Ciao Bella Gelato - South American Dark Chocolate gelato - Nov. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ciao Bella Gelato Company, Inc.
South American Dark Chocolate gelato
Good - Good +
Weight: 1/2 cup serving (105 g.) / 14 fl. oz. (414 mL) in total container
Calories: 250 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $ missing information 
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to the last stop on our 29-day virtual chocolate tour of South America. We've explored many single origin, ultra-dark chocolate bars from countries ranging from Venezuela to Bolivia for the past 3-4 weeks.

This month ends on a completely different note: two scoops of South American Dark Chocolate gelato from Ciao Bella Gelato Company, Inc. in the northeastern U.S.

This frozen dessert was packed with a lot more chocolate flavor than one normally finds in a frozen dessert. It was made with fair trade cacao grown in South America, via a partnership with TCHO Chocolate (Berkeley, CA).

At first whiff, this gelato smelled more like rich chocolate; and it had a richer, more fruit-acidic chocolate flavor. The texture and melt were smooth creamy.

Taza Chocolate - Bolivia 87% Dark bar - Nov. 18, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Bolivia 87% Dark bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #28 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today's single origin bar was made with cacao grown in Bolivia. The 87% Dark bar was crafted by Taza Chocolate in Somerville, MA.

This chocolate had a very pleasant hot chocolate/chocolate malt aroma with very faint, but again pleasing, sweet green, fruit and nut notes. This aroma was considerably more upbeat and friendly than one would expect for 87% cacao chocolate, in part due to the addition of what smelled like high-quality vanilla* beans. And the taste was very approachable as well.

Taza has worked hard to perfect the taste and texture of their stoneground drinking chocolate, bars, snacks and confections over the years to balance the benefits of more rustic stoneground beans and a smooth buttery chocolate experience that some desire. Sounds good, but it takes precision and skill to know just how long to (or not to) process/grind/blend cacao beans for the optimal result.

The company used traditional Mexican stone mills (molinos) to grind their beans. And today's bar was described as "perfectly unrefined."

Indeed the resulting chocolate maintained good flavor and was both smooth and slightly crunchy, with tiny sparkles of what felt like cane sugar crystals or vanilla* rather than weedy cacao or vanilla bean flecks—the likely result if I tried to make bean-to-bar chocolate in my kitchen with a coffee or nut grinder. (One also needs to know when to put in the sugar and vanilla bean so the right components sparkle and shine.)

*The Bolivia 87% Dark bar contained just three ingredients: Certified Direct Trade organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic vanilla beans

Nibble Chocolate - Peru 72% Organic Dark Single Origin Criollo bar - Nov. 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nibble Chocolate, LLC
72% Cocoa Organic Dark Peru Single Origin Criollo bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.69 g.) in total bar
Calories: 135 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cafe Mingei, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

Welcome to Day #27 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today's 72% Cocoa Organic Dark Peru Single Origin Criollo bar was made by Nibble Chocolate, LLC (San Diego, CA).

Nibble used Peruvian Criollo cacao beans from a small farm, in the Tumbes region of northern Peru, represented by a "co-op that promotes high quality and fair practices."

The company's description(s) for this Peru bar read included: "A delightful complex chocolate with caramel and dry fruit raisin notes, underlying maltiness and a long lasting finish"...and "Tasting notes: Caramel, smokey, nuts, biscuit, dried fruit with underlying malt notes."

That was very close to what I experienced with this certified organic, vegan, soy free and gluten free 72% dark bar, that had just two ingredients: organic cocoa beans and organic cane sugar.

My tasting notes read: "Dried fruit/raisin and slight green and smoked caramel notes in the aroma; the flavor had somewhat intense dried fruit and citrus dark chocolate notes; long finish. More robust/bold acidic flavor than many Criollo bars."

I almost always make my own notes before looking at maker's notes. It's fun to compare the two. They're usually quite close, with only occasional differences. It's interesting to note how different taste buds and preferences (and even memories) perceive different substances.

In this case, Nibble bars' thick 3x3 square matrix also influences the tasting experience. There is enough heft with each square that up to 9 people might each enjoy the full flavor spectrum of this bar. However, others may prefer thinner sheets of chocolate/bars for easy access to texture/melt and flavors.

Raaka - Cabernet Sauvignon Peru 68% bar - Nov. 16, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka
Cabernet Sauvignon Peru 68% Cacao bar
Good +
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) /1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 129 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka, online order

Welcome to Day #26 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today we're deviating from single origin bars with no flavor inclusions, to include a Cabernet Sauvignon Peru bar from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

It's challenging to find a good match between red wine and dark chocolate. Often the strong notes in one will drag the other sideways. However, Raaka makers have found a unique and harmonious way to blend these two great-tasting, fermented edibles. This 68% Cacao bar with pleasant red wine grape flavor was made by steaming cacao over simmering red wine.* 

The Peruvian-grown cacao for today's bar was from CAC Pangoa, an agricultural cooperative that produces coffee, cacao and honey, and supports sustainability in the Central Amazon region of Peru.

*Today's gluten free, soy free and vegan bar contained just four ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic cacao butter (and) cabernet sauvignon."

Shattell - 85% Dark Piura Peru Single Origin bar - Nov. 15, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Shattell Chocolate
(Produced by Qulinaria Peru S.A.C.)
85% Dark (Noir) Cacao Piura Single Origin bar
Good +
Weight: .82 oz. (23.3 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 125 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Stars USA, online order

Welcome to Day #25 of South American Chocolate Theme Weeks.

Today's Shattell Chocolate 85% Dark (Noir) Cacao Piura Single Origin bar was produced by Qulinaria Peru S.A.C. (Lima, Peru).

Shattell is an "artisan chocolate factory" located in Lima that specializes in making craft chocolate from beans grown in the Peruvian Amazon.

The cacao used to make this organic bar was grown in the Piura region of Peru; and the bar was a product of Peru as well—rather than coming from an American or European maker. Piura is a coastal region in northwestern Peru, one of several regions where cacao is grown in a country that has seen cacao production climb significantly in the last decade.

Today's ultra-dark Piura bar had an aroma with roasted coffee, acidic dried fruit (dried cherries, raisins) and cocoa notes.

The taste was smoother than the bold aroma, with not as much of an acidic bite and/or bitterness as expected. It did have a slight coffee aftertaste. The texture was relatively creamy and uniform.

Frederic Blondeel - Tablette VII - 75% Peru Dark Chocolate bar - Nov. 14, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Frederic Blondeel
Tablette VII - 75% Peru Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: .636 oz. (18 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 97 calories (estimate) in 2/5 bar
Cost: $6.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Stars USA, online order

Welcome to Day #24 of South American Chocolate Weeks. This week, we're virtually visiting Peru—via bars made with cacao grown there.

Today's Tablette VII* 75% Peru Dark Chocolate bar had an aroma with notes of chocolate, dried fruit (raisins, plums, fig jam) and a hint of tropical fruit (guava, passion fruit) and green.

The thin chocolate bar allowed immediate access to a cocoa buttery-soy lecithin texture and rapid melt—showing once again that bar thickness or thinness can influence the tasting experience. There were occasionally, in contrast to the buttery-ness, tiny crunchy particles (of either cocoa nib or sugar?) but they weren't off-putting.

It was a pleasant and surprisingly light bar.

*The Frederic Blondeel line, manufactured in Belgium, includes a single origin series of at least 10 different tablettes (bars numbered from I to X).

Zak's Chocolate - 70% Cacao Peru San Martin bar - Nov. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Zak's Chocolate
70% Cacao Peru San Martin bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) /1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.75 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Zak's Chocolate, Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #23 of South American Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's 70% Cacao Peru San Martin dark bar was hand-crafted by the makers at Zak's Chocolate (Scottsdale, AZ).

I really liked this bar. It was well-crafted, and consistently good. It had an aroma with green, spice (the tasting notes suggest cinnamon/autumn spice, mild nutty) and chocolate notes. The texture was smooth and a creamy* throughout.

This 70% dark Peru bar was a finalist at the 2016 International Chocolate Awards. The single origin bar was gluten free and made with organic cocoa beans, organic sugar and organic cocoa butter.

*Zak's Chocolate is one of a small handful of bean-to-bar craft chocolate companies making single origin bars that also incorporate single origin cocoa butter, that they press themselves. (Arete Fine Chocolate in Milpitas, CA, also does this.)