "Made Without Major Food Allergen Ingredients" 

    

One One Cacao - St. Thomas 71% dark chocolate (bar) - June 23, 2022

Chocolate of the Day

One One Cacao 
St. Thomas 71% dark chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .35 oz. (10 g.) (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Calories: 54 calories (estimate) in 1 sample bar
Cost: N/A - Part of a six-bar tasting kit (A full-size bar was $11.00.)
Purchased from: Happy Chocolate Experiences, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's sample Clarendon 71% bar from One One Cacao* (Kingston Parish, Jamaica) was one of six sample bars in a tasting (kit) sent to participants in advance before an online discussion/interview and tasting experience.

Tasting these Jamaican chocolates was made possible by Sunita de Tourreil** at Happy Chocolate Experiences. Sunita interviewed founder and chocolate maker Nick Davis and Marta from One One Cacao, which provided some great context for the diversity of flavors found in one island nation.

Aroma notes for today's 71% dark tasting square included fresh, slightly sweet coffee ice cream or custard, very faint fruit (black sapote?), barely there fragrant black tea, and almost invisible warm spice and vegetable notes.

The flavor was full of subtle complex flavors including true chocolate (light brownie batter), dried stone fruits (faint plum/prune), warm plum spice cake pieces in custard topped with a drizzle of caramel and pecan pieces, and complex tea latte with brown sugar notes.

This was a high-end dessert buffet in one small bar. Do savor slowly to pick up all the sweet aroma and flavor nuances.

Maker's description: "This is an Award Winner picking up an Academy of Chocolate Award in 2020. Nutty with complex notes of biscuit and toffee, like a Graham Cracker combined with a Custard Creme. International award winning cacao from Johnson's Mountain, St. Thomas. The cacao in this bar is award winning...I'm not saying it for jokes, it's literally some of the best and most expensive and rare cacao on earth."

Ingredients: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

Allergen-related information: (Not listed on small sample bar packet)

* The company name was inspired by an old Jamaican proverb: "One one cocoa, full basket" that conveys the notion that little by little, cocoa pods and beans fill baskets, baskets are filled, and goals can be met.

**Sunita previously founded Chocolate Dividends, and was proprietor of (and a wonderful chocolate concierge at) The Chocolate Garage in Palo Alto, CA. Happy Chocolate Experiences provides windows into happy cacao--places, makers and destinations--and of course wonderful chocolate.

  

Raaka - Maple Dark Unroasted Dark Chocolate (75% Cacao Baking Chocolate) - Oct. 21, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka Chocolate

Maple Dark Unroasted Dark Chocolate 75% Cacao Baking Chocolate (pieces)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: 1/8 cup (15 g.) / 8 oz. (226.4 g.) in total package

Calories: 71 calories in 1/8 cup serving

Cost: $15.00 for 1 package 

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's Maple Dark, Unroasted Dark Chocolate, 75% Cacao Baking Chocolate (pieces) were made by Raaka Chocolate in Brooklyn, New York.

These dark chocolate baking pieces were made with cacao sourced from Uganda (Semuliki Forest). Raaka practices "transparent trade," and pays farmers (farmer-owned co-ops and grower-centered organizations in cacao growing countries) "transparent, stable premiums above Fair Trade prices."

The rich dark chocolate aroma and flavor were similar and included: dark, almost tart/tangy sweet molasses/brown or maple sugar; dried fruits (prunes and a few dark, dried cherries with a tiny splash of apple brandy and light cider vinegar with warm spice); clean and clear green, and balanced, diffuse forest/earth notes.

There was a very slight astringency in the taste (a slight throat tickle), but overall the melt and mouthfeel were smooth and even. 

The relatively thin (wafer thickness) of these ebony-colored, flat, heptagonal (seven-sided) polygons yielded quick access to rich dark chocolate flavors, and made these pieces well-suited (easy to melt and stir evenly) for baking, cooking or fondue-ing. 

These balanced, bold and bittersweet pieces will add extra depth to tortes, brownies, couverture, homemade snack mix, or any other item you create. And they'd make a flavorful addition to a fruit. dessert or chocolate tasting plate. 

Maker's notes: Raaka's description of this chocolate read as follows: "Our maple sugar sweetened, single origin take on the classic bittersweet baking chocolate is fruity, bright, and rich, with just the right amount of complexity to give your baked goods that extra oomph." 

(Postscript: I found myself repeatedly returning to snack on this flavorful 75% chocolate later in the week, and upped my rating (from a "Good ++" to a "Good ++ - Good +++") based on this desire for more.)

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic maple sugar, organic cacao butter

Allergen-related information: "Certified Organic and Kosher by NFC" "Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free"

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.

 

Fresco - O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 272 - Dark Roast, Long Conche (bar) - Oct. 6, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 272 - Dark Roast, Long Conche (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: Part of a $57 chocolate tasting (that included 5 different bars)

Purchased from: Fresco Artisan Chocolate/Chocolopolis.com

Welcome to Day #5 of Fresco Chocolate Tasting Series (of five different bars), and Day #3 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's O'Payo* Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 272 - Dark Roast, Long Conche (bar) was made by Fresco Artisan Chocolate (Lynden, WA).

The aroma notes of this bar included subtle, balanced bitter, roasted notes with a very faint, fleeting green floral. Any "bitterness" receded quickly--and was cushioned by light, diffuse fruit sweetness, and very faint tart green (oxalis).

The melt and mouthfeel were very satisfying: fudge-y, creamy smooth, almost nut buttery. (This was true for all three Fresco Nicaragua 70% bars in this series.)

Flavor notes included a tart-sweet creaminess, intertwined with flavorful true chocolate (fudge brownie, dark chocolate torte) with accelerating red fruit, jam (strawberry soda with clean mineral water then strawberry milkshake). 

This well-executed, flavorful bar was bright, well-balanced and smooth without being boring or over-roasted. Not every dark roast bar lands in the Goldilocks zone--where flavors are optimally developed without tipping over into the over-roasted zone, where they tend to disappear. For this kind of success you need high-quality cacao, careful fermentation and a skilled and thoughtful chocolate maker.

Fresco's chief chocolate maker, Rob Anderson, described his dark roast profile this way: "...flavor peaks and valleys softened to a melodic harmony."

Maker's general tasting notes for this O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua cacao: "...naturally occurring notes of spice, floral and nuts...incredibly flavorful..." 

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

Allergen-related information: "Free from gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua cacao  is "an organic fine cocoa variety (grown in) the Waslala municipality, within the Basawas Natural Reserve in the northern mountains of Nicaragua." (Fresco maker, Rob Anderson, also mentioned: "O'Payo is a farmer's name.") 

"Profundo" may refer the the relatively long fermentation time for this cacao. (Anderson also worked with producer Ingemann Fine Cocoa in Nicaragua to obtain these single origin cacao beans.)

 

Fresco - O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 271 - Medium Roast, Medium Conche (bar) - Oct. 5, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 271 - Medium Roast, Medium Conche (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: Part of a $57 chocolate tasting (that included 5 different bars)

Purchased from: Fresco Artisan Chocolate/Chocolopolis.com

Welcome to Day #4 of Fresco Chocolate Tasting Series (of five different bars), and Day #2 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's O'Payo* Profundo Nicaragua 70% Recipe 271 - Medium Roast, Medium Conche (bar) was made by Fresco Artisan Chocolate (Lynden, WA). 

This (Recipe 271) bar the second of three O'Payo Nicaragua 70% bars--each with different roast and conche profiles--featured this week. (All three were initially sampled, side-by-side, in a recent online Chocolopolis.com + Fresco chocolate tasting, 3 days ago.)

The subtle aroma notes of this bar included (in order of appearance) very faint balanced savory (lightly smoked sea salt); green (green tea, light seed and mild nut); very light, faint (diffuse) fruit; and faint tart-green notes.

The melt and mouthfeel for this (and, happily, almost all Fresco) chocolate were very satisfying: fudge-y, creamy smooth, almost buttery.

Flavor notes included (in order of appearance): bright, warm, tart-sweetness (tart sweet, uniform blend of peach, nectarine, ripe persimmon, kiwi), cream, intertwined with a strong through current of true dark chocolate (flavorful fudge brownie, dark chocolate torte with a tiny pinch of warm spice and coffee) and with fleeting very faint tart-green.

Maker's general tasting notes for this cacao: "...naturally occurring notes of spice, floral and nuts...incredibly flavorful..."

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

Allergen-related information: "Free from gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*O'Payo Profundo Nicaragua cacao  is "an organic fine cocoa variety (grown in) the Waslala municipality, within the Basawas Natural Reserve in the northern mountains of Nicaragua." (Fresco maker, Rob Anderson, also mentioned: "O'Payo is a farmer's name.") 

"Profundo" may refer the the relatively long fermentation time for this cacao. (Anderson also worked with producer Ingemann Fine Cocoa in Nicaragua to obtain these single origin cacao beans.)

 

Fresco - Madagascar 70% Recipe 290 Medium Roast, Medium Conche (bar) - Oct. 2, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

Madagascar 70% Recipe 290 Medium Roast, Medium Conche (bar)

Good  ++ -  Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: (Part of a $57 chocolate tasting for 5 different bars)

Purchased from: Fresco Artisan Chocolate/Chocolopolis tasting, online order

Welcome to Day #2 in a series of five different single origin bars obtained as part of a New Origin Fresco Chocolate Tasting. (Thank you to Rob and Amy at Fresco Chocolate and Lauren Adler at Chocolopolis.com for the great remote tasting experience.)

Today's new Madagascar 70% (Batch 21-454) Medium Roast, Medium Conche* (bar) was made by Fresco Chocolate (Lynden, WA) . The beans used to make this bar were from the (Bertil) Akesson plantation in the Sambirano Valley of Madagascar--a region known for its flavorful cacao.

Aroma notes (in order of appearance) for this chocolate included faint green, floral, green stalks, a faint, flickering bitter dark chocolate note, bread and butter, cooked rice, diffuse faint fruit (peach, persimmon, lemon), brown sugar, and barely there tart green (oxalis). The texture and mouthfeel were very satisfying and buttery smooth.

Flavor notes included rich, sweet dark chocolate (dark chocolate torte), and, most significantly, a blooming of bright, tart fruit: a blend of sweet, round, white wine grape juice and golden raisin mixed with pink grapefruit and red berry. (Other fruit notes present in later re-tastings: cherry, orange, mango and ripe, sweet pineapple.) All these fruit notes presented a jump up from (contrast with) the relatively subdued aroma notes. 

Bright red berry and citrus notes are often associated with chocolate made with Madagascar cacao; but today's Fresco bar presented a festive yet sophisticated variation on this theme.

I enjoyed tasting this newly unveiled, rich, flavorful and well-executed dark chocolate bar from a company that recently celebrated receipt of their 50th International award for their chocolate.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "Free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*Conching follows the initial cacao grinding process. Fresco describes conching as "heat, motion, aeration and time producing chocolate's final flavor." The maker notes: "adjusting these variables can produce dramatically different flavors."  (Thank you to Rob at Fresco for allowing us to experience this in your chocolate line-up, geared to edify even the most seasoned of chocolate palettes.) 

Fresco Chocolate - Chuao Venezuela 72% dark chocolate (bar) - Oct. 2, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

Chuao Venezuela 72% Blended Roast, Subtle Conche dark chocolate (bar)

Good  ++ -  Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: (Part of a $57 chocolate tasting for 5 different bars)

Purchased from: Fresco Artisan Chocolate/Chocolopolis tasting, online order

Welcome to Day #1 in a series of five different single origin bars obtained from a New Origin Fresco Chocolate Tasting. (Thank you to Rob and Amy at Fresco Chocolate and Lauren Adler at Chocolopolis.com for the great remote tasting experience.)

Today's new Chuao Venezuela 72% (Batch 21-437) Blended Roast, Subtle Conche* (bar) was made by Fresco Chocolate (Lynden, WA) . The cacao used was from the Empresa Campesina de Chuao (workers co-op) in the remote and storied village of Chuao in northern Venezuela. 

Subtle aroma notes (in order of appearance) for this chocolate included faint fruit, green (oxalis (sour grass, wood sorrel), succulent), warm spice, brown sugar and molasses. The texture and mouthfeel were satisfying and smooth.

The choice of blending more than one roast profile ("blended roast") seemed to expand the dynamic range/depth in the taste and gave it a bit more punch along with a barely there hint of roasted coffee and nut. Flavor notes included rich, sweet dark chocolate (dark chocolate pudding, chocolate torte), bread, cream, faint fruit and nut, and a sustained course of true dark chocolate (deep, dark chocolate torte). This dark chocolate had a balanced tart, sweet fruit acidity (red berry, cherry) that lingered into a chocolate-y finish. 

This was a rich, flavorful and well-executed dark chocolate from a company that recently celebrated receipt of their 50th International award for their chocolate.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "Free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*Conching follows the initial cacao grinding process. Fresco describes conching as "heat, motion, aeration and time producing chocolate's final flavor." The maker notes: "adjusting these variables can produce dramatically different flavors."  (Yes, and thank you for allowing us to experience this in your chocolate line-up geared to educate even the most seasoned of chocolate palettes.)

Fresco Chocolate - Ghana 68% Recipe 261 - Dark Roast, Medium Conche - Oct. 1, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

Ghana 68% Recipe 261 - Dark Roast, Medium Conche dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Ghana Week.

Today'a Ghana 68% (Recipe 261) Dark Roast, Medium Conche (bar) was made by Fresco Chocolate (Lynden, WA).

Fresco lets us discover why roasting, conche and other choices in chocolate-making really matter, by crafting single origin bars with different roast and conche* profiles. 

Why is Fresco different? Chocolate makers almost always document choices they make with each origin and batch of cacao beans, creating recipes in the process. Fresco goes one step further and shares their recipe numbers on their labels, and will offer two or three similar bars, but with slightly different recipes.

Bottom line, Fresco's bars (and their backstories) are designed to be compared relative to each other. And there's no better way to learn what you really like than from side-by-side tastings.

Today, I'm tasting and comparing a second Fresco Ghana 68% dark bar--this one with a darker roast and slightly longer conche time. 

Both yesterday's and today's bar had a subtle aroma. Yesterday's 68% bar had a faint chocolate, faint fruit (lingonberry and persimmon (yesterday)) and fleeting very faint spice notes. And the melt and mouthfeel for all three Fresco Ghana bars this week were very pleasing with a smooth and relatively buttery texture.

Today's (dark roast) chocolate's balanced, faintly bitter aroma (not present in yesterday's light roast sibling) seemed to dissipate slightly over time; and it seemed overall slightly nuttier (roasted nuts and a faint, fleeting raspberry note; although it seemed less sweet (bright/jammy) than yesterday's bar with the lighter roast and subtle conche.*

Flavor notes for this single-ingredient bar included (in order of appearance): rich, sweet dark chocolate (hot cocoa), bread and butter, and sustained of true chocolate (fudge, dark chocolate torte and frosting). This dark chocolate had a mild fruit acidity (sweet, tart red berry (red raspberry) that lingered a bit into a chocolate-y, clean mineral finish. 

Not everyone will prefer the same Fresco Ghana 68% cacao bar over the other. Both were well executed. And I feel sure that precise care was taken to optimize each recipe and each resulting bar. As is the case for most chocolates, try re-tasting (both bars) a few minutes and/or hours later, and you may also experience a subtle shift in which bar (or aspects of each bar) you like.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "Free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*Conching follows the initial grinding process. Fresco describes conching as "heat, motion, aeration and time producing chocolate's final flavor." And the maker explains: "adjusting these variables can produce dramatically different flavors."  

**Note: I could have placed the two Fresco Ghana 68% bar too close together. If so, there's a small possibility I got the two mixed up with regard to red fruit and nut notes. (Disclosure: I also had a dental health issue that could have influenced the ability to distinguish taste this week.) And, some chocolate flavor shape-shifting likely took place over the course of a day or two--something that has been known to happen either after chocolate has been opened/exposed to air, or over time (as the chocolate or my palette changes, e.g. if I eat or drink something. 

Fresco Chocolate - Ghana 68% Recipe 260 - Light Roast, Subtle Conche dark chocolate (bar) - Sept. 30, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

Ghana 68% Recipe 260 - Light Roast, Subtle Conche dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Ghana Week.

Today'a Ghana 68% (Recipe 260) Light Roast, Subtle Conche (bar) was made by Fresco Chocolate (Lynden, WA).

Fresco offers single origin bars with different roast (light to dark) and conche* (subtle to long) profiles that can be tasted side-by-side. There's no better way to learn what you really like, and to better understand what choices support your preferences.

This approach makes it easier for customers to create chocolate flights and tastings--for a group of friends, or just for one. (These bars are created using recipe numbers, that are also included on the labeling.)

The subtle aroma notes for today's 68% Ghana (light roast) bar included (in order of appearance) dark chocolate with subtle tangy, sweet acidic green and fruit (dried persimmon), very faint vegetable (potato bread), faint brown sugar and very faint warm spiced fruit (peaches and pears heated with cinnamon and other spices).

The texture was smooth and relatively buttery.

Flavor notes for this single-ingredient bar included: rich, "warm," sweet dark chocolate, bread and butter, and a sustained current of true chocolate (fudge, dark chocolate torte and frosting). This dark chocolate had a mild fruit acidity (sweet, tart red berry (lingonberry** jam with a hint of sweet persimmon) that lingered/sparkled a bit into the finish. The chocolate was very low in bitterness.

This bar had a relatively subtle aroma, but was filled with bright, full, sweet and true chocolate notes. The light roast and subtle conche likely helped to preserve or highlight some of these bright, light, sweet flavors.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "Free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*Conching follows the initial grinding of cacao. Fresco describes conching as "heat, motion, aeration and time producing chocolate's final flavor." And "adjusting these variables can produce dramatically different flavors." 

**Lingonberries, also known as mountain cranberries and cowberries, are popular in Scandinavia and have a sweet, tart, red berry flavor. Lingonberry jam is generally just a bit mellower (naturally a bit sweeter and less acidic) than our cranberry jam/sauce.

Fresco Chocolate - Ghana 100% dark chocolate (bar) - Sept. 29, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Fresco Artisan Chocolate

Ghana 100% light roast, subtle conche dark chocolate (bar)

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar

Calories: 127.5 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $13.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Ghana Week.

Today'a Ghana 100% (Recipe 235) Light Roast, Subtle Conche (bar) was made by Fresco Artisan Chocolate (Lynden, WA).

The company's single origin, bean-to-bar chocolate bars demonstrate precisely why and how choices made in chocolate making process matter. You can taste what different roasting and conching* choices/profiles taste like in finished form.

It's easy to assemble "flights" of Fresco bars (e.g. with the same cacao origin(s) but different roast and conche choices), and taste them side-by-side to compare the differences between light or dark roast, and subtle vs. long conching. (Today's bar is the first of three Fresco Ghana bars featured this week.)

The aroma notes for this 100% bar included (in order of appearance) dark chocolate with subtle tangy, sweet acidic green and fruit (dried persimmon), yeast bread and dark chocolate with a faint bitterness.

The melt and mouthfeel were buttery smooth.

Flavor notes for this single-ingredient bar were lovely, and included: beer (porter, stout), bread and butter, and rich, buttery (there's that word again), luscious fudge-y, dark chocolate with relatively mild acidity and relatively low bitterness** for an ultra-dark bar.

While I didn't have a comparable Fresco 100% Ghana bar with another roasting choice, I did really like this "light roast" choice with this particular cacao. A heavier roast might have resulted in the loss of some more delicate notes.

The taste of this wonderful 100% cacao bar was very satisfying; so make sure to savor it slowly.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans

Allergen-related information: "Free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, soy"

*Conching follows the initial grinding of cacao. Fresco describes conching as "heat, motion, aeration and time producing chocolate's final flavor." As with roasting (and most other steps in chocolate making), conching requires great attention to detail. And "adjusting these variables can produce dramatically different flavors."

**Bitterness is a result of several factors including the variety of cacao used (even the soil where the cacao was grown at times), fermentation, and roasting. Over-roasting cacao can lead to a bitter taste-- especially if more volatile fruity, nutty, green and floral notes that might have helped keep the flavor more balanced are "burned" off in the roasting process.

Slitti - Madagascar 75% Cacao Fine Selection (bar) - Mar. 16, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Slitti
Madagascar 75% Cacao Fine Selection (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 142.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

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

Today's Madagascar 75% Cacao Fine Selection (bar) was made in Italy by Slitti Cacao Pregiati (Monsummano Terme, Tuscany, Italy).

Most dark chocolate bars I've tasted from Italy (and other countries) have uniform, almost bland, roasted dark chocolate flavor. This is the understandable result when taking high volumes of different cacao(s) from different places (often West Africa), with the goal of blending them into one consistent flavor profile over time. Some bars have some added vanilla, adding a little lift. But, the bars are fairly predictable. So I was curious to see what this single origin Madagascar bar might taste like.

This gluten-free chocolate began with an aroma of uniform baked fudge brownie and chocolate cake...what I'd normally expect.

But then this classic chocolate aroma was quickly joined by some welcome complexity: balanced fermenting cacao fruit (sweet vinegar, brown sugar, fruit (peaches, plums, apricots, cacao pulp)); warm spice (cinnamon); very faint, fleeting green floral (imagined vanilla) and baked sweet bread notes. 

The shift--from a scent with uniform chocolate brownie/chocolate cake to one with more noticeable fruit nuances--evolved over a minute or two, after the inner, sealed packaging was opened. 

The fruit notes were within the range I associate with Madagascar (Sambirano Valley) cacao-based chocolate(s). (Madagascar cacao is often described as having tart-sweet citrus fruit and berry notes, but may also include concentrated/dried stone fruits such as peach, nectarine, plum, and apricot notes, depending on the cacao varieties and fermentation techniques used.)

In fact, I found myself anticipating tart fruit notes the minute I opened this dark bar, so perhaps I was bound to find them. (This is why blind, side-by-side chocolate tastings can be more enlightening; they help reduce biases we all have--even though these same expectations, based on memories, also make us smile as we encounter "old friends" in tasting experiences.)

The flavor of this bar was uniform, roasted, smooth dark chocolate, with a touch of fruit acidity--initially less citrus (orange/tangerine) and more stewed stone fruits mentioned above with a few red currants popped in for good measure. On the third time I re-tasted this bar there was also a very faint, fleeting dark chocolate + spice/herb note (caraway, rye bread) note.

The chocolate was low in bitterness. It was relatively sweet for a 75% cacao chocolate; but some of that perceived sweetness likely came from natural fruit flavor from the cacao itself. And this chocolate had a clean, subtle chocolate-y finish.

Ingredients: "Cocoa mass Madagascar (Sambirano), sugar, cocoa butter (6%). (Cocoa min. 75%)"

Sirene Chocolate - 65% Lachua, Guatemala Dark Milk bar - Nov. 1, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sirene Chocolate
65% Lachua, Guatemala Bar - Dark Milk
Good++
Weight: .53 oz. (15 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total pkg. of 2 different bars
Calories: 79.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 package of two different dark milk bars
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Single Origin Dark Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 65% Lachua, Guatemala Dark Milk Bar from Sirene Chocolate (Victoria, B.C., Canada) was one of two single origin dark milk bars in one package.

This Sirene bar was exactly what you'd hope for from a single origin dark milk bar, it was smooth and flavorful, with an added slight creaminess and a hint of caramel from milk.

The maker's tasting notes about the origin of the cacao beans were as follows:

"In the lush, mountainous department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, generations of knowledge and a heritage tracing back to cacao's origin in the Mayan civilization, to into the cultivation of these cacao trees. For these farmers, access to a burgeoning, international market allows them to benefit from a real economic opportunity while producing a beautiful cacao bean."

Sirene - 100% Ecuador + 100% Madagascar bars - Nov. 4, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Sirene Chocolate
100% Ecuador Bar
Very Good
(Paired with a 100% Madagascar Bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total package of 2
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 of 2 different bars
Cost: $13.00 for 1 package of 2 different bars
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks. We're sampling bars from Ecuador this week.

Today's offering was a careful co-packaging of two different 100% cacao bars. These rare ultra dark bars contained just one ingredient: cocoa beans, and these two were ideal for a side-by-side tasting.

Both the 100% Ecuador Bar and the 100% Madagascar Bar were hand-crafted by Sirene Artisan Chocolate Makers (Victoria, Canada). The company makes small batches of direct trade chocolate, from beans grown on a limited group of cacao farms around the globe, in their custom workshop.

100% Ecuador Bar
The cacao beans used to make Sirene's 100% Cacao Ecuador Bar came from Camino Verde. A farm description follows:

"In Balao, Ecuador, farmer Vicente Norero treats his cacao beans like fine wine. After carefully nurturing the growth of his indigenous varieties of cacao trees, he harvests the beans and monitors the microbiology of the fermentation process. His exacting control of sugars and acids creates a rich and flavorful bean."

The Ecuador bar was described as having "rich, deep chocolatey" flavor. And, as promised, it was infused with true chocolate, deep cocoa, slightly bitter flavor. It had a very pleasing, homemade hot chocolate aftertaste. The bar possessed a deep ebony dark chocolate color.

100% Madagascar Bar
Sirene chose "fruity, citrus, raspberry-toned Madagascar beans" from Somia Plantation for this 100% Madagascar Bar.

"In the Sambirano Valley of Northern Madagascar, the Akesson family harvest a light red bean enriched by volcanic minerals and nutrients. With its strong fruity flavours, including hints of citrus and berry, this cacao is clearly a product of climate and soil and the special way it is fermented by a family who truly cares about chocolate and who has for many years."

In contrast to the deep chocolate 100% Ecuador Bar, the 100% Madagascar Bar was full of bright notes: very authentic fruit punch, raspberry lemonade, true citrus (not just generic "acidity"), with a wonderful, warbling complex fruit and cocoa finish. Even the color was a brighter, redder color than the Ecuador bar.

What a treat to try these bars, separately and together.

Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates - Belize tasting bits - Sept. 16, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates
Belize (bean-to-bar tasting bits)
Good - Good +
Weight: .36 oz. (10.2 g.) (estimate) for 5 bits/ 2.5 oz. (75 g.) in total Bean-to-Bar Tasting Kit
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 5 pieces
Cost: $N/A - gift from family (thank you David!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

Today's Belize chocolate was part of a (bean-to-bar made) single origin tasting kit from Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates (San Luis Obispo, CA).

The "Mostly Criollo" Tasting Kit contained cocoa bean-shaped bits from Belize, Bali, Bolivia, Peru and Uganda. (The company also offers "Mostly Trinitario," "Mostly Forastero" and "Mixed Selection" tasting kits with bits made from other origins.)

The idea of a tasting kit encourages customers to savor chocolate a bit more slowly. Allowing the bits to gradually melt in the mouth makes it easier to detect flavor notes. In this case, the notes printed on the package invited the taster to look for "blackberry" and "toast."

Mama Ganache is a family-run chocolate business. Chef Tom is behind several creations; and the business has had a focus on high-quality, ethically sourced, organic and direct trade chocolate for some time.

Mama Ganache - Tasting Kit - Bolivia - Apr. 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mama Ganache Chocolates
Single Origin Tasting Kit - Bolivia
Good+++ - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) / 2.5 oz. (75 g.) in 1 tasting kit
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 5 pieces
Cost: $N/A gift from family member (Thank you David!) ($8.95)
Purchased from: N/A - gift purchased from Mama Ganache, San Luis Obispo, CA

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

Today's single origin chocolate made with Bolivian cacao was part of a single origin tasting kit, that contained chocolate "tasting bits" from five different origins, from Mama Ganache Chocolates (San Luis Obispo, CA).

Inside the tasting kit box were instructions for how to taste chocolates, with a beverage: water, hot tea, hot coffee or wine (including which wines might work best with chocolates).

The bean-shaped, Bolivian chocolate tasting bits (pieces) were made from Bolivian cocoa nibs, organic sugar and organic cocoa butter. Each piece was tasted slowly and carefully with room temperature water, first thing in the morning.

Tasting notes for Bolivia: red plum, caramel

And below are my tasting notes:

• Aroma: dark chocolate, coffee, red fruit
• Melt, texture: buttery melt and relatively smooth, buttery texture
• Taste: dark chocolate malt with chocolate ice cream, light caramel
• Finish: pleasant, smooth

*The Mama Ganache Tasting Kit contained tasting pieces from: Bali, Belize, Bolivia, Peru and Uganda.

Mama Ganache - Tasting Kit - Uganda tasting bits - Mar. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mama Ganache Chocolates
Tasting Kit - Uganda
Good+
Weight: .43 oz. (12.8 g.) approx. for 6 pieces /.5 oz. (15 g. per label) in per origin packet
(Entire tasting kit box was 2.5 oz. (75 g.) (per label) with 5 different single origin packets)
Calories: 72 calories (estimate) in six tasting "bits"
Cost: N/A - gift from family member ($8.95 for 1 tasting kit)
Purchased from: N/A gift from family member (Mama Ganache Chocolates, San Luis Obispo, CA)

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and STUVWXYZ Theme Week. This is the last week of the chocolate alphabet series, and today we explore the letter "u," as in Uganda.

Mama Ganache Chocolates (San Luis Obispo, CA) has come up with a great tasting kit containing different single origin chocolate samples.* In addition to the five packets of (mostly organic, fair trade) bean-shaped tasting bits, this box came with instructions on how to taste chocolate, and information about the country(ies) of origin.

Each packet was also labeled with a price, nutritional content and calories—information you don't always receive from craft chocolate makers.

Today's tasting bits were created with organic cocoa nibs (primarily Trinitario) from Uganda (in eastern Africa); and the chocolate contained just two other ingredients: organic sugar and organic cocoa butter.

The chocolate had smooth, sweet, warm red fruit/wine notes.

*This tasting kit contained tasting bits from Bali, Belize, Bolivia, Peru and Uganda.

Arete - Madagascar Sambirano Valley 70% bar - Feb. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Arete Fine Chocolate
Madagascar Sambirano Valley 70% Dark Chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 172.5 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

Arete Fine Chocolate, located in the San Francisco Bay Area (Milpitas, CA), is a relatively recent entrant to the chocolate making world. They "went public" in late 2014, and began taking orders in January 2015.

Founders, David and Leslie Senk, spent time honing their craft before opening. And it shows in their line of single origin bars made with just cocoa beans and (organic) cane sugar. I have yet to taste one that wasn't well executed.

Today's Madagascar Sambirano Valley 70% Dark Chocolate bar had a pleasing aroma and broke with a hard, well-tempered snap. It had a nice melt, and uniformly sweet, well-balanced acidic, light citrus fruit flavor—with hints of dried plum, golden raisin and mild pistachio/nutty notes. The bar had a pleasant, lingering finish.

My advice: take the time to really savor this bar. When I re-tasted this deceptively subtle and flavorful bar, over the course of several minutes, new flavors revealed themselves—all of them good. On the last bite, I got a hit of delicious chocolate brownie batter.

Sadly, like many small batch, bean-to-bar chocolates, Arete Fine Chocolate bars may only be available for limited periods of time. (By the time I wrote this, the Madagascar Sambirano bar was sold out on the Arete website, at least for now.)

Thank you to Sunita at The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA), and other chocolate specialty retailers who bring us great, curated chocolate like this.

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

Amano Artisan Chocolate - Madagascar Sambirano 70% bar - Feb. 19, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amano Artisan Chocolate
Madagascar Sambirano Valley 70% Cocoa bar
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Amano table at Fall Chocolate Salon, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Madagascar Sambirano Valley Dark Chocolate bar was made by Amano Artisan Chocolate (Orem, UT).

"It is for good reason that this (Madagascar bar) is the very first chocolate we released. It tastes incredible and has won numerous awards..." stated notes from Amano founder and chocolate maker, Art Pollard." He's right. Today's bar (labeled: Lot No.: 3/5002) was like picking and eating your first berries as a child. Delicious.

This highly edible 70% dark bar was made with cacao from the Sambirano River Valley area of Madagascar; and it had the most wonderful raspberry fruit aroma and flavor that I've experienced in a very long while. This is the kind of bar that people will taste and then ask what fruit was added. No fruit added. Just four ingredients were listed: "Cocoa Beans, Pure Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Whole Vanilla Beans."

To make a flavorful bar like this, one needs to start with great cacao beans, and then be very skilled at preserving and enhancing the flavor profile. Ask any chocolate maker, it's easy to mess up even great beans if you're not very precise and very careful.

My own tasting notes: homemade raspberry jam, honey, chocolate brownies, with a kiss of sweet orange.

Amano tasting notes read as follows: "This chocolate has a gentle chocolate flavor with notes of raspberries, cherry, raisin and citrus."

This would be a good bar for someone who doesn't like dark chocolate bars that are overly strong or harsh, and enjoys great flavors.

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