Lucienne's - Mint Sugar Free dark bar - June 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lucienne's
Mint Sugar Free 83% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.2 g.) / 2 oz. (56.7 g.) total bar
Calories: 62.7 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week, and the first day of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

This Mint Sugar Free dark bar from Lucienne's (Trumansburg, NY) was made from 83% Ecuadorian Antigua Nacional cocoa, "gently roasted," and sweetened with the company's "all natural" proprietary stevia blend.

The bar was designed for those watching their intake of sugar and carbs. Low in carbohydrates (1 net carb and 4 grams of fiber per serving), this dark bar with a tang of peppermint was sugar-, sorbitol- and maltitol-free, as well as GMO-free, dairy free and gluten free. (No soy either.)

*Note: Lucienne's has ceased production of their chocolate bars. As of this post date, customers are being referred to Vintage Plantations (Newark, NJ) a company that supplied Ecuadorian cacao for Lucienne's.

Pacari - Dark Chocolate Covered Banana - June 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pacari Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Covered Banana
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total package
Calories: 145 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: lost information
Purchased from: lost information

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

Pacari Chocolate (Quito, Ecuador) makes single origin chocolates, using Arriba Nacional cacao from Ecuador. Today's chocolate was not a Pacari bar, but rather a sleek package of dark pearls crafted from organic dark chocolate with dried banana inside, from the company's "Raw" line.

These glossy dark pearls were satisfying and full of natural chocolate and banana flavor and texture.

Equal Exchange - Ecuador Dark bar - June 13, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Equal Exchange
Organic Ecuador Dark bar
Good
Weight: .4375 oz. (12.5 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 88 calories in 1/8 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

It was an Ecuador Dark bar from Equal Exchange (West Bridgewater, MA). It was from Ecuador. And it was Dark -- darker flavor than you'd expect for a bar with 65% cacao content, rather like a full-bodied, strong cup of coffee. That sums up today's chocolate, but it's not the end of the story.


This organic, fairly traded, single origin dark bar was made from cacao beans grown in the Manabi region of Ecuador, and it was produced for Equal Exchange (at an undisclosed location) in Switzerland. There also was a very subtle hint of vanilla (from Madagascar).

Equal Exchange makes a line of bars (using cacao from the Dominican Republic, Panama, Ecuador and Peru) and highlights small farmers and co-ops, and the individuals behind these organizations. Founded in 1986, Equal Exchange is, in fact, a worker owned co-op.

Republica Del Cacao - Manabi 75% bar - June 12, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Republica Del Cacao
Manabi 75% bar
Weight: .166 oz. (5 g.) / .5 oz. (15 g.) total package
Calories: 25 calories in 1 piece
Cost: (unknown)
Purchased from: (unknown)

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

This Single Origin Dark Chocolate sampler package contained three individually-wrapped chocolates from Republica Del Cacao (Quito, Ecuador).

Inside this package were two different chocolates, made with Arriba* cacao beans from Ecuador. The 75% cacao chocolate (in the purple wrapper) was made with cacao beans from the Manabi region of Northern Ecuador, and the two other pieces were crafted from beans from the El Oro region in southern Ecuador.

This bite-sized bar tasted smooth and chocolatey, with very little bitterness.

*Note: Republica Del Cacao was founded in part to help preserve indigenous, high-quality, fine aroma Arriba Cacao plants (that produce cacao beans) in Ecuador.

Dick Taylor - Ecuador 76% bar - June 11, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor
Ecuador Camino Verde 76% bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate) in 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

If you enjoy a cup of good strong coffee, this Ecuador Camino Verde 76% cacao bar from Dick Taylor (Arcata, CA) might be the right bar for you. There is no coffee in this bar, and it doesn't taste like coffee -- but this bar had a strong, dark roasted richness and balanced acidity like you might find in a cup of java.

Dick Taylor founders (Adam Dick and Justin Taylor) began making chocolate after they'd mastered furniture and boat building (thus the nautical packaging elements). The two bean-to-bar makers appear to have a knack for designing and crafting items by hand.

Fruition - Camino Verde Crunch bar - June 10, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fruition Chocolate
Camino Verde Crunch bar
Good +
Weight: 1.055 oz. (30 g.) / 2.11 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Camino Verde Crunch dark bar from Fruition Chocolate (Shokan, NY) was crafted with cacao beans from Balao, a city located in the Guayas Province, on the west coast of Ecuador.

The "Crunch" in the Camino Verde Crunch bar came from stone-ground cacao. Particle sizes in this bar were even and smooth and slightly crunchy, with no "grit," making this stone-ground chocolate a delight to eat.

This was a fairly robust dark bar at 75% cacao content. While the bar's packaging suggested I might detect hints of eucalyptus and malt, I didn't really pick up on these flavor notes. 

Original Beans - Esmeraldas Milk bar - June 9, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Original Beans
Esmeraldas Milk 42% bar
Good ++
Weight: 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 399 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenidos al primer dia de Chocolate y Ecuador semana. (Welcome to the first day of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week!)

Today's bar was made from cacao beans that hailed from the Pacific Rainforest in the Esmeraldas Province of northwestern Ecuador.

The Esmeraldas Milk 42% bar from Original Beans (Amsterdam, Netherlands) was actually made in Switzerland, a country where they know a thing or two about conching chocolate until it's rich, creamy and smooth. (In this case, the cocoa mass (ground cacao beans), was conched for 16 hours.)

When I first broke off a piece of this bar, I could smell the aroma of freshly roasted cacao beans. What followed was a velvety smooth bar with complex almost burnt caramel flavor, slightly bitter but well balanced with other flavor notes. I didn't taste a lot of bright red fruit, but there were "summer fruit" notes in this bar. All in all this flavorful, Certified Organic, Gluten Free and Vegan milk chocolate bar was remarkably easy to finish.

Original Beans, the company, also helps to replant trees and encourage sustainable practices.