Honeymoon Chocolates - 80% Haiti + Manuka Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 20, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates

80% Haiti + Manuka (honey) Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar

Calories: 148 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $11.95 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, including chocolates made from cacao grown in the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.

Today's 80% Haiti Cacao + Manuka (honey) Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Honeymoon Chocolates (St. Louis, MO).

The aroma notes for this ultra-dark bar included: dark chocolate, light, bright fruit (peach jam, sweet green banana, and very faint ripe berry + spice).

The chocolate had a very smooth texture, with a soft, relatively rapid melt.

Flavor notes included smooth dark chocolate with buttery and floral honey notes--with a relatively mild/friendly flavor profile for an 80% cacao bar, with no harsh or bitter notes and balanced acidity.

Maker's tasting notes: "Apricot, vanilla, green banana, pine"

Ingredients: "Cacao, raw honey, cacao butter"

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that prepares products with peanuts and tree nuts." "Free of refined sugar, soy, dairy, and gluten."

 

Honeymoon Chocolates + Kaldi's Coffee - 75% Haiti + Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 19, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates

(with Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co.)

75% Haiti Cacao + Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar)

Good ++

Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar

Calories: 140 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $9.95 for 1 bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, including chocolates made from cacao grown in the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.

Today's 75% Haiti + Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar) was created by Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO) in collaboration with Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co. (Saint Louis, MO). 

Origin stories

This chocolate was a blend of single origin ingredients (each with their own story), including the Haiti Brew 4 Impact coffee (from Haiti) roasted by Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Co.; and the Haiti-grown cacao was from Produits des Iles S.A. (PISA)--an organization working directly with cacao farmers in Haiti. 

Last, but not least, this dark chocolate bar was sweetened with "Missouri Wildflower and Clover" raw honey. (Honeymoon Chocolates produces several honey-sweetened bars.*)

Aroma

As soon as I opened the sealed wrapper, I was greeted with the hearty, dark roasted aroma of coffee and chocolate. (This was a welcome wake-up breakfast bar this morning after a long hike yesterday.) 

Texture

The 75% cacao chocolate had smooth texture with a rapid, creamy melt.

Flavor

The flavors included rich coffee and dark chocolate flavor notes, as well as some flickers of light floral sweetness, nut butter and very faint, diffuse berry. This chocolate delivered abundant dark flavor(s), but with very balanced, and relatively low bitterness and acidity. The finish was relatively clean with light lingering mocha notes.

Ingredients: Cacao, raw honey, coffee, cacao butter

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility that prepares products with peanuts and tree nuts." "Free of refined sugar, soy, dairy, and gluten." "This product contains raw honey and should not be given to infants under the age of one."

*A portion of the proceeds from this bar go to honeybee research. A unique bar number written on the packaging invites consumers to enter the number at a website to see how their donation is being used.

Triangle Roasters - "Haiti" - 70% Haiti PISA (bar) - Nov. 18, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Triangle Roasters

"Haiti" - 70% Haiti PISA (bar) 

Good ++

Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar

Calories: 132 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $8.25 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, featuring chocolates made with cacao grown in the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.

Today's Haiti 70% (bar) was made from Produits des Iles S.A. (PISA) cacao that was roasted and handcrafted into bars by Triangle Roasters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The aroma contained subtle, sweet dark chocolate--and diffuse, naturally sweet berry (blackberry, blueberry)--notes.

The bar's flavor had a naturally sweet dark chocolate taste (almost vanilla, but there was vanilla added). The perceived sweetness also arrived in the form of diffuse fruit (dried grape, ripe (sweet, faintly earthy) dark berries (blueberry, blackberry)) notes. The finish was fairly clean and subtle.

Maker's tasting notes: "Vanilla, blueberry, floral"

Ingredients: Organic cacao, organic cane sugar

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility with nuts and dairy"

Triangle Roasters - Coffee 68% Haiti PISA (bar) - Nov. 17, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Triangle Roasters

"Coffee" - 68% Haiti PISA + Ethiopian Coffee (bar) 

Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar

Calories: 136 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar

Cost: $8.25 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar

Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, featuring chocolates made from cacao grown in the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti.

Today's Coffee 68% Haiti (bar) was made using cacao from Produits des Iles S.A. (PISA) in Haiti (and coffee from Ethiopia) that was roasted and handcrafted into bars by Triangle Roasters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The intriguingly complex yet subtle aroma of this chocolate bar included: balanced coffee, faint leather, very faint vanilla tobacco, chocolate and faint, diffuse fruit (berry) notes. 

The well-tempered bar broke with a hard snap and had a smooth, uniform texture.

Flavor notes included uniformly rich yet polite dark chocolate and, most notably, clear blueberry (and faint ripe blackberry) notes. 

Overall this bar was smooth and well-executed, with enjoyable aroma and flavor notes.

Ingredients: Cacao, cane sugar, cocoa butter, coffee

Allergen-related information: "Made in a facility with nuts and dairy"

 

Tosier Chocolatemaker - PISA Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 16, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Tosier Chocolatemaker
PISA Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 164.7 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 (+ summer shipping) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks. The focus: single origin chocolate bars made from cacao grown in the Dominican Republic (last week) and Haiti (this week)--the two nations that occupy the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

Today's PISA Haiti 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was from Tosier Chocolatemaker (Gipping Valley, Suffolk, UK).

To create this bar, the makers used cacao from Produits des Iles S.A. (PISA), an organization that works directly with farmers in Haiti. The bar's packaging included information about how the cacao was grown,* and a beautifully illustrated explanation of steps involved on the journey that starts with sourced cocoa beans and culminates in finished chocolate bars.

Aroma
The aroma included: subtle herbal-berry flavored lozenge; diffuse fruit (dark, ripe berries: black raspberry, sweet elderberry, currant pastille); barely there, faint and fleeting tart green (lemon, oxalis, wood sorrel); and background chocolate (chocolate torte with red raspberry jam) notes.

Flavor
This well-tempered bar had a glossy sheen and broke with a satisfying snap. The texture and flavor were both uniform and pleasing with notes of dark chocolate cookie/cake. There were no harsh or off notes in this chocolate. 

The natural sweetness of this cacao (including bright red fruit/ripe berry notes) made this 70% bar taste slightly brighter and sweeter than the average 70% dark bar. The fruit complexity also seemed to have some nice potential depth to it. (I'm guessing a slightly darker, 75% cacao version of this bar (with more cacao and less sugar) would be good as well.)

There was a very faint trace of astringency (dryness that you might find in some red wines) in the finish after enjoying a few bites; but it was not off-putting.

Maker's tasting notes: "Complex, with hints of fig, sour cherry and red fruit."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, organic unrefined cane sugar, ethically sourced cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of nuts." "Gluten free, dairy free, palm oil free...plant-based product"

*The cacao was intercropped with yam, avocado, citrus and plantains. After the cacao fruit was harvested the batch(es) of wet cacao (cacao seeds (aka beans) with fruit pulp) were "centrally fermented...in wooden boxes for around seven days..." before being "sun-dried and turned at regular intervals" (to ensure even moisture content (and flavor) and to prevent mold). The maker also notes: the cacao was "certified organic at origin." 

Wm. Chocolate - Haiti KAFUPBO 80% Dark (bar) - Nov. 15, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Wm. Chocolate

Haiti KAFUPBO 80% Dark (bar)

Good +++

Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar

Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 small bar

Cost: $3.75 (sale) for 1 small bar

Purchased from: Chocosphere.com, online order 

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks--featuring Dominican Republic cacao-based chocolates last week; and chocolates made from cacao grown in the Republic of Haiti this week.

Today's Haiti KAFUPBO 80% Dark (2019 Harvest) (bar) was made from bean to bar by William Marx at Wm. Chocolate LLC (Madison, WI).

KAFUPBO is "a farmer-owned co-op producing world-class organic cacao in northern Haiti." In 2019/2020, Haiti produced only about 5,000 metric tons of cocoa. (The Dominican Republic produced approximately 70,000 metric tons that year.) That's up from the 4,400 tons reported in 2016, but down from the over 20,000 tons from decades earlier--numbers that reflect challenges in this country.

Several organizations, including Produits des Iles S.A. (PISA) and Singing Rooster, have been working with farmers and helping to bring Haiti coffee and cacao to market. I felt grateful to find bars for a Haiti series this week.

Aroma and texture

Today's Wm. Chocolate 80% cacao chocolate had a subtle, complex aroma--a blend of chocolate cookie, with diffuse fruit (red berry, raspberry, very faint sweet lemon, and even fainter lemon herb (oxalis, sour grass, wood sorrel)) notes. The melt and texture were creamy and smooth.

Flavor and tasting ultra-dark bars

As is often the case with ultra-dark (80% and above) chocolates, the flavors are "darker" than the aroma.* Tasting this bar, the initial aroma evoked a sunlit summer tea party with cookies, raspberry jam and lemon slices. 

As I tasted the first piece, it felt like the imaginary tea party had suddenly decided to move into the shaded forest to pick and eat wild blackberries. And I was happy to follow, with an occasional imaginary glance over my shoulder for bears. (Thankfully, no bears or rough or off notes, or earthy spikes; just wonderful, perfectly ripe dark berries and one last cup of tea.)

This bar had a rich dark chocolate flavor that was smooth (well managed) yet complex (rich flavors were allowed to shine). Balanced occasional upticks of earthiness were effectively incorporated into authentic ripe, dark berries: soft undulations of blackberry tea, black currant/elderberry, and black raspberry ice cream notes.

Maker's tasting notes: "Rich and herbal with notes of raspberry, black tea, biscuit"

Ingredients: Certified Organic cacao beans, Certified Organic whole (unrefined) cane sugar, Certified Organic cacao butter

Allergen-related information: "No soy, dairy, grain, nuts, refined sugar, or animal products."

*This rather sudden shift to a darker, more unsweetened cacao taste (vs. a "sweeter" or fruitier initial aroma) found in bars with less than 20% sugar can be a shock--especially for those who are not used to pure cacao flavors or unsweetened chocolate. Our palettes and brains expect chocolates to taste sweet; that's what we're used to. 

However, the best chocolate makers work with farmers, post-harvest fermentation experts, and others to create ultra-dark chocolates with such care and skill that the unique and true flavors of great cacao sing without sugar sparkle; and occasionally (such as with today's maker), seem to add wings for an extra enjoyable ride, where it's possible to experience a form of imaginary culinary transportation.

Moku Chocolate - Dominican Republic Zorzal Cacao 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Nov. 14, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Moku Chocolate

Dominican Republic Zorzal Cacao 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) 

Good ++ 

Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in total bar

Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $8.75 for 1 bar ($35 for 4 different bars)

Purchased from: Moku Chocolate, online order (via Good Food Awards Marketplace)

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Hispaniola Theme Weeks, beginning with chocolates made using cacao from the Dominican Republic--the eastern portion of the larger Caribbean island known as Hispaniola. Haiti lies to the west; and chocolates made from Haitian cacao will follow.

Today's Dominican Republic Zorzal Cacao 70% Dark Chocolate (bar) was handcrafted by Moku Chocolate (Philomath, OR), using cacao grown on the Zorzal* reserve.

The maker's motto: "Chocolate crafted from bean to bar with careful attention to the cacao that goes into it, respect for the farmers who grow it and reverence for the environment that sustains it." An articulate expression of the intent and ethos shared by many smaller batch, single origin chocolate makers.

The subtle aroma notes for this bar included: fruit (plum), molasses, and chocolate (brownie)--followed by secondary notes that included a slight uptick of freshly baked bread and a single very faint, fleeting vegetable (potato) note.

The melt and texture were relatively smooth.

And flavor notes included: sustained chocolate (fudge brownie) tart-sweet red fruit (plum), and a background flicker of molasses--very consistent with the Moku maker's notes (below). (There's not always this level of congruence.) The uniformly smooth, dark/bittersweet chocolate-y flavor was enough to provide an effective balance with the relatively bright tart-sweetness and fruit acidity levels.

Maker's tasting notes: "Plums, red wine, and molasses."

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter

Allergen-related information: "vegan, non-GMO, gluten free"

*Moku Chocolate maker and founder, Maureen Nikaido, became interested in bean-to-bar chocolate (after sponsoring a child in Nicaragua in 2006 and exposure to cacao and chocolate making, including travel in Central America). Nikaido founded Moku Chocolate in 2020. 

Moku is a word for "island" in Hawaii. Cacao is grown on many islands near the Equator, including Hispaniola (DR and Haiti)--and Hawaii--in addition to other tropical areas close to coastlines. (Large bodies of water can help moderate extreme temperature fluctuations.)

Nikaido has focused primarily on single origin bars (some with flavor inclusions). One of those origins has been Zorzal Cacao in the Dominican Republic.

Zorzal Cacao is an agricultural-forestry project that is part of Reserva Zorzal, a large (1,000+ acres) bird sanctuary. It includes a cacao demonstration farm and fermentery operations. Zorzal (Spanish for thrush--a type of bird) is located in a mountainous area in north central Dominican Republic.