Fresh Coast Chocolate - Brazil 70% Dark bar - Oct. 25, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Fresh Coast Chocolate Co.
Brazil 70% Dark bar
Good +
Weight: 1.2 oz. (35 g.) / 2.4 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of South American Chocolate Weeks. This week we're visiting Brazil.

Today's Brazil 70% Dark bar was hand-crafted by Fresh Coast Chocolate Co. (Traverse City, MI).

The cocoa beans used to make this bar were sourced from Fazenda Camboa, Bahia, Brazil.

The aroma was a blend of tropical fruit bubble gum and raisin. The tasting notes for this bar read: Tropical fruit, jasmine, espresso brownie—a truly accurate description. It was also a wild, somewhat improbable, but ultimately successful ride. I happily went back for more. Tart dried fruit (cherry) and jasmine floral notes lingered.

Blanxart - Organic Dark 76% Brazil bar - Oct. 24, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Blanxart
Organic Dark Chocolate 76% Brazil bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31.25 g.) / 4.4 oz. (125 g.) in total bar
Calories: 178 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Village Market store, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today's Blanxart (BB Chocolate Grup, S.A) Organic Dark Chocolate Brazil bar was made in Spain.

The cacao used to make this 76% cacao dark bar came from a plantation in the Amazon rainforest in the Brazilian state of Para.

Most will find this bar quite agreeable, with even, smooth true chocolate flavor and a hint of vanilla.

The chocolate was described as having "a flavor of roasted hazelnuts, with hints of licorice, vanilla and lemon." The vanilla and sugar mellowed the citrus note into a light lemon chiffon. The roasted hazelnut* flavor wasn't readily apparent; but, oddly, I did detect a very faint hint of roasted licorice.

*Ingredients: This single origin, organic 76% dark chocolate bar was made with four ingredients: cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. There were no hazelnuts or nut ingredients listed.

SOMA - Black Science Vigia, Porcelana 70% Venezuela bars - Oct. 23, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

SOMA Chocolatemaker

Black Science Vigia Criollo 70% bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 171 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Porcelana Venezuela Criollo 70% bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.145 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.29 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 171 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of South American Chocolate Theme Week. One can't talk about origin chocolates of South America without mentioning Venezuela.

Today's two 70% cacao dark bars from SOMA Chocolatemaker (Toronto, ON, Canada) were both made with Venezuelan grown cacao bean, organic cane sugar, and cocoa butter. That's it. Nothing else. The unadulterated full bean experience.

Black Science Vigia 
The SOMA Black Science Vigia 70% bar (Batch VigL1) is also perfect title for Halloween week, no? Deep, dark and a little mysterious, the cacao for this bar was produced in an area southeast of Lake Maracaibo* in Venezuela known for excellent Criollo beans (Criollo Merida, Guasare, Porcelana and as well as experimental Criollo hybrids). These Criollo heritage beans are known for their subtle, beautiful full flavor.

Today's Black Science Vigia 70% bar had subtle green, dried fruit (light raisin), very mild nuttiness (cashew) and light, creamy cafe latte aroma and flavor notes. I enjoyed a similar Vigia 70% bar from SOMA back in 2013 (Batch EV2). Both were very good.

Porcelana bar
The SOMA Porcelana 70% bar (Batch PorL3) tasting notes read as follows: "cream, cashews, coconut, molasses." This bar was also made with Venezuelan cacao grown near (south of) Lake Maracaibo* in NW Venezuela. It was a great bar. Naturally sweet, well balanced, subtle and full of flavors that harmonized incredibly well together. There was no sharpness or bitterness to be found.

This bar was a World Gold International Chocolate Awards 2015 winner.

Both SOMA bars were worth searching out and trying. I love the pattern stamped on their bars. Look closely and you'll see, amidst leaves, cacao pods and flowers, a bird with a tennis shoe and a maple leaf (Canadian reference in the jungle).

*Lake Maracaibo has always fascinated me. It is a large teardrop-shaped brackish tidal bay/estuary (that once was the largest lake in South America), surrounded by jungle forests, villages, rain and lightning—lots and lots of lightning.

L'Amourette Chocolat LLC - Trinitario Colombia Arauca 80% bar - Oct.

Chocolate of the Day: 

L'Amourette Chocolat LLC
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 258 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of a gift basket (thank you GTLA!)
Purchased from: N/A - was part of a gift basket

Bienvenidos (welcome) to the first day of South American Chocolate Weeks.

We're kicking off this series with a single origin Trinitario Colombia (Arauca*) 80% bar. Hats off to the chocolate maker (Andre V.) at L'Amourette Chocolat LLC (San Francisco, CA) for showcasing the complex flavors of these Colombian cocoa beans.

Today's bar was a very multi-layered chocolate. Almost every segment of the chocolate tasting wheel was represented in this 80% dark bar.

The first (aroma) impression was: dark chocolatey chocolate with citrus and light dried fruit (pear). The second impression: a dark chocolate aroma with hints of fresh almost floral green (green plants, green tea, fresh green fronds) and light spice. The tasting arc also included chocolatey, nutty and a faint hint of jungle funk earthiness.

The only "missing" artisanal flavor traits were red berries and coffee; but we haven't finished re-tasting this bar yet. Clearly chocolate tastes different, depending on what else you might be eating or drinking; however even adjusted for this factor, this was a relatively smooth blend of interesting elements, particularly for an 80% bar.

*The Province of Arauca shares a border with Venezuela, and the Arauca River is located on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The cacao beans for this bar may be a mix of Criollo and Trinitario and were grown on a small farm on the banks of the Arauca River. 

The Xocolate Bar - Extra Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao bar - Oct. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Xocolate Bar
Extra Dark Chocolate 90% Cacao bar
Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (oz. g.) /2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $N/A - gift from friends (Thank you Norm and Rhoda!)
Purchased from: N/A - gift (The Xocolate Bar, Berkeley, CA)

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

For the last few weeks we've explored many different chocolate bars that could be enjoyed during that hallowed and most frightening of chocolate holidays: Halloween. (Cue the sounds of thunder bolts and shrieks of laughter.)

Today we've ratcheted up the cacao percentage scale to the extra dark level; and we sampled a 90% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate bar from The Xocolate Bar (Berkeley, CA).

The organic, fair trade dark chocolate contained a touch of added cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin and vanilla; but otherwise was without other flavor inclusions.

For those who like dark chocolate, but who are a bit frightened of ultra-dark bars, this would be a good one to try. It had a creamy, buttery melt and texture and a very smooth, balanced flavor for a 90% Cacao bar. Not so scary after all.

May you all have a Happy Halloween next week. By then we'll be covering chocolate made from South American origins.

Nibble Chocolate - Organic Dark Chocolate Madagascar 72% bar - Oct. 20, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nibble Chocolate, LLC
Organic Dark Chocolate Madagascar 72% Cocoa bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.69 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cafe Mingei, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

Today's Madagascar Single Origin Trinitario bar was created by Nibble Chocolate, LLC (San Diego, CA) founders and bean-to-bar chocolate makers, David and Sandra.

The company offers single origin bars from at least five different countries, at three different percentage levels. They promote the 72% bars as offering a milder dark chocolate flavor than it's 77% and 85% cocoa siblings. Makes sense.

Today's 72% dark bar had an aroma and flavor with brown/coconut sugar, raisin, and sightly earthy notes. It did not have the often characteristic berry flavor that some Madagascar bars have, but it did have a hint of dried plum.

Parliament Chocolate - Guatelmala Q'Eqchi 70% bar - Oct. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Parliament Chocolate
Guatemala Q'Eqchi 70% bar
Good ++
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 128 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.50 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Miette, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs.

Today's Guatemala Q'Eqchi 70% Cacao bar (Batch #000131) was crafted by Parliament Chocolate, a bean-to-bar maker in Redlands, CA.

The two-ingredient (cacao and cane sugar) bar had a relatively fruity dark chocolate aroma (cherry yogurt, plum/prune with a faint spice and brown sugar note).

The bar had a smooth texture and balanced, complex flavor—with red fruit/berries and light roasted coffee/earth notes.

These bars would be perfect for an up-scale Halloween party. If money were no object, I'd hand out these bars to trick-or-treaters. Contrary to what many adults think, children exposed to great, dark chocolate early on often seem to love it. (Limiting young ones to 1 oz. (28 g.), however, is advisable.)