Taza Chocolate - Belize bar - May 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Factory Limited Belize Bar
Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 115 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $6.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

This Factory Limited Belize dark bar was crafted from the first batch of cacao beans that Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) obtained from Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC), located in the Toledo District of Southern Belize). MMC sources beans from local farmers in the region and helps supply the beans to premium chocolate makers like Taza.

Taza Chocolate is known for flavorful stoneground chocolate -- disc-like rounds with break-apart wedges used for drinking chocolate in the rustic Mexican style.

Taza continued in the stoneground tradition with this bar. Rather than buttery smoothness made possible by particles ground (for days) into a tiny size for smoothness, each bite of this Belize bar sparkled with intact cocoa and sugar flavors and semi-granular textures.

Dick Taylor - 72% Belize bar - May 1, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor Chocolate
72% Belize bar
Good - Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

DickTaylorChocolate.com

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

This award*-winning 72% cacao Belize bar was crafted by Dick Taylor Chocolate (Eureka, CA), using beans from Maya Mountain Cacao, in the Toledo district in Southern Belize.

The flavors were rich, robust and well balanced.

The two Northern California chocolate makers behind these bars -- Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor -- eschew vanilla, emulsifiers and added cocoa butter to focus on creating the best bar possible. Successful execution requires precise attention to many tasks and details, and the ability to coax the optimal flavors from a batch of cacao beans that may vary from year to year.

The company's award-winning packaging illustrations are done by Dustin's brother, graphic designer Garrett Taylor (who is also an illustrator at Pixar).

*Northwest Chocolate Festival (Seattle), Bronze - 2013; Good Food Awards (San Francisco) winner - 2014; Academy of Chocolate Awards (London), Bronze - 2015

Mast Brothers - Belize 70% bar - April 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mast Brothers
Belize chocolate bar - 70% cacao
Good
Weight: .71 oz. (20 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 106 calories in 2/7 bar
Cost: $10 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Oxbow Produce and Grocery, Napa, CA

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

This Belize 70% dark, single origin bar was crafted with just a few ingredients (cacao beans and sugar) from the Mast Brothers (Brooklyn, NY).

The bar had a sweet, flavorful almost milk chocolate taste, and a smooth, but very slightly chaulky texture.

Charm School Chocolate - 70% Dark Belize bar - April 29, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Charm School Chocolate
70% Dark Belize bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 157 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Belize Theme Week -- an extension of the past few weeks with a focus on chocolate and (other) Central American countries.

The 70% Dark Belize bar from Charm School Chocolate (Reisterstown, MD) was made with just a few ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar and organic cocoa butter. The cacao came from Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC) in southern Belize, an organization that sources cacao beans from farmers in the region.

The tasting notes on package read: "reminiscent of plump raisins and chocolate sandwich cookies." I wasn't that excited about this description. Or, I should say I'm not sure this description does the bar justice. But, darn, I could really taste the raisins and chocolate cookies in this smooth dark bar, so it was accurate. I liked the complexity, the fruit/acid (raisins) and the chocolatey elements.

Today's Belize bar was part of a line of dairy free and vegan, single origin chocolate bars from Charm School Chocolate. (Other bars include a very tasty coconut milk chocolate bar.)

Diego's Chocolate - Cinnamon - April 28, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Diego's Chocolate
Canela (Cinnamon) 75% cacao
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) /1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) in total roll/package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1/2 roll/package
Cost: $6.00 for 1 roll/package
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA


Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week, and I've started and ended this week with a rustic, single origin 75% chocolate from Diego's Chocolate (San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala).

Diego's chocolates are cigar-shaped, hand-crafted rolls that maintain the bright flavors and texture (slightly grainy) of fresh ground ingredients. Today's artisanal chocolate was infused with subtle ground cinnamon flavor.

This authentic chocolate comes from rural Central America, a region with volcanic mountains, lakes and forests where cacao grows. It may lack some of the buttery smooth, conched-for-days mouthfeel of a Swiss-made chocolate bar, but it is a wonderful example of how chocolate confections were first (and still are) created in Central America.

This style of chocolate stretches back for centuries, and pre-dates more expensive, stainless steel industrial machines and infrastructure. And these chocolates are Maya grown and Maya made chocolates that are created "in-country" -- a treat in and of itself.

Equal Exchange - Panama 80% bar - April 27, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Equal Exchange
Panama 80% bar
Good+
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 174 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.59 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week; and I'm featuring the Panama 80% dark chocolate bar from Equal Exchange (W. Bridgewater, MA).

Today's Panama 80% bar had a very similar flavor as yesterday's Panama 80% bar. Both looked the same (same molds) and both were made in Switzerland -- likely by the same Swiss chocolate manufacturer.*

Two Costa Rica bars (one sold at Whole Foods) featured earlier this week also looked very similar, and both were made by Kim's Chocolates in Belgium. There were, however, a few, very subtle flavor and color differences in the Costa Rica bars.

Today's Panama bars tasted like they could have come from the same batch in the same factory. (Both were made with cacao beans from the COCABO Cooperative in Panama.) And the bar color was the same as well.

Today's bar smelled and tasted of rich, hot chocolate with a slight hint of raspberry fruit, and the texture was creamy, almost buttery. As I commented on yesterday's bar, the flavor profile was very smooth for an 80% bar. Both bars were quite good.

Transparency in the manufacturing supply chain process is helpful, not just for the odd blogger such as myself, who is seeking to eat a "different" kind of chocolate every day.

It's also important for those who would like to understand where their chocolate comes from, and how it's made. Equal Exchange includes quite a bit of of information about farmers and the origins of cacao on their packaging (see inside of wrapper), and their website. And their commitment to fair trade is admirable.

Outsourcing of Manufacturing

It would be nice if the company who owns the "brand" and is selling the chocolate also mentioned where the chocolate was made. (Felchlin, Durig and others offer organic and fair trade chocolate in Switzerland.) Why should we care? While the Swiss are known for fine, creamy smooth chocolate; labeling regulations are different in the EU than in the U.S. Outsourcing manufacturing overseas might actually result in better product, but more transparency would be great.

Chocolate and Love - Panama 80% bar - April 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolate and Love
Organic Panama 80% bar
Good +
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 196 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: Chocolate and Love, U.K.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Central America Theme Week.

The attractively designed and packaged, single origin, organic Panama 80% dark chocolate bar was brought to you by Chocolate and Love Ltd. (Perth, U.K.). Made with fairly traded cacao beans (from partner Cocabo in Panama), this single origin bar was manufactured for the company in Switzerland.

This is a great bar for those who shy away from high percentage bars for fear of bitter flavor. This bar had a pleasing hot cocoa aroma, and an even, smooth dark flavor, particularly for an 80 percent cacao bar. There was a very subtle hint of earthiness, and no sharp or acidic notes.

*Chocolate and Love is a family-owned business, operated by Richard O'Connor and Birgitte Hovmand.